PLATTSBURGH — Mathieu Cadieux is 9-0-1 in the last 10 games, boasts some of the best goaltending statistics in Division III men's hockey and has gained the confidence of his Plattsburgh State teammates.

That's enough for some job security, right?

"No," he said, shaking his head and smiling.

"You wake up in the morning as early as you can to check your phone to see if you got the email or text to see if you're starting or not. Yeah, every Friday and Saturday."

The Cardinals began the season using both Cadieux and Josh Leis in net, but they've almost exclusively turned to Cadieux lately. He has appeared in every game this semester, and during Plattsburgh's 14-game unbeaten streak, Cadieux has started 11 contests and earned the decision in 12.

But coach Bob Emery isn't ready to concede the starting job to Cadieux.

"This program's based on competition and is going to be based on competition at every position until the morning of the game," Emery said.

Whether he's labeled the starter or not, the sophomore has made an impact in his first season at Plattsburgh.

The third-ranked Cardinals (15-2-4, 10-1-1) are one point out of first place in the SUNY Athletic Conference with four games left. They start the final stretch tonight at Brockport and then visit Geneseo on Saturday.

Cadieux (pronounced CAD-oh) leads Division III with a 1.69 GAA, and he's second with a save percentage of .935, including three shutouts this season.

He replaced Leis in the second period Jan. 7 against Skidmore and has started the six games since.

"It's definitely a lot easier once you get a couple games in a row, because then you can get into a rhythm," Cadieux said. "But if you start a couple games, or if you're sitting on the bench a couple games ... you always gotta try to stay in that rhythm."

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound lefty named the Oswego game — a 2-2 tie Dec. 2 — as his best so far. Still rotating with Leis at that point, Cadieux was the one in net against the Lakers and for two games against top-ranked Norwich around the same time. He said being picked to start those huge games gave him some confidence.

Defenseman Paul Puglisi said knowing their goalie is solid makes things easier on the Cardinals.

"It gives you a lot more confidence just knowing he's going to make the save and he's going to be in the right position," Puglisi said. "So you feel like you can be a little more at ease and just make an easier play."

Emery said Cadieux's focus has been a big reason for his success.

"A lot of times we'll play the game in the other team's end for quite a long period, and it's easy for a goalie to fall asleep, if you will," the coach said. "And I think he's done a good job with his focus more than anything. Because we've had a lot of goalies over the years that can't stay focused when they don't get a lot of shots against them.

"That's the one thing that I really like about him."

The Cardinals had one of those games last Saturday, when Buffalo State put just 15 shots on net. Cadieux, who earned a shutout, acknowledged that can be tough, but he said he knows it's his job to stay focused anyway.

The bilingual goalie — he grew up in Oshawa, Ontario, but went to a French school — is in his second stint in college hockey. After playing just six games at Division I's Quinnipiac in 2009-10, he returned to his junior team in Ontario. He said he decided Division III might be a better fit than Division I.

"He's really proven himself so far," Puglisi said. "He's an excellent goalie. He's a great guy, too. So I think he's doing great."

Coming into the season, Cadieux wasn't sure if he could be among the best goalies in Division III.

"You always hope you can, but you never know for sure," he said. "Coming to Division III, I didn't know how the hockey would be compared to junior or compared to Division I. So I really had no idea. But I hoped I would be.

"So far it's working out pretty good, so I can't complain."

Not even about waking up early every weekend.

Email Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com