Ohio State goaltender Dustin Carlson admits his method of preparation isn’t trendy. And while his visualization techniques might not win him style points off the ice, they’re winning his team games on it.
Behind Carlson, OSU went 6-1 in November. While his team has yet to be rewarded with a national ranking for its play, recognition has come for Carlson.
After posting a conference-leading three shutouts in November, Carlson was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Month.
“He deserves it,” coach John Markell said. “He’s been the cornerstone of our success back there. When our guys aren’t ready to play, he’s been there and it’s been reciprocated.”
Carlson’s steadying presence has been noticeable and it’s rubbing off on his teammates. Case in point: OSU’s 3-2 come-from-behind win against Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday.
After two fluke goals staked the University of Nebraska-Omaha to an early 2-0 lead, Carlson and company remained unflappable.
“If a bad goal does go in, they’re ready to play,” Markell said. “It didn’t get them down because they know Dusty’s been there for them.”
In spite of a relentless UNO attack that generated twice as many shots as OSU, Carlson stopped the final 34 he faced, including 20 in the third period to preserve the win.
Though he might be unaware of how impressive his statistics have been this month, Carlson is conscious of the role his teammates play in ensuring his success.
Carlson credits the forwards for playing hard on both ends as well as the defensemen for clearing rebounds and limiting odd-man breaks.
One defenseman’s contributions, those of sophomore Corey Toy, have been noticed by someone other than Carlson.
Toy, who assisted on C.J. Severyn’s game-winning goal Friday and added another Saturday, was named the CCHA Defenseman of the Week.
As evidenced by his six blocked shots in Friday’s contest, Toy has proven to be a vital component of an ever-improving OSU penalty kill unit.
The Buckeyes, who started the season 2-5-1, allowed opponents to convert nearly 27 percent of power play opportunities in those games. Not coincidentally, in Carlson’s six November wins, opponent’s have converted just eight percent of their chances.
Carlson, whose save percentage for the month ranks third in the nation, attributes his improvement to his work with volunteer assistant coach Jeff Salajko and, of course, the mental work.
“It’s stuff I never really bought into,” Carlson said. “But it’s starting to work, so I’ll definitely keep up on it now.”
James Pallitto can be reached at [email protected].
