DaytonDailyNews.com

OXFORD — Jeff Zatkoff is in an awkward place, but you wouldn't know it.

"I'm not worried about anything," the Miami University sophomore goaltender said. "I have a ton of confidence going into the weekend."

It's not that the native of Chesterfield, Mich., is unaware that Miami has lost the last three games in which he has started, or that head coach Enrico Blasi has yet to announce whether it will be Zatkoff or junior Charlie Effinger starting Saturday's NCAA Tournament game in Manchester, N.H., against fifth-ranked New Hampshire.

"We have no idea (who will start at goal)," Blasi said. "We haven't even talked about it yet."

Zatkoff and Effinger have platooned for most of the last two seasons, although Zatkoff filled in for Effinger earlier this season when Effinger got sick, and Effinger returned the favor when Zatkoff left the team for a few weeks to play for Team USA in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Sweden.

Once Zatkoff returned from Sweden, he and Effinger went back to the platoon system, which continued until Miami's final regular-season series against Northern Michigan, when Blasi decided to go with Zatkoff full time.

Since then, the RedHawks have gone 1-3.

Nobody is pointing a finger at Zatkoff, whose goals against average, the second-best in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, actually dropped from 2.25 to 2.24 after Miami lost twice to Lake Superior State in the CCHA second round. The final score of both games was 2-1.

"Against Lake Superior, I saw the puck well both nights," Zatkoff said. "They had a nice goal (in the first game) that found its way through traffic."

In the second game, LSS scored when a puck was deflected off a Miami player and into the net.

Zatkoff said his confidence has been bolstered by his days spent with Team USA.

"That was a great experience," he said. "There is nothing better than being able to play for your country, to go out there with USA across your chest. It was a one-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Off the ice, the thing I remember most is the food," Zatkoff said. "That was rough. A lot of fish and noodles. Not my favorite food. It was like still alive on your plate."

He grinned. "And I'm not a guy who can afford to lose a lot of weight," added the 6-foot-2, 170-pound goalie.

Team USA defeated Sweden to earn a bronze medal, after which Zatkoff returned to the RedHawks. It was not a smooth return.

"The biggest thing for me was the time change," he said. "It took almost a week for me to regroup. After that I was fine."

Now Zatkoff has had two weeks to regroup, not from any poor play on his part, but from the three straight losses which almost cost Miami its NCAA bid, from three losses which have dropped Zatkoff's win-loss record to 13-7-3.

"From a goaltender's point of view, you hate to lose even if it's 1-0," he said. "The guys have never blamed me (for a loss). It's a team game. You wins as a team, you lose as a team."

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.