Penn State men’s hockey has been on a roll as of late. After sweeping Notre Dame last weekend, the Nittany Lions have won five consecutive games and six of their last seven dating back to late November. They rebounded from a challenging start to conference play despite injuries and inconsistencies.

One part of the team that has been part of their recent resurgence has been the goaltending tandem of Josh Fleming and Kevin Reidler.

Reidler, a sophomore transfer from Sweden, arrived in Happy Valley from Omaha as the early leader to succeed exceptional starter Arsenii Sergeev, who signed an entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames.

The other half of the goaltending tandem, Fleming, has stolen the show. The Montreal, Canada, native has put together an exceptional start to his collegiate career in his first 10 starts, to the point where he’s on watch lists for postseason hardware and top-five in the nation in goals-against average and save percentage.

After several months of a near-even split of Fleming and Reidler, is it time to name a starting goaltender, or should head coach Guy Gadowsky not mess with something that’s working? Two of our staffers took a side on the matter:

Tia Kaschauer: Josh Fleming Is The Move

While Kevin Reidler has had more experience at the NCAA level, Fleming is already outperforming expectations as a freshman.

Fleming came in ready to win after playing for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, where he dominated. During the 2024-25 season, Fleming posted a 29-20-3 record with a .908 save percentage and a 3.08 goals-against average across 53 games. He ranked 13th in save percentage, and his 1,542 saves ranked second-most in the entire league, showing not only his ability to stop pucks but his consistency under pressure.

Some fans may try to argue that Reidler’s tenure in the college hockey system gives him an advantage, but that isn’t necessarily true. Goalie success is all about reaction, positioning, and quick decision-making, not familiarity with the system or league.

Fleming has also been named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List by the Hockey Commissioners Association. The Richter Award is given annually to the top goaltender in NCAA Division I men’s hockey, and Fleming was one of just 29 goaltenders nationwide selected.

So far this season, Fleming has recorded two shutouts, including a 3-0 win over Minnesota that marked Penn State’s first-ever shutout of the Gophers. He currently ranks first in the NCAA in save percentage with a .943 and leads with 297 saves. Fleming also ranks seventh nationally in goals-against average, posting a 1.91.

Goaltender Josh Fleming made 27 saves for a @PennStateMHKY 3-0 shutout victory over Minnesota pic.twitter.com/ysjLKk5NmR

— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) January 10, 2026

With his performance already ranking among the nation’s best, Fleming should be Penn State’s starter. Reidler’s past college hockey experiences give fans comfort, but Fleming gives fans wins. Let’s hand over the starting position to this 6’2″ freshman and see what he does with it!

Michael Zeno: Guy Gadowsky Should Continue The Platoon

Fleming has been spectacular in his freshman year. There’s no doubt about that. He’s made spectacular saves to steal this team games and his numbers stack up with the best in all of college hockey.

That said, I’m not quite sure he should enter the role that Arsenii Sergeev had, where he was always in the net as long as he was healthy, regardless of performance, opponent, or workload.

There’s a case for Fleming to get more starts, absolutely, but there should still be some starts for sophomore netminder Kevin Reidler to not only keep him in rhythm in case something happens to Fleming, but to keep down Fleming’s workload.

Some goalies thrive with being in there every day, but some do better with more rest. We don’t know which basket Fleming falls into, but we can look at how he played before he came to Penn State for reference.

As previously said, Fleming spent last season in the QMJHL, one of Canada’s three major junior hockey leagues. That league plays twice the number of games as the NCAA, and with Fleming being the starting goalie, he’s handled a much larger workload than he would as a starter, right?

Fleming made 53 starts that season, posting solid numbers to the tune of a 3.08 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. This is a far cry from his numbers this year, despite the NCAA offering stiffer competition than a league whose average player is four years younger.

Could it be that the lesser workload has allowed him to move more fluidly and play better in net? It can’t be ruled out.

“The schedule for sure helps,” Fleming said about a potential reason behind his stronger season on Monday. “There’s less games and every game has a bigger atmosphere.” He also cited the competition between him and Reidler, saying it “allows us to push each other and get ready for our own game.”

The connection between the two netminders has gotten the best out of both of them. A team only needs a concrete starting goaltender if there’s a large gap between its two goalies, but Reidler has played well in his own right.

He’s had more off nights than Fleming, but he’s stood on his head on just as many occasions. Remember when he single-handedly stole a point at Michigan State despite the Spartans having nearly a dozen clean breakaways? Or that third period at Minnesota right before Thanksgiving?

OH. MY. KEVIN.#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/7Qffm1ZKk5

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) November 23, 2025

When the postseason begins, I completely understand leaning more on your better goalie, but there’s still another six weeks until we get there. Reidler and Fleming have a good thing going, and I truly believe this is the best way to optimize performance in the net. Don’t mess with it unless things go south.