Primeau: Shining bright in Boston

BOSTON - Cayden Primeau didn't expect to shoulder the bulk of the goaltending duties entering his freshman year at Northeastern University.

By mid-November, though, the starting job was all his, and the 18-year-old netminder - whom the Canadiens selected in the seventh round, 199th overall last June - hasn't let go of the gig since.
His numbers so far this season reflect a young star on the rise. Through 18 games, Primeau boasts a 10-3-3 record for the Huskies, along with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
The key to his early success in the NCAA ranks goes back to his summer workouts in his native New Jersey and time spent at the Habs' development camp on the South Shore following the NHL Draft.
"Back home, I just tried to get as many shots as I could from guys that were already in college or who'd played college. I wanted to get my feet wet with those kinds of shots, releases, and placement. Where you had one second to react in Juniors, now you have one millisecond. I just wanted to get used to that faster pace," explained Primeau, on his efforts to adapt to the college game before making the jump from the USHL's Lincoln Stars to Jim Madigan's squad in Boston last fall.

"I also learned a lot from Marco [Marciano], the goaltending coach in Laval," added Primeau, who earned Hockey East Goaltender of the Month and National Division I Rookie of the Month honors in December. "He pointed some things out to me at development camp that I really worked on over the course of the summer. It helped my game a lot."
These days, Primeau is standing as tall as ever between the pipes, going 7-0-2 in his last nine starts and helping to pace the Huskies to a second-place standing in the conference behind perennial powerhouse Boston College.
"I have a lot of confidence and I'm working on keeping it trending in the right direction, but it's the team that gives me so much confidence, too, just in practice and games with all of the support. All a goalie has to do on this team is give the guys a chance. When you do that, anything's possible," said Primeau, who see a bright future for the Huskies. "It's crazy what this group can do with just a little bit of opportunity."
The city itself is also proving to be a perfect fit for Primeau, who recently changed the focus of his studies over the winter break from business to criminal justice and psychology to further explore an interest in forensics.
"Being a college student in Boston is awesome. It's been an easy transition," mentioned Primeau, before expanding upon his overall comfort level in Beantown. "Growing up, it was always hockey - whether we were watching it, talking about it, listening to it or actually at the rink. It's the same kind of deal here. They're passionate about college hockey and just sports in general. In New England, they really take pride in their sports."

It has also helped Primeau's cause to have his parents, Keith and Lisa, in the stands on a regular basis to watch him work.
"My parents have been up here quite a lot. They've only missed four or five games out of the whole season," said Primeau, whose father Keith's NHL career spanned 15 seasons with stops in Detroit, Hartford, Carolina and Philadelphia. "They're really supportive and they're having a blast this year."
As is Primeau, of course, who is soaking up everything that the college experience has to offer and looking to keep things rolling in the second half of the year.
"Being a freshman, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from the other two guys [senior Jake Theut and junior Ryan Ruck] we have with us. We want to achieve many things as a team and I think we have the opportunity to do so. We're the only ones that are going to hold us back," concluded Primeau. "Here at Northeastern, they really harp on getting better every day - better than your last practice and better than your last game. With my confidence, I just want to go in a forward direction and go uphill."