Brick by brick: How Andrew Goldstein became D-S/Weston boys hockey's brick wall

WESTON - Black streaks cover Andrew Goldstein's once-white goalie pads.

Each mark represents a goal the Dover-Sherborn/Weston senior prevented over the past four years. Officially the senior has saved 1,974 shots.

"I really like the pressure part of it, and the idea that you're the last line of defense," Goldstein said. "You're in full control of everything."

For a time the Raiders lacked a first line. Goldstein became so accustomed to stopping odd-man rushes that he embraced them.

"He wants that. He welcomes it. Obviously, it's very hard to do," D-S/Weston coach Alex Marlow said. "You don't always come out successful, but he loves to meet those situations head on, you vs. me."

'The best position on the planet'

In some ways, he was born for those moments. His father Randall Goldstein played goalie at Newton North and then Tufts in the early 1990s. Randall's only apprehension about Andrew following his path was the cost of pads.

"Everyone says 'why would you want to do it?' I think it’s the best position on the planet. You’ve got a bunch of pads on and the pads are pretty good now. He doesn’t get hurt as much as I used to," Randall said. "You’re out there on the ice the whole time. Everyone else is only playing a third of the game. I thought it was great. You’ve got a very important role on the team. You could be the hero or the goat. You’re in every play."

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Andrew didn't consider all of that when he first volunteered at age seven. He considered himself a "slower kid" and didn't want to move around as much. That plus the familial history set him on a path he followed with gusto.

Randall tried to balance the amount of advice he delivered early. On the one hand he didn't want to over step, but on the other, youth hockey goalies rarely receive helpful instruction. They often serve as puck dummies, and their bad habits sometimes aren't corrected because coaches don't know what to look for.

As Andrew developed, his sessions with is dad and younger brother William, now a sophomore, on their backyard rink in Weston transitioned to Stop It Goaltending in Woburn.

"He's completely undersized, but he’s smart," Randall said. "He’s a learner. He’s a thinker, and he pays attention to fundamentals and detail because he has to."

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'He bails us out'

Andrew arrived at Dover-Sherborn/Weston the same time as the program hired Alex Marlowe as its coach in the fall of 2020. He saw Goldstein's work ethic expand his game year by year.

"He's a silent leader that only shows up and wants to get better," Marlowe said.

Goldstein, who also plays golf and lacrosse, refined his blocker and glove after his freshman season, shortened to 10 games by the COVID-19 pandemic. He increased his aggressiveness after his sophomore season, learning that it doesn't matter if he's 5-foot-8 if he comes out of the net early to shrink his opponent's angles. The Tri-Valley League Small named him the goalie of the year and a league all-star. Before his senior season, Goldstein honed in on rebound control.

"They try to make productive shots on him to get rebounds out front, but his ability to use his pads to kick that rebound to the corner instead has been truly a game-changer," Marlowe said.

What Goldstein does in between or after his saves is almost as important. He and Marlowe discuss how they want to handle a game, when to play aggressively or when to cover up and break the tempo.

"It's amazing to not have to think about a whole portion of the game. I know he's always locked in," Marlowe said. "It's nice to have someone that is obviously very talented and very smart but understands how you want the game to go and what we need in certain moments.

The normally soft-spoken senior becomes a different, confident beast once he pulls down the mask. He barks at defensemen, telling them where he needs them and where threats are materializing.

"That's a luxury because he bails us out time and time again," Marlowe said.

Rise to the occasion

D-S/Weston relies on him as much as any team can. Goldstein, who plans to play club hockey in college, stopped 28 shots against Medway on Saturday, a 2-1 Raiders win that clinched their first TVL Small title since 2009-10. His 381 saves rank seventh in the state, and he stops 93.84 percent of the shots he faces, one of the top marks for every day netminders.

"We know there's always someone that's going to be there to stop our mistakes from causing more trouble," D-S/Weston senior Sawyer Garzone said. "He's always there for the team."

The Raiders have played eight one-goal games this season, going 5-3. They're the No. 4 team in Division 4 and have won four of their last five games, allowing just six goals over that stretch. They're in position for a third straight postseason berth after reaching the Sweet 16 each of the past two years.

"I like when the stakes are the highest," Goldstein said. "I like when the pressure is on, being able to say, 'I don't care how how much the odds are stacked against us, I'm gonna go out and make this play.'"

His pads keep the receipts.

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: D-S/Weston goalie Andrew Goldstein happy to be last line of defense