Taking the rink for the first time at Southern New Hampshire University, freshman Matt Courchesne of Bow looked at the two standout seniors ahead of him on the depth chart and shrugged.

Never had he let a challenge get in his way before. He certainly wasn’t about to shy away from this one.

When starter Martin Stehl was hurt in the midst of a fine season, Courchesne seized the opportunity, winning two of three starts, including a 4-3 overtime thriller against St. Anselm College. His 24 saves helped SNHU to the first victory in school history against its crosstown rival.

Though Stehl took the starting gig back when he returned late in the season, he struggled and forced coach Ken Hutchins to turn back to the hot hand of Courchesne in the playoffs. In a 6-3 Northeast-10 Conference semifinal win against St. Michael’s, Courchesne made 26 stops. He then lost a rematch to St. Anselm in the NE-10 final, 5-3, but tuned away 32 of 36 shots.

He finished the season 3-4-1, with a 4.55 goals-against average and a .851 save percentage. Hutchins remembers the season well, saying a very young Courchesne came in “a little on the cocky side.”

“I’ve improved tremendously since high school. My biggest gains came during the 65-game schedule I played in juniors,” said Courchesne, who has been skating since he was 3 and a goaltender since he was 4. “I really honed my skills and got it going by the time I got to Southern New Hampshire, and I made an impact right away, coming in against two established goalies and pushing them like I did.”

It’s that very attitude, said Bow High School coach Tim Walsh, that gives Courchesne his edge.

“He just works hard and has persevered at every level,” said Walsh. “He had to battle against (current University of Vermont netminder) Mike (Spillane) in high school, then he had to go to junior hockey and battle, and now he’s doing it in college. He has a lot of heart and has never given up, even when people have told him, ‘No.’”

While at Bow High School, Courchesne and Spillane split time for the Falcons, each earning New Hampshire select status three years in a row. Though the latter may have had more raw talent, Walsh said Courchesne had something else that made him special.

“Matt was a kid you would refer to as a gamer,” Walsh said. “He was a kid that would always, no matter the situation, make the big saves when he had to.”

But Hutchins said Courchesne has, at times, taken that skill for granted.

“To be honest, I expect more out of Matt, and he knows that, and we’re working together to meet both his personal and our team goals,” said the SNHU coach.

“He still needs to improve his work ethic and tweak some of the details of the goaltender craft. I feel confident he can do that. He just needs a nudge here and there.”

Unchallenged for the starting job his sophomore year, Courchesne minded the net 24 of 27 games and finished the season with a .872 save percentage, a 4.04 goals-against average and a 11-13 record. Now in his junior season, Courchesne has had to fight for playing time again.

After being suspended for two games earlier in the year for disciplinary reasons, Courchesne battled sophomore Shane Brooks and freshman Todd Rowley for the starting job. The three split time in net for the first 14 games of the season before the junior earned the nod.

“This year, he finally came into camp in better physical condition. He’s been hitting the weight room, doing the running, participating in the offseason program, but he still needs to even get better,” said Hutchins. “Matt has the all the tools, he just needs to continue to constantly upgrade his tool box. I’m talking about both the mental and physical parts of the game.”

Once he grasps those concepts, Hutchins continued, Courchesne may finally reach elite status.

“With the competition and the fact he’s getting older, he’s starting to mature and become more responsible,” said the coach. “I’ve seen those strides, and he’s improving every day. If he continues to work hard, he can become not just a good goaltender at our level, but a great goaltender.”

Still, the numbers need to improve for him to get there – starting with wins. After opening this season 8- 2-1, the Penmen have dropped five games in a row, most recently a 7-0 mauling by UMass- Dartmouth.

Courchesne’s save percentage has dropped below .900 during the stretch. He’s currently 4-4-0, with an .882 save percentage and a 3.63 goals-against average.

But numbers aren’t always indicative of a goaltender’s talent, said Courchesne.

“Playing only 20 some-odd games, one bad game sticks with you all the way through. It’s not like juniors where you play 65 games and one rough outing doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s tough to look at goals-against average because that’s more of a team stat. And save percentage, that stat, it affects goalies, but you also have to look at the team you have in front of you. Look at any goalie on a winning team, and they will have much better stats.”

While Hutchins didn’t disagree, he said personal accountability is part of any maturation process. In the midst of both personal and athletic growth, Courchesne has earned all-academic status to go along with an ECAC goalie of the week award and several other honors.

“I know I’m not going to make a living playing hockey, so it’s nice to have that bond with my teammates and enjoy my passion of playing hockey, while at the same time getting a great education,” he said.

“Matt does a nice job off the ice as well,” said Hutchins. “He’s been donating his time to youth hockey and different youth organizations, and he’s really starting to round out as a fine young man.”