Petruzzelli arrived at Quinnipiac as a highly touted prospect from Muskegon of the United States Hockey League, but in each of his first two seasons he played behind Andrew Shortridge, who had a .940 save percentage last season before signing with the San Jose Sharks.
Now Petruzzelli is a junior and the net is his.
"I'd have to say it has definitely not been what I expected, but it's been extremely beneficial for me to take this time and mature not only as a hockey player, but as a person," the 20-year-old said this week. "[Shortridge] was a great goalie partner. It's been great for me to mature underneath him a little bit and now come into my own this year."
Petruzzelli (6-foot-5, 185 pounds) was on his game in back-to-back 3-2 victories against American International College last weekend. The second game, when Quinnipiac fell behind by two goals in the opening four-and-a-half minutes, underscored Petruzzelli's growth.
"I like the way that he held the fort," Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. "Mentally, that was a good challenge for him, to lock it in and keep it close and keep us in the game."
"I was a little sluggish off the start, but we figured it out and it was a good win,'' said Petruzzelli, who made 26 saves.
Petruzzelli left 15 tickets for family and friends for the game, which was played at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, less than 10 miles from Petruzzelli's hometown of Wilbraham.
The goalie has tweaked his approach this season after taking some advice from his coaches. He said he has a great relationship with Red Wings goalie development coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson, as well as Quinnipiac goalie coach Justin Eddy.
"I'm doing a lot to kind of simplify my game, use my size more and try not to play so athletically because I find I'm just opening up holes and causing myself more problems," Petruzzelli said. "Just kind of quieting my game down. Being solid and being consistent has been my focus so far."
