It took Dylan St. Cyr three seasons with Notre Dame to finally secure a starting job with the Fighting Irish, and the senior goalie is looking to take his team back to the playoffs in 2021.

Watching Cale Morris and Redshirting

St. Cyr came to Notre Dame at the start of the 2017-2018 season. He split the team’s first few games with then-sophomore Cale Morris. The net was up for grabs, and Morris snatched it. He took Notre Dame to the NCAA Frozen Four while St. Cyr watched from the bench. St. Cyr backed up Morris again the following season, before redshirting in 2019-2020. Redshirting allowed him to practice with the team, but he couldn’t play in games. However, it gave him an extra year of eligibility, and he finally got a chance to prove himself this season.

St. Cyr was “disheartened” when Morris returned for his senior year, but he took the opportunity to become a better athlete. “That was kind of a year to take it upon myself to really get better as an athlete and just work on my game, even though I knew I wasn’t going to be playing any games,” St. Cyr said. He added that he had a “great” relationship with Morris while the two shared the crease at Notre Dame.

But St. Cyr is happy with the choice he made. “I think it was really hard mentally at first, but I think in the long run now looking back I’m definitely happy that I did it,” he said. Additionally, St. Cyr, along with every other NCAA Division I and II athlete from last spring or this fall, gained an extra year of eligibility due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The lack of playing time in college was a change for St. Cyr. Before coming to Notre Dame, he played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He appeared in 47 games with the under-18 National Team and another 38 in two seasons with the USNTDP Juniors squad. He also played 43 games over three seasons with the AAA team HoneyBaked, which has helped produce NHL stars like Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Torey Krug, and Cam Fowler.

“Personally that was kind of a setback, not playing as much as I did in the National Program when I was playing the majority of the games in my second year,” St. Cyr said.

However, St. Cyr enjoyed experiencing team success, even if it meant he wouldn’t play.

“We went on a 16-game win streak [in 2017-2018]. [Cale Morris] ended up winning the [Mike Richter Award as the most outstanding goaltender in Division I NCAA men’s ice hockey] and we had made it to the Frozen Four,” St. Cyr said. “We had an awesome team, so the team success honestly even though I wasn’t playing, it was really cool to be a part of.”

Playing with Ryan Bischel

This year, it looked like St. Cyr was going to face stiff competition for the starting job again. Sophomore Ryan Bischel backed up Morris last season, and has started nine games this season. But St. Cyr understood the importance of supporting his teammate.

“We’re both competitors and want to play, but I think we’ve been able to maintain [the] really strong relationship that we had from last year and carry it on through this year, even through the competitions,” he said. “I think we’ve both been able to realize that obviously, it would be healthier for both of us to support each other when we’re both playing, but at the same time I think we both know [that] when we have an opportunity to be able to run with it, [that] feels good as well.”

Bischel was injured shortly after the midseason break, giving St. Cyr a chance to run with the starting job. He started eight consecutive games from January 16 to February 12, going 4-4 with a .926 save percentage. He started the team’s two most recent games against Wisconsin, giving up three goals in a loss in the first game, and five more in the second game. But his team scored four goals in the third period and won 6-5 in a shootout. Unfortunately, however, he’s only got credit for a tie.

“For me, that’s probably been the most confidence I’ve had going through getting those games so I think it was just kind of a barrier that I had to break and get back into that game flow,” Dylan St. Cyr said.

Being the Son of a Hockey Legend

Luckily for St. Cyr, he had the support system to help him through the ups and downs of his young career. His mom is Manon Rhéaume, the only woman to ever appear in an NHL game (and any North American pro league), albeit preseason. She did so with the Tampa Bay Lightning, playing one period against the St. Louis Blues in 1992 and a full game against the Boston Bruins in 1993. Dylan’s father, Gerry St. Cyr, played pro hockey in the AHL with the New Haven Senators. Additionally, his uncle, Pascal Rhéaume, is a veteran of over 300 NHL games.

“[My parents] are both really good at letting me do my thing, and at the same time if I ever have questions I can go to them,” St. Cyr said. “Obviously the game has changed so much since my mom has played so she’s really not coaching me, and really hasn’t through my career, on the technical side of things, but both my dad and my mom have been really good at helping me on the mental side of the game because that kind of correlates no matter what position you play. They’re both there to help when I need them.

St. Cyr’s mom wasn’t his only inspiration for playing goalie. After all, his father was a pro center. St. Cyr said he became a goalie in-part because he didn’t want to get off the ice. He also enjoyed having more control over the outcome of the game, even if that meant he wouldn’t always come out on top.

For St. Cyr, having that control meant that he always had to be on his A-game. He compared the position to a football quarterback. “You really need to be sharp day in and day out,” he said.

After Notre Dame

Dylan St. Cyr still has another full year of eligibility after this season and is focused on bringing home a Big Ten Championship.

“I don’t want to get caught looking too far ahead and get distracted from my goals here at Notre Dame,” St. Cyr said. He’s excited about the prospect of winning a championship with his six senior classmates on the team.

He’s also taking the opportunity to refine his technical skills while in college. A shorter goalie at only 5 feet, 8 inches tall, he prides himself on his puck handling, skating, and ability to read the play. However, he said he has room to grow in all three of these aspects.

Notre Dame currently sits in 4th place in the Big Ten with two games this week against last-place Michigan State, and two more next week against Penn State. The Big Ten Tournament will take place at Notre Dame from March 18-20, with the Fighting Irish entering as defending champions from the 2019 tournament.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.