Resurgent Donoso silencing doubters, lifting 67’s teammates
Max Donoso knows the start of the season wasn’t up to par, and none of his Ottawa 67’s teammates or coaches needed to tell him that.
The co-recipient of the 2022-23 Dave Pinkney Trophy has high standards. Since arriving in the OHL, all the Windsor native has done is win, backstopping the Barber Poles to a 48-25-6 record in the regular season, with a career save percentage over .900.
There’s no obvious technical answer to what was going on. For the most part, nothing had really changed. He wasn’t suddenly altering his stance or moving differently, but Donoso felt different, and his pursuit for better led him down the wrong path. Since then, he’s doubled back, and rediscovered that high standard he’s established thus far in his OHL career.
“It was more that I was trying to find problems with my game, instead of trusting myself and what I’m capable of,” Donoso said. “It was [Goalie Coach Andrew] Mercer who reinforced that there isn’t a lot we can do right now, it’s one of those stretches where we had a lot of games and tough luck.”
“I’ve stuck with it, and I’ve kept doing the right things. Over time, it has paid off.”
Throughout his struggles, Donoso’s confidence took a beating. Bad goals turned into rough games, which snowballed into tough weekends, resulting in Collin MacKenzie seeing more games. Self-doubt crept into Donoso’s mind, but the messaging of Head Coach Dave Cameron rang through his head like a siren. Confidence comes from good preparation, and that starts in practice.
What else was he to do than get to work with Mercer at practice? Getting Donoso back to where he was a season ago was no small task, but as a team, it was doable. Now, the proof is in the pudding.
“It’s like the 100-year-old recipe your grandma has for her cookie that everyone loves, no matter what you try, you shouldn’t mess with it, because it’s just so damn good,” Mercer said. “It’s the same thing. We went back to the recipe we used last year, and right now, we’re getting the same results.”
With MacKenzie sidelined due to injury, the Barber Poles needed Donoso to step up, and in a big way. It came with pros and cons for the overage goaltender, but the biggest thing was the playing time. He knew, essentially no matter what, the net was his regardless of performance, especially with an emergency call-up on the bench. It allowed him to settle in, and find that groove.
“It’s not great that MacKenzie was hurt and couldn’t be with me on the bench, because I love talking with him, but it is a good feeling to know that even if I’m terrible, I’m not coming out,” Donoso explained. “There’s no reason to dwell on anything, you get ready for the next shot, and I think it has helped me find my game and that confidence. No matter if I don’t play for the next three weeks, I know this works.”
On the flip side, playing so many games in a short period is never easy. Donoso says his body was able to keep up just fine, but mentally, it was a grind to stay engaged for so long, especially seeing upwards of 30 shots more often than not.
“I relate to my pilot training, because that is 100 percent mental,” Donoso said. “They go hand-in-hand, and it really helped me in that stretch of games.”
The vibes are good right now, but Mercer likes to remind his goaltenders that there is always someone chasing them. No matter who the starter is, the other guy wants that job – a dynamic that pushed both goaltenders forward.
This isn’t the final form for Donoso, there’s still plenty left in the tank.
“The work isn’t done,” Mercer said. “We’re to the point where either guy can go in there and give us a good shot at winning, but that isn’t the end goal, we haven’t reached the end. It’s great that it’s happening, but our mentality is to keep pushing on.”
