Brennan Boynton didn’t get a chance to play at UW-River Falls last season after transferring in from Division I American International.
But this year is he back on the ice, holding down the role as starting goalie for the Falcons.
“It’s been awesome. I haven’t played a full season since my second year of juniors in Fargo,” Boynton said.
Last year’s transfer marked the second time he changed schools as he played his freshman season at Minnesota.
And while he didn’t get to see ice time in a game last year, Boynton treated practice as if were one. He said that has allowed him to have success this season as he’s appeared in 13 games while fashioning a 2.05 goals against average.
“Treating practice like games really helped,” Boynton said. “That’s made a difference for me.”
Playing goalie is kind of a family thing for Boynton. His grandfather was a netminder at Gustavus and his dad played goalie in high school.
“My dad tried to get me to be a player, but I kept wanting to be goalie,” Boynton said.
So he stuck with it when he was younger and hasn’t looked back. He talked about the appeal of the position.
“When I was younger, it was the pads. I loved the gear and being on the ice all the time,” Boynton said. “And knowing my grandpa and dad were both goalies really motivated me to want to play the position.”
A native of Minnesota, Boynton said when it came time to look for a school to transfer to, one of his former goalie coaches helped steer him in the direction of River Falls.
“He had a similar route as me with college where he played at New Hampshire and then transferred to River Falls. He had a good pro career, too,” Boynton said. “He reached out and said River Falls needed a goalie, and it was close to home. After I visited, it felt like home.”
He loves that the Falcons have had success this season, going 8-5 in their first 13 games. They have also spent time in the USCHO.com poll.
“We have a really good team and everyone fully believes we can make a run,” Boynton said. “We are all bought in.”
Boynton is locked in on doing what he can to keep the team skating in the right direction.
“Right now, the focus is on doing what I can to help keep the team in games and give us a chance to win,” Boynton said. “I want to be there when my team needs me to make a big save.”
He loves being in the position to do it.
“It’s one of the reasons I love goalie,” Boynton said. “Everyone is watching and the pressure builds. I love having that pressure.”
Boynton is no doubt glad to be where is loves that he gets a chance to put his goalie skills on display after waiting for his opportunity.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” Boynton said. “Getting to play makes showing up every day a lot easier. And I have great teammates around me.”
