University of Maine sophomore goalie Albin Boija, a second team All-Hockey East selection and one of 10 finalists for the Mike Richter Award which goes to the nation’s top goalie, is returning to Orono for his junior year.
Boija acknowledged he received professional offers but decided to return. He is an undrafted free agent.
“The opportunity we have here is amazing, and I want to keep maturing and building on that before I leave,” Boija explained.
Boija finished the season with a 23-8-6 record and 1.82 goals-against average along with a .928 save percentage.
His GAA is fifth best in the country among goalies at 64 Division I schools, and Boija’s .928 save percentage is ninth but fourth best among goalies who appeared in at least 30 games.
He had four shutouts, which tied him for fourth, and he is fifth in wins.
Since the start of the 2002-03 season, he is only the second Hockey East goalie and just the 17th in the country to register a GAA below 1.85 in their first 37 games of a season.
He is fifth in minutes played (2,270) among goalies ranked in the top 50 in goals-against average.
Boija held opponents to two goals or fewer 27 times and to one goal or less 14 times.
The Black Bears wound up 24-8-6 and won their first Hockey East tournament title since 2004. They were seeded third in the country among the 16 NCAA Tournament teams and were the top seed for the Allentown Regional but got upset by fourth seed Penn State 5-1 in their tourney opener.
The native of Sundsvall, Sweden, who was chosen a New England Division I All-Star by the New England Hockey Writers Association, had the third lowest single-season GAA and third highest save percentage in UMaine program history.
He was third in minutes played and tied current UMaine assistant/goalie coach Alfie Michaud for most games played in a season for UMaine with 37. His 23 wins are the fifth most in a season for the Black Bears.
Boija, who will attend the Boston Bruins development camp this summer, wants to keep getting better.
“I want to tidy up my stance a little bit to become more mobile,” said the 6-foot-1, 195-pound goalie. “I want to work on my rebound control to eliminate chances. I also want to improve on playing the puck.”
Boija was chosen the Most Valuable Player of the Hockey East Tournament as he posted a 1.71 GAA and a .935 save percentage in wins over UMass Lowell (7-1), Northeastern (4-3 in double overtime) and UConn (5-2).
“In general, I want to control the game even more,” he added.
Boija also played well in the 5-1 loss to Penn State in the Allentown Regional, finishing with 29 saves on 33 shots, including two off breakaways. The Nittany Lions scored an empty-net goal.
“With the exception of the last game, I was happy with the season,” Boija said. “Winning Hockey East was a highlight that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
UMaine led Hockey East in sellouts with 11, and the Black Bears packed the TD Garden for the Northeastern semifinal and UConn championship game. Boija said the fan support has been awesome.
Boija said the team’s goal this past season was to win the national championship and that will be the goal again next year.
He said the Black Bears have a lot of “great guys” returning, and he has heard good things about the newcomers.
“I’m excited for next season,” said Boija, who will enter the season with a career record of 33-14-7, a 1.88 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
