Lost in the euphoria of Bemidji State’s three-point weekend at the expense of national power North Dakota was the comeback story of the Beavers transfer goalie Zach Driscoll. After allowing a goal barely two minutes into the contest, the 21-year-old sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, shut out the high-powered Fighting Hawks for over 60 minutes in North Dakota’s hockey castle, Ralph Engelstad Arena, preserving a 1-1 tie and an undefeated opening weekend for the Beavers.

“I’m really lucky to be a part of it,” said Driscoll, whose gratitude is impossible to ignore. “I’ll do whatever it takes to bring something positive to the team in any way that I can.” 

Two years ago, Driscoll was a teen sensation for St. Cloud State, claiming the starting job and beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers for his first two wins of what appeared to be a can’t-miss college career. 

“Being a Minnesota kid and coming out of Mariucci [Arena] with a win against the Gophers was a tremendous thing,” he said. 

Driscoll had a half dozen wins that fall, playing in the toughest conference in the nation, but by the time December rolled around, the young netminder had lost his way. Two months after being atop of the hockey world, he was replaced mid-game in a loss to Omaha, never to start again for Bob Motzko’s Huskies. Confidence shattered, he rotted on the bench for the remainder of the season. Motzko had more goalies in the St. Cloud pipeline, and Driscoll found himself on the outside looking in, his NCAA dream hanging by a thread. Motzko recommended a return to junior hockey, and Driscoll found himself back with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL last season, where he began his junior career in 2014. 

“I went back with a bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Driscoll said. “I knew I was good enough for college hockey, and I wanted to prove that.” 

And prove that he did, leading the USHL with eight shutouts and being named USA Hockey’s top junior goalie. Driscoll’s growth last season cannot be measured strictly by statistics. 

“That was definitely the year I needed for maturing as a person and as a leader,” Driscoll said. “And just confidence in playing hockey and knowing, ‘Hey, I can do this!’”

And now he is reborn as a Division I goalie, a wiser and steadier presence for Tom Serratore’s Beavers, who, along with Henry Johnson, have two solid goalies working between the pipes. Both held North Dakota to a single goal. 

“I’m happy with our goaltending over the weekend,” said Serratore, claiming that both his guys “stood tall.”

Driscoll knows that all the adversity he withstood the last two seasons has steeled him for his next incarnation as a DI goalie, beginning with his scintillating debut against North Dakota. 

“I’ve had my own path, and that path has led me here. I wouldn’t be the man — and definitely not the person I am today — without being on it,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Tim Rappleye is the author of "Jack Parker's Wiseguys" and the forthcoming book: "Hobey Baker, Upon Further Review," set for release in November. He can be reached @TeeRaps.