The St. Dom’s graduate will receive a partial scholarship the first two years.

LEWISTON – Everyone around the Gilbert family knew, but Jamie Gilbert and the University of Massachusetts made it official this week: he will attend school at UMass and play varsity hockey.

“It’s great that it’s official now,” the former goaltender from St. Dominic’s Regiona High School said with a laugh. “Now, I’m going there and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

Since Massachusetts already has two goalies on scholarship, the school cannot give Gilbert a full ride, at least not in the first two years. Instead, the school will give him 75 percent of his first- and second-year expenses, and a full scholarship his final two years.

“It would have been full the whole way,” Gilbert said, “but they have the two guys there already.”

And while to some that might sound like wishful thinking, or maybe even arrogance, Massachusetts head coach Don “Toot” Cahoon sees potential written all over Gilbert.

“He’s one of those players that we view as getting better as he gets older,” Cahoon said. “The learning curve is hard to measure, especially on a goalie. He’s had an interesting development process, from not playing at St. Dom’s until his senior year to two tryouts last year to playing in Cornwall.”

It was there, in Cornwall, playing for the Colts of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, that Gilbert solidified his stature as a top collegiate prospect.

“The ownership in Cornwall had faith in his abilities, and he proved himself by being among the league leaders in goals against and save percentage,” Cahoon said. “We like his size and his athleticism, and we think he has the tools that, if we work with them, can develop into a solid NCAA goaltender.”

One problem for Cahoon: He has a senior and a junior coming back between the pipes next season, and even they don’t know which will be the No. 1 goalie to start the season.

“Tim Warner came in in the playoffs and won three games for us, going 3-0 with big games against Lowell and UNH,” Cahoon said. “Gabe (Winer) has been solid in his two years, but often it’s the what have you done for me lately’ in terms of goaltenders.”

Gilbert, meanwhile, sees that competition as the perfect place to start.

“I want to be in there and challenge both of them right from the start,” Gilbert said. “You have to go into this thinking and knowing that you can play with these guys, and I think I can.”

“Jamie certainly has the ability to challenge them,” Cahoon acknowledged. “He has to show that he is mature enough to play at this level and to be able to stay with the daily demands of Division I.”

Gilbert could be redshirted during his first season, but neither Cahoon nor Gilbert had even thought of that possibility yet.

“We like his hands, his composure with the puck and his stature in the net,” Cahoon said.

“He seems like he has all the tools he needs to play here and go on to another level. Now, it’s up to him.”

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