Faced with a rehabilitation period of six to eight months, University of Denver goalie Sam Brittain expects to miss anywhere from 18 to 32 games next season. He is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday to repair the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee, with Dr. Eric McCarty to perform the operation.
“It’s definitely an uphill climb, but with the training staff at the University of Denver, I’ll be in great hands,” said Brittain, who is coming off a stellar freshman season when he went 19-9-5 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
If Brittain returns in six months, he will be ready for the Dec. 30-31 nonleague weekend against Union and Air Force. If he returns in eight months, he will miss as many as 32 of the 36 regular-season games but still be available for the playoffs.
“He’s determined to be ready by January,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said.
Junior-to-be Adam Murray will begin the season as DU’s No. 1 goalie. Murray was 6-3 last season with a 3.46 GAA and a .879 save percentage.
Brittain said he injured his knee March 19 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title game against North Dakota, but he continued to play in the 3-2 double-overtime loss. He didn’t suffer much swelling, and he started DU’s NCAA Tournament games, March 26 and March 27 against Western Michigan and North Dakota.
“It felt all right. I was able to play,” he said. “I just played through it.”
However, the knee felt increasingly unstable after the season. He underwent an MRI last month, at which time he learned the extent of the damage.
Brittain was named to the all-WCHA rookie team in March and earned the Keith Magnuson Award as DU’s best defensive player at the team banquet in April.
“It’s very difficult, definitely something I don’t want to go through, but it needs to be done,” Brittain said of the surgery.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
