Will Helm was sitting on his couch at home in Loudonville about this time last year.
He had just graduated from St. Lawrence, where he was a Division III All-American lacrosse goalie. He had a year of NCAA eligibility left because of the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to use it at the highest level.
Helm, who made 297 saves during his St. Lawrence career, decided to take a shot that seemed far-fetched at the time. He sent an email to Duke assistant Ron Caputo.
“It’s kind of crazy thinking back how it all worked out,” Helm said this week. “It really all started with one email and here we are. Just enjoying every moment of it.”
When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Casey Stadium, Albany
TV: ESPNU
Helm, a walk-on graduate transfer, is the starting goalie for top-seeded Duke (14-2), which takes on Michigan (10-6) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in a Division I NCAA Tournament quarterfinal at the University at Albany’s Casey Stadium.
The 6-foot-3 Helm has started all 16 games for the Blue Devils with a .516 save percentage and a 10.73 goals-against average, both ranked among the top 25 goalies in the country. He also averages 10.1 saves per game.
“He shocked us,” Duke coach John Danowski said. “I don’t think there were any of us that expected him to become the starting goalie.”
Helm last attended school in the Capital Region from kindergarten to eighth grade at Saint Gregory’s in Loudonville. From there, he went to The Hotchkiss School, a prep school in Salibury, Conn.
While at St. Lawrence, Helm returned to the area to play Liberty League games at Union, RPI and Skidmore. He helped knock off the Dutchmen in last year’s conference semifinals in Schenectady, before Union recovered to reach the Division III NCAA Tournament championship game.
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