Two of the San Jose Sharks' goaltending prospects, Joshua Ravensbergen and Christian Kirsch, made the jump to collegiate hockey this season and so far it seems to be paying off. Starting with Kirsch, the Swiss netminder has gone 3-0-0 to start his collegiate career at Quinnipiac University. He started his time in the NCAA with a 10-2 victory over the University of New Hampshire, making 21 of 23 possible saves. A week later, he was back between the pipes against the University of Maine and allowed just one goal on 34 shots. Finally, his most recent start came against Penn State University. Once again, he had a strong game as he allowed just three goals on 33 shots against. After three games, he has a 2.00 goals against average and a .933 overall save percentage. While it's a small sample size, it's been quite a start for the 20-year-old goaltender. As for Ravensbergen, his collegiate career started a little rough. He allowed two goals on 18 shots against Northern Michigan University in his first outing. While statistically, that's not an ideal start, he simply didn't get a chance to feel the puck very often which can make it difficult for any goaltender. When he faced a higher volume of shots against the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday night, he made 25 saves on 26 shots against. In total, Ravensbergen's start has been very similar to Kirsch, as he has a 1.51 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Of course, it's worth noting that he has one less start though, as Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale also gave a start to junior Quentin Sigurd against Northern Michigan. While it's been a small sample size to this point, the Sharks' goaltending prospects in the NCAA seem to be thriving right out of the gate. Kirsch is playing some quality opposition and is handling it well. Ravensbergen hasn't played any of the NCAA's powerhouses yet, but he's been solid against the opponents he's been given to this point.
