“It’s a huge honor to be mentioned in the same company with names like that. It’s kind of surreal,” he said. “I’m just so grateful that I’m so blessed to be able to be in a position like this on a stage like the Olympics.”

Commesso proved he was the right choice after drawing the start over two more experienced goalies, Straus Mann, the former University of Michigan netminder who now plays in Sweden, and Pat Nagle, of the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who is 15 years older than the Boston University sophomore.

Playing in his first game since beating Providence College on Jan. 30, Commesso made several stops early to get into the flow of the game.

“He made some tough saves,” said U.S. head coach David Quinn. “They did a great job getting to the net. They’re big bodies, and they got puck in the net quickly. So he had to fight his way through traffic and I thought he did a really good job of that. ”

With his teammates controlling the play for much of the game, Commesso was rarely tested but came up big when called upon, especially late in the game making a toe save on a low shot off the stick of former Terrier Brandon Yip.

But then U.S. general manager John Vanbiesbrouck pulled him aside along with his Beniers, Brock Faber and Jake Sanderson and softened the blow with an invitation to play in the Olympics.

“Having that tournament get canceled, really stung and it really hurt because I’ve been looking forward to that for so long,” said Commesso, who was in net against Slovakia in the only U.S. game in the tournament.

“But I truly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. And I knew that from this devastating news that it would bring some good news in the future. I really just trusted that. The Olympics is a great example of just trusting that everything happens for a reason, and it’s happening for us now.”

With their first game behind them, that challenge will ratchet up on Saturday when the U.S. takes on Canada in the second game of the preliminary round. The winner will have the inside track to the top spot in Group A, which brings with it an automatic berth in the quarterfinals. The other teams will have to survive a qualification game to advance to the round of eight.

The two teams met in a controlled scrimmage on Monday, where both Commesso and Mann were solid in splitting time in net.

“I thought that was a really good building block for myself and our team,” Commesso said. “Just to have a little taste of the competitiveness of this tournament, is there’s something that’s going to really help my game and help our team.”

Since arriving here on Feb. 3, he has been trying to soak in as much of the Olympic vibe as he can, while also bonding with his teammates away from the rink.

As a member of the U.S. delegation he was excited to march in the opening ceremony and meet a number of athletes from other sports.

“I’ve really been enjoying every second of it here,” he said. “You kind of forget you’re here for hockey when you’re seeing all these amazing athletes and going to the opening ceremonies. It’s really a true life experience and I’m trying to do the best to soak all that in.”

As a second round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, Commesso was especially excited to meet Kendall Coyne Schofield, who serves as a player development coach with the NHL club.

“I got to meet her out here at the village. I’m obviously a big fan of her and have been watching her play this tournament,” he said. “Hopefully I can get a signed stick or something because she’s a legend in women’s hockey.”

If Commesso continues to play like he did in the opener, there will be plenty of people who will be asking for his autograph.