When John Muse was at Noble and Greenough, he started his warmup for hockey games by juggling three tennis balls. It helped him concentrate better and improved his hand-eye coordination.
The Boston College freshman goaltender got the idea from the 2004 movie "Miracle," in which netminder Jim Craig used juggling as part of his routine.
"When the movie came out, someone asked me, 'Can you do that?' " said the 19-year-old Muse. "I just started doing it and haven't stopped."
Sometimes his high school teammates would try to disrupt him by putting their hands over his eyes, but that just made him all the more determined. That quality has served him well in his first year with the Eagles, who will face rival Boston University tomorrow night in the opening round of the Beanpot at TD Banknorth Garden.
When former BC goalie Cory Schneider elected for forgo his senior season to sign with the Vancouver Canucks, coach Jerry York had to shift gears. It was Muse who convinced the veteran bench boss he could handle the job.
"We thought he was in the wrong recruiting cycle for us because Cory was going to have one more year and we didn't necessarily think it would be a good idea to bring a goaltender in that particular year because Cory played 100 percent of the games," said York. "In our conversations with the family, he said he'd have no problem playing a year of junior hockey, and Indianapolis of the USHL had drafted him. It became a viable option for him instead of going to school and losing a year of eligibility.
"Goalie is such a difficult position, and we were looking at three or four goalies. We went down to [Muse's home in] Falmouth and I asked him, 'Do you like being a goaltender?' And he was emphatic that he did. That's a big thing.
"We were trying to find out over a kitchen table what makes this kid tick. I was looking at, if Cory leaves, here's our guy. He wasn't going to be an understudy. I was hoping Cory would stay, but [Muse] said he loved the game. He sold me."
And he has continued selling himself and his abilities. He's a substantial reason that No. 9-ranked BC is challenging for the top spot in Hockey East. He heads into tomorrow with a record of 12-6-7, a save percentage of .917, and a goals-against average of 2.30.
"With any freshman, but particularly in goal, especially in our situation, he was a top recruit and he was going to have to play the bulk of the schedule," said York, who credits goalie coach Jim Logue as a key influence on the youngster. "We knew he was a good goalie but it's a hard jump.
"Right off the bat with the Icebreaker Tournament [in St. Paul], he played so well. We only had a week of practice right up to that game.
"He's really consistent. He's shown different attributes that we thought he'd have but weren't quite sure. He's very competitive and extremely knowledgeable in how to play goal, making stops, the value of angles, redirecting pucks, moving pucks behind the net.
"His durability. He's played every game. He's got really good poise in the net. That's an important quality. There have been a lot of tests for him. At Maine, he let up a goal from the red line and that [cut BC's lead] to one goal. It's going to happen but it didn't faze him at all. It was a good test for him."
Hungry for a taste
Muse said he never doubted he could handle the pressure, despite the skepticism of others. He thought all the hand-wringing over Schneider's departure was just peripheral noise.
"I was confident," he said. "They wanted me to come in here because they knew I could play. I heard from a lot of people about the 'big shoes to fill' thing but I kind of took it as 'I can go out and show people how good I can play' and not have to live up to Cory's expectations."
Hockey isn't the only sport Muse excels at. He was a very skilled shortstop in high school and American Legion ball before making the choice that skates and not cleats were his best option.
"I was pretty serious about it," he said. "At one point, I thought I was going to go to college for baseball but I ended up getting recruited for hockey. I liked hockey better, that's why I ended up playing hockey."
And then there was the matter of the Beanpot. Muse's final three schools were BC, Harvard, and UMass.
"Growing up, I always wanted to play in the Beanpot, so it ended up being Harvard and BC," he said. "All my friends would go to the Beanpot, everyone watches it, and it's bragging rights for Boston teams.
"I loved everything about UMass, Harvard, and BC, so it was really tough. All the programs were going in the right direction, but growing up in the Boston area and going to BC and playing hockey is always a dream of every little kid. At BC, you always have a chance of winning a national championship and I really took that into consideration."
He felt any of the three would offer him a good education. Muse, who is enrolled in the business school, said that was as important as the hockey.
"One of the reasons I went away to prep school was to get a good education," said Muse, who plans to stay at BC all four years. "Nobles really helped me with my education and getting me ready for college and I really cherish that.
"There is going to come a time when I don't have hockey anymore and I'm going to have to do something else with my life. Graduating from Nobles and getting a degree from Boston College will really help with that."
Well in hand
The last time out against BU, Jan. 19 at Conte Forum, Muse made 38 saves, held the Terriers off the board on seven power plays, and was the main reason BC salvaged a 2-2 tie. He is looking forward to seeing the Terriers again with the stakes even higher.
"Last time we played them, we didn't play too well, so I think we have something to prove," he said.
Muse is enjoying juggling the demands on his time, whether it be practices, games, or classes - and especially those tennis balls. The difference since arriving at BC, though, is that no one on his team has tried to make him drop them.
"I haven't had that here," he said with a smile. "Not yet."
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com
