Game played 1/4/2025.
Liam Beerman (G, L, 6’0″, 177, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 09/30/2004, Lindenwood)
Game Rating
Liam Beerman is a calm and composed goaltender who excels in his crease, using a solid butterfly position and quick footwork to track pucks. He effectively seals the ice and takes frequent shoulder checks to identify threats. While he struggles with rebound control at times, particularly with elevated pucks, Beerman demonstrates excellent movement and positioning skills. He also shows great comfort in and around his posts, moving fluidly and using his size and physicality to control rebounds. Beerman’s ability to read plays and take effective angles allows him to make timely saves and direct play forward. With a strong performance, he showcases a promising skill set that will serve him well in his goaltending career.
1 Viewing
Comments: Dubuque: Liam Beerman (2004) The Michigan native plays a calm game within his crease and relies on his fundamentals to do so creating a simple game. Beerman quickly sets his feet on threats and identifies them using scans aiding in his precision. While a simple game is mostly prosperous, the Dubuque native tends to lose his feet and lose mobility during cross crease plays. While this might not hinder some, the Lindenwood commit doesn’t seem to have the power for quick recoveries and additional long movements once down. Dropping into pucks calmly is an elite skill and he shows this throughout the game, aided by strong tracking skills. Although his tracking skills are strong, his movement could be aided by more frequent scans of the zone to identify threats. Very busy in this contest the limiting of second chance opportunities was important. Directing pucks away from traffic or keeping them within reach made his game simple. A solid performance stopping 35 of 38 in the 4-3 win. Grade: B+
Owen Lepak (G, L, 6’0″, 170, Youngstown Phantoms, 02/20/2006, Western Michigan)
Game Rating
B+
Owen Lepak’s playing style is characterized by his ability to track pucks effectively, particularly when playing deeper in his crease. However, his lower body movement limitations can hinder his lateral range and reaction time, leading to occasional difficulties in reaching saves outside of his body. To address this, he tends to drop and reach for pucks instead of releasing them quickly. In his comfort zone, Lepak’s movements are more fluid, and he maintains consistent hand positioning.
1 Viewing
Comments: Youngstown: Owen Lapak (2006) The Western Michigan commit plays a deeper game in his crease and relies on positioning and tracking to make saves. With a calm demeanor and limiting larger movements the Michigan native only gains depth during line rushes. He creates a nice seal of the ice when down in a butterfly and can move down effectively. Constantly regaining his back foot and angle adjusting ensures that he is square and can set his feet on pucks. When he is unable to do so his stance tends to widen and limit his movement. Very frequent shoulder checks aid in the precision of his movement and allow him to infer where plays may be headed. Comfortable when pucks are down low or in awkward angles using a reverse nicely, he seals holes and gets in and out effectively. Stopping 24 of 27 in this performance but coming up short in the 4-3 shootout loss in Dubuque. Grade: B+
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
