Former Powell River King Sean Maguire turned a really good year into a spectacular one by taking full advantage of his opportunities.
Maguire already had an National Collegiate Athletic Association scholarship in his pocket when, in June, he was selected in the sixth round, 113th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.
Pretty heady stuff for the 19-year-old but Maguire who took it all in stride at the time recalled, “it was just my mom and my little sister at eight in the morning. My mom was a little more pumped than I was in the beginning.”
Maguire donned the Boston University jersey last September and adjusted to the rigourous schedule.
His partner in the Terrier net, Matt O’Connor, was also a freshman and the two shared starting duties for the first half of the season.
Maguire’s first start was similar to the one he had with the Kings where he struggled early and was pulled midway though the game. “It was kind of déjà vu of the first start in Powell River,” he admitted, “but after I got the jitters out I was solid. That was the best way to start it off for the two of us to work ourselves in with the college atmosphere and the bigger crowds and a faster paced game.”
The competition evened out later in the schedule but he had to take over when his counterpart O’Connor suffered a collapsed lung in March which ended his season.
“I grasped the opportunity and kind of ran with it,” Maguire said. “I tightened up my game and took full advantage of it. Then led the boys to the final.”
He played brilliantly to record seven wins in eight games including two shutouts to reach the final against Massachusetts-Lowell.
In front of 14,000 screaming fans at the Toronto Dominion Banknorth Garden, Maguire and the underdog Terriers were in a scoreless classic until a River Hawk wraparound beat him at 11:09 of the final period to win 1-0.
“Come playoff time I feel like it’s a different season,” Maguire explained. “I felt pretty good. I’m just thankful that I had the support of my team and coaches. They were a huge factor in our success as well.”
Maguire completed a successful rookie season with a record of 13 wins including four shutouts, a respectable 2.53 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.
The excitement had barely subsided when Maguire attended his second Penguin’s development camp in June where he got another chance to display his skills in front of coaching staff and another packed arena.
After a few weeks off during the summer he’s heading back to school.
One date circled on his busy schedule this year is January 11 at the Frozen Fenway where close to 40,000 fans will watch Maguire and the Terriers take on Maine Black Bears in an outdoor classic. “It’s become a traditional event and should be pretty exciting,” he predicted.
It will be tough to top the excitement of year one but Maguire is settling into life in Massachusetts. “There is a lot to do,” he said. “Some weekends we go up to Maine and hang out on the beaches. Or if you don’t have homework or studies to do, I just hang out with my buddies.”
It’s all about balance and Maguire says the university assists by “making a lot of help available for us. They do a good job creating our schedule to work around our school schedule because that’s the main purpose we’re there.”
“We’re there for the reason not just the season,” he quoted his coach, Jack Parker who retired at the end of the year after 40 years with the Terriers.
Incoming coach Dave Quinn has already declared his intentions with regard to his starting goaltender. “He told us we’ll be rotating and playing the hot hand,” said Maguire, “to give our team the best chance to win every night.”
That’s completely acceptable to Maguire who thrives on challenges and is now a proven performer.
