University of Albany Men's Lacrosse's Brett Queener

ALBANY -- MARTIN BRODEUR WITH THE SAVE ... WAIT: THE GOALIE'S STICK-HANDLING UP ICE, BLOWING PAST THE FORWARDS AND SPLITTING THE DEFENSE ... HE SHOOTS ... HE SCOOOOORES!!

OK, that never happens. Ever.

Except in the dreams of every single goalie who's ever played hockey.

But Brett Queener, the senior goalie for the University at Albany lacrosse team, regularly takes off on such fanciful flights. The senior out of Penn Yan is a free spirit whom the crease can't contain.

Queener is a goalie in a constant search for payback. After a save, he often starts the breakout. Sometimes, he IS the breakout. He wants to attack.

Queener had a quiet game Sunday in a 13-3 win over Vermont. The game wasn't even that close: UAlbany (6-7, 3-1) had a 10-0 lead at John Fallon Field before the Catamounts scored with more than five minutes gone in the third quarter.

There was none of the end-to-end rushes that have marked Queener's career, no daring forays outside the cage that would terrify almost any coach.

Certainly there were no goals: Queener has two in his career, including a classic field-long dash against No. 1-ranked Johns Hopkins in 2006. His all-around skills are so good he plays attack when UAlbany is a man-up because of a penalty.

Queener is unique. So is Scott Marr. A professed "going for it on fourth down" type of guy, Marr is one of the few coaches who would let Queener get away with it.

"We are definitely more of a high-risk, push-the-ball type of team," Marr said. "It's very difficult to defend, having a goalie come out. ... It gives us an extra guy."

The most spectacular plays in sports come with risk, whether it's the stolen base or swinging for the fences in baseball, throwing a go pattern in football or attempting a baseline alley-oop in hoops.

But few gambles in sport rival your goalie 50 yards or more out of his net.

You have to embrace the risk. Queener has been doing that since he was a kid, when as the youngest brother he was the one put in a barrel and rolled down the sledding hill.

You know, to see if someone could survive.

"Growing up in a small town, with a lot of space around where no adult could see, you can find some crazy stuff to do," Queener said.

You know there were worse things. He's just not going to cop to them in print. His parents, he said, "know about most of them."

During one high school game, Queener broke into the open. He charged and found himself all alone. Twenty-yards out. Fifteen. Ten.

"He called timeout," Queener said.

As in the coach. As in Harry Queener. As in his own dad. A dream for every goalie ... snatched just a few steps short of realization.

"I was in trouble at home at the time," the son said, "so I understand." (Note to Dad: Diabolically brilliant.)

Harry, now an assistant coach with the Penn Yan Academy team, said there was also concern in part over injury from other teams taking cheap shots. Simply, goalies weren't allowed to shoot. But his son's play has made him change his mind on the tactic. Harry Queener said other coaches have told him they're thinking of doing the same thing: Embrace the risk.

"It's a Penn Yan tradition now," the dad said, "to let goalies run."

A goaltender's dream.

Mark McGuire