By Brandon Thomas
Cornell Athletic Communications

Freshman Friday (and, for this year, the Sophomore Spotlight) is a Q-and-A feature with new members of the men's hockey team. This is the first of 14 installments this year, featuring goaltender Joe Howe.

Q: Since fans haven't had a chance to see you play yet, how would you describe your goaltending style and who are some pros you look at to try to take away pieces of their games to apply to your own?
A: First of all, I want to say I'm extremely excited. I've seen the videos and some of the guys have been telling stories about Lynah, and it looks just absolutely electric. As for goalies, I think every goalie says they want to play like Carey Price. For me, maybe just in a sense of his calmness. But I'd say my top three comparables are probably John Gibson – as in mannerisms, positioning, maybe a bigger goalie, kind of plays the percentages a little more. Fundamentally, maybe some of Carter Hart. And then I like to play the puck and get out of the net, so maybe Mike Smith in a way like that.

Q: So you committed when you were with the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies, which is where Matthew Galajda most recently played before coming here. How much did that connection between both the junior club and Cornell come into play?
A: When we started talking to (Associate Head Coach Ben Syer) at the showcase and when I came out here on an official visit, I sat down with the coaches and Galajda. We just kind of went over some things like his experiences and what not. And then he went to St. Andrew's and I went to Upper Canada College – they're head-to-head rivals. Then he spent time in Victoria before coming to Cornell, and then obviously I was there. So, yeah, it's a lot of the same path. He's had a lot of success here and a lot of goalies have. With that and the academics, it was a pretty easy decision.

Q: I remember reading somewhere that it came down to either here or Boston College, and you ultimately thought Cornell was a better fit. Why?
A: I think I value academics a lot. And I met both coaching staffs and I met a lot of the guys on the teams, and for me I could just see myself here, on and off the ice, fitting in more and enjoying myself.

Q: I think one of the similarities that goes under the radar is that you're in the exact same mix of goalies coming into your freshman year as Galajda was – two freshmen battling for time against a senior that's been working for years at getting to a window of opportunity – as opposed to coming in behind an established No. 1 goalie. How do you view that situation?
A: I think for any goalie – and especially for me – you want to be able to come in and make an impact, which is not to say that anyone's got the job or doesn't have the job. The goalies here, we all have a great relationship. We're competitive, but friendly. We try to push each other each and every practice. At the end of the day, the coaches are just going to put in whoever they think is going to win them a hockey game. If that's me, great, that's awesome. But if it's not, I'll be cheering on the other guy from the sideline.

Q: So have you always been a goalie?
A: Pretty much. My novice team, I think, I was a player. I think I averaged two goals a game. But my team didn't have a goalie, so we just started taking turns. I guess when I got in there, we won a nail-biter game, so we just kind of chucked me in there for the rest of the season. My dad bought me a set of pads, and the next thing you know I'm a goalie.

Q: Most importantly, you liked it, right?
A: Yeah, I like how you can be a hero. You can also be a donkey, but …

Q: Fair point. Have you always played hockey?
A: Well, I was born in England. So growing up, it was just kind of all soccer and hockey for me. Coming from England, obviously my family is big into soccer. I think I made the switch in probably Grade 7 or 8, just kind of picking up AAA hockey. Just being Canadian and with the environment, I just decided to go hockey full time. I don't regret it.

Q: I see you played rugby in prep school. Did you play soccer as well?
A: No, the varsity hockey at school was fall training and then winter there. Then we'd have the spring term off, so I'd get out on the rugby pitch, stay fit and have some fun.

Q: When did you move from England to Canada?
A: In 2004, so I was only 3. It was me, my older brother and my parents, who are English. No accent for me, unfortunately.

Q: What can you tell us about your hometown of Shanty Bay, Ontario?
A: The city that never sleeps (laughs). Shanty Bay is a little small village about an hour, 15 (minutes) northeast of Toronto. I went to boarding school in Toronto, so that commute wasn't too bad so I could get back home on weekends. It's a quiet little town just north of Barrie where you've got everything that you need.

Q: So you mention Barrie, where your hometown Colts take you in the OHL Priority Draft.
A: Yeah, that was exciting.

Q: And yet, you decide not to go that way. Was the NCAA route always your vision?
A: Especially when you're younger and going to OHL games, I think everyone sort of looks up to them. In Barrie, the Colts are a pretty good organization. They've had Aaron Ekblad (the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft), Mark Scheifele (a first-round pick in 2011), and a lot of big names go through there. But for me, I've always done well in school on the way up. Especially as a goaltender, which tend to develop a little later, you get a little more time. And then coming to Cornell, you get a great hockey program and a great degree. It's kind of a no-brainer for me. So maybe I would have thought about (major juniors) as a 16-year-old, but I think once I really got going in the (International Baccalaureate) program at UCC, it was all eyes and ears toward the NCAA route.

Q: After UCC, you moved all way out west to British Columbia for Junior A. How was the move for you?
A: It's tough for anyone to kind of move across the country and get adjusted to a new team and a new living situation. But hockey players, they all pretty much like the same stuff and they all get along pretty easily. I was lucky enough to have great coaches and to play in some pretty cool cities. I had a lot of fun. If I had the time back, I'd do it all over again the same.

Q: With the pandemic, last season was pretty strange, to say the least. How did that all shake down for you?
A: At the beginning of last year, I started with Coquitlam (in the BCHL) and we were sort of shut down on-and-off for a couple weeks at a time. The start of the regular season kept getting pushed back. I ended up getting something like 10 games before they called it for that year. So with my plans to come here, speaking with the coaching staff it was important for all parties that if I could to get a season in somewhere, then that's what I should do. So I could link up with (now classmate) Danny McIntyre in Grande Prairie (of the AJHL), and then I had some familiar coaches go over there as well. And they needed a goalie, so it was just a good fit for me to go out there. I think I got 10 starts out there, which in a regular season wouldn't be a whole lot. But you kind of make the most of the situation. Great fun out there in northern Alberta.

Q: I read that you were coming out here to study business, but I see you're actually enrolled in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Why the change?
A: I was into ILR the whole way. I like it, because it's more open-ended. I don't know exactly what I want to do yet, but it keeps a lot of doors open. I like the choice of electives. Whereas Dyson (School of Business) is more specific, there are kind of a lot of ways you can go in ILR, and I'm still deciding what kind of road I want to take.

Q: Seems a lot different than the line of work your parents are in. What can you tell us about that?
A: My mom is a homicide detective in Barrie. So she could talk your ear off with some pretty cool stories. And then my dad is in real estate, also kind of in Barrie and the surrounding area. They actually met in the police force in England. With the police backgrounds, there are a lot of interesting stories from those two. It's always interesting at the dinner table, that's for sure.

Assistant director of athletic communications Brandon Thomas is in his 11th season as his office's primary contact for the Cornell men's hockey team. He can be reached at brandon@cornell.edu.