There's no question about who's the No. 1 goaltender now.
The silver mask sits on top of the net at the beginning of each period, waiting for Teddy Hume to lead the Penn State Icers out of the tunnel like he always does. He puts on the silver mask he's had for the past five years that's made his goaltender brethren, John Jay and Dan Ivanir, spectators in recent weeks.
Maybe nothing says more about his situation than getting two consecutive starts last weekend for Penn State against West Virginia, stopping 29 of 32 shots in the two games and making several key saves.
"We wanted to play him two games back to back to see how he'd respond, and I think he responded well," Penn State coach Scott Balboni said. "I think he gave us a solid effort both nights, and that's what we were looking for."
Balboni said before the season started that Hume would be the No. 1 goaltender entering the season. But early on, as the young Icers tried to find their footing, so too did Hume. He allowed 15 goals in his first six games, allowing three goals in four of those first six games.
But it was the second weekend of the season, at Ohio, where Hume said his season turned around.
"Before that, I'd had a subpar effort in both the Blue-White Game and the Towson game," Hume said. "But to go on the road and play two good games, and especially getting a huge win the second night, I really feel like I've played well ever since."
Hume said he has more confidence now than he had at the beginning of the season. Since Ohio, Hume's gone 4-0-1 in five starts, allowing 10 goals.
It doesn't hurt that the defensive corps has solidified around him, too.
"With defense and goaltending, it's a symbiotic relationship," Hume said. "There have been times this year where I haven't felt that great, but my defense has stepped up. And hopefully, there have been other times when the defensemen are making mistakes, and I've bailed them out and made some big saves."
Balboni said after the game Saturday he was looking for Hume to have a consistent effort both nights when he decided to have him start back-to-back games for the third time this season. Even though he didn't see a lot of action, Hume did his job.
And now it's no surprise that as the Icers bring a four-game winning streak on the road at Navy this weekend, their performance has mirrored the confidence Hume has in net.
"He had a couple of games where we didn't help him out, and he had to stand on his head," junior forward Tim O'Brien said. "I think we're giving him a little more help now these days. If we make it a little easier on him, by him saving the puck, it makes it a little easier on us."
