EAST LANSING Imagine a sophomore All-American, enjoying one of the most remarkable seasons by a collegiate goaltender, shattering CCHA records, posting the nation"s best goals-against average of 1.55 and leading a team to the Frozen Four.

And then, two years later on his senior night, the same netminder is sitting on the bench, just like he did for all but two games his final season, watching a upstart goalie and teammate gain the acclaims of the record-setting crowd.

This is the life of Michigan State"s Joe Blackburn, probably the most talented backup goaltender in the NCAA, who rarely performs outside of practice while remaining deep in the shadows of sophomore phenom Ryan Miller.

Now, the only chants of "BLACKBURN" come from the Spartan faithful when they have been heckling Michigan"s netminder, Josh Blackburn, who is no relation to Joe.

But he doesn"t seem to mind a bit.

"We"re playing so well and Ryan"s playing so well that it"s kind of hard to complain," Blackburn said.

Just "playing well" is quite an understatement. The Spartans have only lost four games all season and have held the No. 1 ranking for the past 16 weeks.

Meanwhile Miller has grown to legendary status in East Lansing. He has already broken several NCAA records, including the record for career shutouts with 17.

This has put Michigan State coach Ron Mason in a position that any hockey coach would drool over having two All-American goaltenders at his disposal in a sport where the position has such a huge influence.

But Mason said that picking one over the other last year when they both had nearly identical statistics was difficult, especially with Blackburn having such a stellar sophomore season the year before.

Last year, each goalie played nearly half the games with each earning nine conference wins, but Miller emerged late in the season to tally a 1.53 GAA and notch eight shutouts which gave him the edge.

"I went in with the idea that Joe would be the go-to-guy, and Ryan was going to fill in where he could," Mason said. "As time went along, Ryan proved he was having a better year, so I had to give the team the best chance to win. That"s what happened."

Since then, Mason"s confidence hasn"t wavered, as Blackburn has only seen action in two games this season, leading the Spartans to a shutout of Yale and a 5-2 win over Ohio State.

But Blackburn"s lack of playing time hasn"t caused any dissension in the ranks. More importantly, it hasn"t created a negative environment around the team something Miller said has been so important in the success of the Spartans.

"He"s just a great character person," said Miller, who is Blackburn"s roommate on all roadtrips. "He"s just a standup guy, and I can"t say enough about him. Nothing about him is fake. He"s one of the most real people I know."

Blackburn said that being a goaltender is like playing a different sport when compared to other hockey positions, and that helped them grow a special bond. The two grow closer by both chatting and even competing against the forwards in practice each day in a ritual game.

In fact, Miller admits that he"s learned a great deal from Blackburn in the Spartans" two goalie practices each week and from watching him play in the past.

"He"s seen a lot and is always offering advice," Miller said. "He"s seen a lot of things how players shoot, how power plays are working out there for another team."

This type of guidance could be commonplace next year, as Blackburn is undecided about his future in hockey, and might become a graduate assistant at Michigan State along as well as a goalie coach. That means that by next year, Blackburn could be Miller"s coach.

"Right now I just want to finish up this season and hopefully hang up a couple more banners," Blackburn said.

Mason says that despite his lack of playing time, Blackburn will never be forgotten for his contributions to the program on and off the ice.

"Face it, it"s not easy for anybody," Mason said. "And I think he"s handled it better than anybody could. He"s been one of the reasons Ryan has done so well. He"s done a lot for Michigan State hockey and he"ll always be remembered here too."