Joe Fallon is 5-2-2 with a 2.13 goals against average.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“I watched Jon Casey in 1991,” says Fallon about the North Stars’ netminder and fellow Minnesotan, “and I knew this was what I wanted to do.”<\/p>\n
The Catamounts are thrilled he did. After the Maine contest, Fallon started UVM’s next game and shut out Sacred Heart for his first collegiate win. He followed that up with a 34-save effort in a loss to Boston University and then allowed six tallies to Niagara before Vermont turned back to Russell.<\/p>\n
The junior netminder, so strong down the stretch last season, also lost to the Purple Eagles, who earned a sweep in Gutterson Fieldhouse. UVM head coach Kevin Sneddon, very emotional after the weekend, turned back to his rookie for salvation from what was already a three-game losing streak. Except it wasn’t going to be that simple.<\/p>\n
UVM was heading on the road. The destination: Duluth. The opponent: then-No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth. At stake: facing a team so solid that the Cats could be sent home in complete disarray. For Fallon: a trip to his home state, a chance to start against the nation’s best team and the need to stop the bleeding. In other words, the kind of pressure that could crush a normal person.<\/p>\n
But this isn’t your average Joe.<\/p>\n
“[His] composure and focus is at the level that most juniors, seniors, or even pro goalies strive for,” admires Sneddon.<\/p>\n
Fallon’s performance that weekend turned the season around for the Catamounts. Twenty-nine saves in a 3-2 upset of the Bulldogs and 40 stops in a 2-2 tie.<\/p>\n
And that’s when you knew.<\/p>\n
“Joe has been our early season MVP,” says Sneddon. “We’ve had solid contributions from our key players like [Scott] Mifsud, [Brady] Leisenring and [Jaime] Sifers, but to have a freshman goalie come in and dominate games the way he has is truly special for our program.”<\/p>\n
Thanks in large part to Fallon, UVM is rolling along on a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) to up the club’s record to 5-4-2 — including a second-place 3-0-1 mark in the league. Vermont didn’t win its fifth game last season until February 13.<\/p>\n
“I’m seeing the puck pretty good,” explains Fallon, “and keeping the game pretty simple. The team is playing really well in front of me.”<\/p>\n
A tall goaltender, similar in frame to the younger editions of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, Fallon stands 6-foot-3, which means that when he plays his angles well, he covers most of the net with his body. He’s listed as a stand-up goalie, but Fallon thinks his style is more versatile.<\/p>\n
“People say I’m a stand-up, but I like to think of myself as a hybrid,” he explains. “If I need to go down, I’ll go down. If I need to stay up, I’ll stay up. You need to have patience in making that decision.”<\/p>\n
The hybrid style of goaltending is one of the reasons Brodeur has been so successful in the NHL. Fallon doesn’t study just one NHL netminder, however, he takes a little bit from multiple sources.<\/p>\n
“I look at whoever is doing well. So, last year it was [Calgary’s] Miikka Kiprusoff and [Tampa Bay’s] Nikolai Khabibulin.”<\/p>\n
But Fallon, like other rookies in the ECACHL, also admits that there is an adjustment period to playing at a new level.<\/p>\n
“There are bigger players than what you are used to,” he says. “It’s harder to see the puck. They also like to one-time the puck more on the power play.”<\/p>\n
To make the needed adjustments, Fallon works on reacting to these new elements during practice.<\/p>\n
“Practice and repetition,” he explains, “and maybe you play a little deeper in the net on the power play.”<\/p>\n
So far, so good on the ice. But what about away from the rink?<\/p>\n
The youngest of Martin and Shirley Fallon’s four children, Joe’s oldest brother Michael went to Minnesota, his sister LeAnn played soccer at Bemidji State and brother Daniel graduated from Minnesota-Duluth.<\/p>\n
It begs the question, “how did a kid from a good Minnesota family end up in Burlington?”<\/p>\n
“I wanted the chance to play every day,” Fallon says, “and Vermont offered me a good scholarship. I also thought the move to Hockey East was a good opportunity. We’ll have the chance to bring in some new prospects.”<\/p>\n
Already, the impending move to a new conference at season’s end is paying off for the Catamounts.<\/p>\n
“The team has great camaraderie,” says Fallon. “Everyone gets along with each other and coach has a good plan for us. As long as we follow it, we’ll be successful.<\/p>\n
“Our goal is to win the ECACs. This is our last chance. For me, my goal is to help the team out.”<\/p>\n
That’s something Fallon has already accomplished, but he is also keenly aware of what he still needs to work on during his time at UVM.<\/p>\n
“I need to get stronger in my legs and overall better technique, with quick foot movement. To be a good positional goaltender.”<\/p>\n
Sneddon isn’t worried.<\/p>\n
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” explains the coach, “that he will emerge as one of the best goalies in the nation during his time at Vermont.”<\/p>\n
And after his days at UVM are over? The poised young man nearly answers the question before it is asked.<\/p>\n
“I would definitely want to turn pro,” Fallon says with a hint of excitement in his voice. “I just hope the opportunity arises.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Joe Fallon has helped backstop the surprising Vermont Catamounts near the top of the ECACs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n