From an economics exam to the NHL: Inside the life of an emergency backup goaltender

BOSTON — Thursday morning, one day after his NCAA career had ended, Kyle Chauvette had a harsh return to reality: an economics exam.

Upon completion, the University of New Hampshire senior returned to his dorm room. Chauvette got a call from Dominic Boily, his agent.

“I need a yes or a no,” Boily told Chauvette.

“OK,” Chauvette answered with hesitation.

“You want to back up for San Jose tonight in Boston?” Boily asked.

The answer, obviously, was yes.

Chauvette did not play a second of the San Jose Sharks’ 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 of 41 shots as the game’s No. 1 star.

But the 24-year-old Chauvette was needed as the Sharks’ emergency backup goalie. Before San Jose’s morning skate at TD Garden, Yaroslav Askarov suffered a minor lower-body injury. It was not possible to recall a backup from the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, to complete a cross-country flight in time to be the No. 2 goalie.

Chauvette, meanwhile, was an hour away in Durham, N.H.

It just so happened that Chauvette was just outside Boston the night before. The Wildcats were facing off against Northeastern in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday. Matthews Arena, Northeastern’s home rink, is being demolished. Northeastern, Wednesday’s home team, hosted UNH at Boston College. The Huskies won 7-3. Chauvette was in net for all seven.

“Last night was tough,” said Chauvette, who is from Goffstown, N.H. “Obviously, not the way I wanted to end my college career. There were a lot of emotions. It was a quick turnaround today.”

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Chauvette is undrafted. He played for three seasons at Union College before transferring to UNH. He went 13-19-1 with a .902 save percentage for the Wildcats. Chauvette is considering a pro career in the ECHL.

But Askarov’s injury gave Chauvette an unexpected introduction to the NHL. After telling Boily he would sign San Jose’s amateur tryout contract, Chauvette stopped at the Whittemore Center to pick up a pair of Bauer sticks, his Vaughn pads and the rest of his gear. Some of Chauvette’s teammates were at the rink. They were delighted for their goalie.

Chauvette got in his car and started the drive south. There was traffic, as usual. But he arrived at approximately 4 p.m. He met the San Jose players and coaches. Ryan Warsofsky, whose coaching resume includes a stop with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, knows the business of seeing goalies come and go.

“Coming up from the ECHL, you deal with it a lot. So you kind of get used to it, in a sense,” Warsofsky said. “He just played (Wednesday) night for UNH, and here he was today. Nice young man.”

The equipment staff stitched his nameplate and No. 1 onto a white visiting jersey. Then Chauvette went out for warmups, taking shots from Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and the rest of the Sharks. His mom, Leanne, and father, Keith, watched from the stands.

“It was really cool,” Chauvette said of stopping warmup pucks on the Garden ice. “Lot different than college hockey this past year. Obviously, a huge rink. I’ve been to games here growing up. It was really cool to get to step out on that ice.”

Chauvette’s in-game services were not required. He watched from the end of the bench as Nedeljkovic stood tall. He saved 1.53 goals above expected, according to MoneyPuck.

“He was really good,” Warsofsky said. “You could see he was locked in early. Made some big saves. Just really, all game, he was outstanding.”

The Sharks play next on Saturday in Montreal. Laurent Brossoit and Gabriel Carriere are their two AHL goalies. Whether one of them will be recalled is unknown.

Chauvette, meanwhile, had his bag packed, topped with a complimentary Sharks hat and warmup gear. He said his goodbyes to his short-term teammates. Nedeljkovic broke in on Chauvette’s postgame interview to shake his hand and wish him good luck with his career.

“Do your thing,” Nedeljkovic said.

UNH goes on spring break next week. Chauvette will then finish his classes and graduate in May. He is not ready for a 9-to-5 job just yet.

“Just getting a taste of it, you want more,” Chauvette said of pro hockey. “Just seeing it now, just keep working and do whatever I can to keep reaching the next level.”