ANN ARBOR -- Michigan head hockey coach Mel Pearson went into the 2017-18 season without a No. 1 goalie, hoping either then-sophomores Hayden Lavigne or Jack LaFontaine would take hold of the starting job.
The duo shared the net during the first two months of the season, but when Lavigne shut out Michigan State on Dec. 17, 2017, the job became his to lose.
Lavigne went on a second-half tear, starting 24 of the team's final 25 games, backstopping the team to the Frozen Four.
With Lavigne entering this season as the clear-cut starter, playing time appeared to be limited for LaFontaine, a 2016 third-round draft choice of the Carolina Hurricanes.