By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. – Jeff Lerg and Ben Bishop have quite a bit in common, but one difference was obvious Sunday as the two faced off in a goaltending dual.

Lerg stands just 5-foot-6 in the Michigan State crease while Maine’s Bishop is 6-foot-7.

“What is most interesting is that they’re both freshmen,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “It is kind of interesting that they’re different heights, but that’s not the prerequisite for being a goalie. Otherwise, everyone would be 6-7 or everyone would be 5-6. You see them at all heights and weights. We certainly have.”

As Lerg blanked New Hampshire in Saturday’s semifinal at the Pepsi Arena and Bishop had a stellar outing against Harvard, posting his 11th one-goal game this season, anticipation grew of seeing the two go head-to-head.

“Big Ben Bishop” as he was called by the Maine faithful Sunday at the Pepsi Arena, had the advantage over Lerg in more than just height as the Black Bears beat the Spartans. Though neither goaltender was sensational, both kept their teams in the game. Bishop’s biggest stop may have been blocking the rebound after a Colton Fretter backhander that hit the crossbar with the Spartans down by one in the third period.

“He just tried to do a wrap-around,” said Bishop. “My left skate got caught.So I was flopping on the ice trying to make a save.”

Bishop, who had 33 saves on Sunday, has stood tall in Maine’s nets with a 20-7-2 record and a 2.16 goals against. He was especially solid in Maine’s last two playoff games, a 4-1 loss to Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals and Saturday’s 6-1 win over Harvard.

“You can’t say enough about him,” said Maine forward Josh Soares. “He plays with such poise back there. The way he plays the puck is just amazing. He’s just a freshman, but he has so much confidence back there, moving the puck. He’s a third defenseman back there for us.”

After Jimmy Howard made the jump to the pro level, the crease was a significant void to fill for the Black Bears. Bishop merged as Maine’s top netminder, earning Hockey East All-Rookie honors with the ninth-best winning percentage in the nation.

“He comes out every night poised and ready to play,” said Maine captain Greg Moore. “He takes the preparation for every game very seriously. We’re very lucky to have him back there in the net.”

Lerg, from Livonia, Michigan, has played large for Michigan State, going 17-5-6 overall with two shutouts and a 1.89 goals against average. His quickness silenced the Wildcats Saturday, especially on a sprawling leg save in the third period that protected the slim lead. He had 25 saves in a 4-1 win over Michigan in the CCHA semifinals and earned Tournament MVP honors with 22 saves in a 2-1 championship game victory over Miami. He had 29 saves against Maine.

“He’s a very sharp goalie,” said Whitehead. “When he committed there, we said that they’ve got a good one.”

“I heard about my size, that I wouldn’t be able to play in juniors, and then in juniors, that I wouldn’t be able to play in college, and now in college, that I won’t be play in the pros,” he said. “I don’t worry about it.”

“Every time I go out there, I try to make a statement that I can play at this level,” said Lerg, who has asthma and endures treatment on a breathing machine 15 minutes prior to each practice and game.