The job requirement for a hockey goalie is pretty straightforward: stop opponents from scoring goals in your team’s net.
That’s the physical component.
The mental aspect can be more complicated. In a sport where pucks often take wicked, seemingly inexplicable bounces and the area in front of and around a goal crease can look like chaos, a good goalie must have a combination of physical skill, deep concentration and short memory.
Gulls goalie Calle Clang is figuring it out. All aspects of the game are coming together for the 23-year-old Clang in his fifth professional season.
Clang has a 2.19 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 13 games in net. Since returning from a three-week leave of absence for personal reasons on Dec. 1, the Olafstrom, Sweden native is tied for the American Hockey League lead with two shutouts, ranks third in both goals-against average and save percentage; with Clang in goal, the Gulls have won seven games.
Clang was at his best between Dec. 7 and 17, allowing one goal in four consecutive contests and posting a .958 percentage during that span.
On Friday night, Clang made 19 saves and helped the Gulls earn a 1-0 victory over Abbotsford at Pechanga Arena. The Gulls lost 4-0 to the Canucks on Saturday with backup Tomas Suchanek in net.
“Well, I thought I played pretty well in the games before my absence as well; I just didn’t get the results,” Clang said. “But I think the difference this year compared to the other two years is that I just stay in my own stuff — like, I don’t worry about anything else than just my own stuff. And that makes a huge difference.
“I feel like there’s nothing like technical or physical that is that different, I would say, but just the mental side (is). I feel more mature, and I’m executing at a high level right now, so (I’m) just trying to keep it going.”
NHL teams look for goalies who can keep their composure when a game’s intensity level increases. The game is seldom more frantic than when an opponent is hunting a game-tying or go-ahead score.
That was the case late in Friday’s game when Abbotsford brought on an extra skater and had a power play in the final minute.
Clang made several saves, while the Gulls defenders in front of him contributed by getting in front of pucks and helping clear the types of rebounds and caroms that can lead to multiple scoring chances.
“I was just trying to stay present, just find the puck and be as calm as possible, because I know at the end, the puck will have to go past me to go in,” Clang said. “I just kind of stayed pretty calm, and was looking for the puck one at a time but we did an unbelievable job. (Tyson) Hinds too with a couple blocks and (Ryan Carpenter) with the effort. So that makes it easier for me as a goalie.”
Calle Clang is the third goaltender in San Diego Gulls history to have allowed one or fewer goals in four consecutive starts. (Andy Hayt, San Diego Gulls)
Ville Husso was the Gulls’ primary goalie for most of the season before his sharp play led to two extended promotions with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. The Gulls will continue to rely on Clang while looking for improved play from ECHL call-ups Vyacheslav Buteyets and Suchanek. The Gulls are 1-6 in games started by Buteyets and Suchanek this season.
Entering a two-game at Tucson beginning Tuesday, the Gulls are 16-12-6-2. Their 40 standings points are good for sixth in a hyper-competitive 10-team Pacific Division. Six teams are separated by just seven standings points.
Every game — and every goal — matters.
“Certainly seen what we’re capable of,” Gulls coach Matt McIlvane said. “You know that our highest end is very high. The part we’ve got to overcome in the back half of the season is what it looks like when we’re off or we’re not on. The variance is too big, and that’s going to be our challenge.”