On paper, Miami’s goaltending situation appears bleak.
Only one netminder returns. He went 1-12-1 with a save percentage of .866.
But the RedHawks have added one of the USHL’s top goalies as well as an experienced graduate senior, and Bruno Bruveris — who was prematurely thrust into the starting role due to injury last season — should take a major stride forward as a sophomore.
“I like the feel of the three of them,” Miami head coach Anthony Noreen said. “They get along, they push each other, they compete against each other. That’s the way it should be with goalies. They all want to be the guy in the net, but if they’re not the guy in the net, they’re still pulling for the guy that is.”
VFTG takes a look at the goalies in Part IV of our 2024-25 Miami Preview.
Parts I, II and III can be found here: Overview | Forwards | Defensemen.
WHO’S BACK: So. (1): Bruno Bruveris.
WHO’S GONE (transfers in parentheses): Logan Neaton, Carter McPhail (Mercyhurst).
WHO’S NEW (transfers’ previous teams in parentheses, others are freshmen): Ethan Dahlmeir, Brett Miller (RPI).
ANALYSIS: Freshman Ethan Dahlmeir and Bruveris are expected to vie for the starting job, and this will be one Miami’s most consequential internal competitions.
Dahlmeir was a workhouse for USHL Des Moines last season, logging nearly 3,000 minutes last season (over 72 percent of his team’s totals in net) and posting a .900 save percentage and a 2.96 goals-against average.
He played for the NAHL St. Cloud Norsemen the previous two campaigns, where he finished with a .916 save percentage in 2022-23 and posted three shutouts in the regular season and two more clean slates in his six playoff appearances.
Bruveris was forced into full-time service when Logan Neaton went down with a lower-body injury on Jan. 13 and started the next 11 games.
He turned aside all five shots he faced in relief of Neaton when he went down and was 28-for-30 in his first start vs. Colorado College, but he allowed three or more goals in all of his subsequent starts.
Despite those struggles, based on his history, athleticism and a new coaching staff, he is expected to take a major step forward in 2024-25.
He went 23-16 his final season with USHL Cedar Rapids, notching a 2.46 GAA and .906 save percentage in the playoffs.
Bruveris dominated as a member of the Latvian U-20 team over two seasons, winning five games and posting a save percentage of .939 and .916, respectively, and Noreen points our several key reasons his numbers will improve in 2024-25.
“I think growth, I think development, I think a little bit of direction, I think a little bit of confidence,” Noreen said.
Brett Miller spent the last four seasons at RPI but only appeared in 13 games.
However, 2023-24 was his best collegiate campaign, as he finished with an .888 save percentage and played in seven games, more than in his first three seasons combined.
Noreen credited assistant coach Zack Cisek — a former goalie himself — for his work with the three netminders this preseason.
“Zack has done a great job with those guys in just meeting with them, showing them, continually trying to develop them,” Noreen said. “The goalie sessions have been productive — we’ve seen them get better as the weeks have gone on here in practice.”
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