Joe Pearce

1/17/02

Rags to Riches

If you're a goalie and you're about to pack it in, you might want to read this.

In September, 6'5", 215 lb. goaltender Joe Pearce tried out for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL), but was cut, and returned home to his native New Jersey.

Even if he hadn't been cut, playing for the Monarchs wouldn't have been a great situation for him, anyway, as he would have been the #2 guy behind UMass-Amherst recruit Gabe Winer, who was planning to leave Gov. Dummer and take his senior year in the EJHL. Pearce knew all about sitting on the bench: he done it all last season with the Bismarck Bobcats (AWHL), rarely getting into a game. He wasn't looking forward to repeating the experience. He just wanted to play -- anywhere, and Randy Walker, the coach/GM of the N.J. Jr. Titans (Met League), said he'd be glad to have him. So Pearce returned home, joined up with the Titans and was about to return to enroll in a local community college when Monarchs coach/GM Sean Tremblay called back. Winer, he said, had decided at the last moment to return to prep school. Would Pearce he be interested in coming back and competing for the job with the Monarchs?

He was.

Now, four months later, he's one of, if not the, hottest Div. I goalie prospect in the country. On Monday, he was at Boston College for an unofficial visit. He's made unofficial visits to UMass-Lowell, and BU. Michigan, and likely others, will be flying in when the Monarchs play at the New England Jr. Coyotes Jan 26-27. The Wolverines are bringing in Al Montoya from the National Program, but still need another goalie. Michigan State, likely to lose Ryan Miller after the season, has called. UVM has made him an offer. Union wants him.

In an interesting twist, UNH called Pearce Monday night and brought him in for a visit yesterday. The Wildcats, with senior Matt Carney out 4-6 weeks with a concussion suffered in the Providence game on Sunday, weren't looking forward forward to battling for an NCAA title with no one behind Michael Ayers. So they made Pearce a nice offer -- on the spot. Pearce mulled it over at length, but declined, ultimately deciding that heading to college in September was a better choice for him, particularly given the options he has.

NHL scouts are watching closely, too. On Friday night, four NHL scouts were on hand to watch him in a 5-1 win over the Valley Jr. Warriors. Columbus had its whole entourage there -- regional scout Scott Fitzgerald, assistant GM Jim Clark, and goalie coach Rick Wamsley.

On the season, in 39 games (league and non-league), Pearce has posted a .940 save percentage, a 1.67 gaa and a 31-4-3 record.

Monarchs coach/GM Tremblay first noticed Pearce two years ago (April '00) at the Chicago Showcase. Because of his size, the goalie was hard to miss, but Tremblay also noticed that Pearce, then a senior at Brick (NJ) High School, was athletic -- and very, very raw. He filed his name away for future reference.

The future arrived 16 months later, at the Monarchs training camp in late summer. Tremblay says he wasn't too crazy about Pearce's play there: "He was all over the place, and was just being lit up."

When Pearce got his second opportunity, he took every advantage of it. Tremblay got to work with him on his mechanics, and started with some basics. He pointed out to Pearce that, at 6'5", it's not necessary to come out past the top of the crease. He told him that, given his size and wingspan, it wasn't necessary for him to pop back up onto his feet every time there was a rebound right in front. He taught him to attack pucks. Pearce quickly gained confidence, and things began to snowball. One area Tremblay is now working on with Pearce is his puckhandling.

"He listens well," said Tremblay. "That's been key. So has his work ethic, which is great. His learning curve has been amazing. He's just foaming at the mouth to get better. He wants to play pro. He wants to be a leader."

As for going from an unknown to the center of attention in such a short period of time, Tremblay says Pearce is a "very laid back kid" and unfazed by it all. It's the way he plays goal, too, says Tremblay. He just doesn't get rattled.

Pearce will be starting for the North squad in tonight's EJHL All-Star game at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass.