Great save at Phillips Academy

MARBLEHEAD -- The first indication Cory Schneider had the temperament to carry a team came during his first season with Phillips Academy in Andover. He was a sophomore, splitting time with other goalies as he learned the ropes.

The last game of the season was against rival Phillips Exeter and Schneider was told he was getting the start from coach Dean Boylan Jr. It was the end of a rough campaign for Andover, while Exeter was fighting for a playoff spot. The drama came to a head after the second period in Andover's new rink when the Zamboni, after clearing the ice, crashed into the door and caused enough damage to force the game to the old rink a quarter-mile down the street.

When the teams and fans got settled in, regulation time ended scoreless and the opponents assembled at their respective benches prior to overtime.

"He was grinning from ear to ear," said Boylan. "He looked at me and said, `How great is this?' That's what Cory is all about. He was so pleased to be in that spot. That's where he's comfortable. It struck me then he was going to be very special."

Andover lost the game 13 seconds into the extra session but it was just the beginning for Schneider, now 18. After two strong seasons as the No. 1 goalie and impressive international performances, Schneider will be in Raleigh, N.C., this weekend for the National Hockey League draft. He's ranked No. 7 among North American netminders by Central Scouting.

Schneider -- whose stock has been on the rise since playing for the gold-medal-winning United States World Under-18 team last August in Slovakia, and who helped the Americans win silver in April at the World Under-18 championships in Belarus -- could be selected in the first round. However it turns out, he's going to be suiting up for Boston College in the fall.

Schneider's original plan was to go to the US development program for a year, but financial aid became available at BC.

"The problem was BC didn't have any scholarship money," said Schneider. "They didn't have any room for me this fall and then when Adam Pineault left, it opened up a spot. That didn't develop until April. When coach [Jerry] York called and said he'd like me to come in this fall, I was pretty excited."

Schneider credits his international experience with helping him move up in stature.

"I was in Slovakia last summer and I think that kind of put me on the map, just in terms of pro scouts," said Schneider. "I'm not sure what they thought of me at Andover but I think they were looking to Belarus in April to see how I would respond and, fortunately, I played well at the right time so I think that helped significantly."

Boylan has fielded a variety of inquiries about his former player and said he's thrilled to be able to sing the youngster's praises, both on and off the ice.

"I've had a lot of calls about him from different teams and I think they're all looking for the crack in the armor -- what doesn't he do well or what's the problem, but there isn't one," said Boylan. "I'm sure there are things that Cory is going to work on and get a little better at, but there's no flaw in Cory's game and certainly not in his character.

"As good a goaltender as Cory is, he's even a better young man. And he's gotten better and better each year. This year, as well as last year, he was able to carry us through stretches where we may have been a little thin through injuries or facing a really strong team. He's the type of athlete who can just steal a game. He's really got excellent values. He's got his head really screwed on straight, even amid all the hoopla that's gone around him."

Bruins assistant general manager Jeff Gorton believes Schneider deserves the accolades.

"As a high school goalie there are always doubts, but at every level he's played at, he's won," said Gorton. "He had the chance at the end of his season to go overseas and ended up taking his team to the gold-medal game against Russia and they lost, 3-2. He's put himself on the map at every level. His stock is definitely on the rise. So it will be interesting to see where he goes."

Gorton said Schneider reminds him of Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft in the sense that nothing bothers him. Despite chaos around him, he keeps his feet on the ground.

"He's even-keeled and never gets rattled," said Gorton. "And he doesn't have any wasted movement."

It's rare when a player remembers a loss with great affection -- especially when it comes during a bad season -- but Schneider said that final game against Exeter more than two years ago, and that entire season, put him on his way.

"We were like 5-20, we were terrible, and Exeter was fighting for a playoff spot, so it was like we had no shot," he said.

The icing on the cake for Andover was that powerhouse Exeter missed the playoffs and Schneider was able to parlay that experience into two terrific years during which he was 13-7-3 in his junior year and 17-5-2 in his senior season.

"That was what was nice about that year," he said. "It was kind of a lost season so [Boylan] was able to throw me into the fire without worrying about winning and immediate results. I got shelled a couple of games but I saw a lot of shots and got a lot better that year."

And ever since.