Hounds know what to expect from veteran goalie
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
If the word ‘consistency’ suddenly had a voice, it might sound an awful lot like Charlie Schenkel.
Over the last 10 weeks, the Soo Greyhounds netminder has given his team very strong and – just as importantly – very reliable play.
“He’s been phenomenal,” said head coach John Dean, whose club is getting ready for Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. start in Sudbury. “With a player or a goalie, the key thing for any coach is being able to trust what kind of a performance you’re going to get, day-in-and-day-out.”
And Schenkel, a 19-year-old (2004 birth year) native of Ottawa, is providing his coach and teammates with exactly that.
Over his last 18 appearances, the six-foot-six, 205-pounder, has posted a .902 saves percentage, a 2.75 goals against average and a record of 13-3-1-0.
More recently, over his last five appearances, Schenkel has recorded a 2.32 g.a.a. and a .909 saves percentage.
He’s certainly done his part to both lift the Hounds, and keep them in a torrid race with Saginaw for top spot in the OHL’s West Division.
With 69 points, the Spirit (34-13-0-1) is two points ahead of the Greyhounds (32-13-2-1) and both clubs have 20 regular season games remaining. Saginaw is scheduled to visit Flint on Wednesday.
For the season, Schenkel’s 3.01 g.a.a. is fifth in the league, but just .01 higher than two netminders who are tied for third place. His 22 victories, part of a 22-9-2-0 record, are tied for second, one behind London’s Michael Simpson.
And his .888 saves percentage, defending in front of the OHL’s fourth-best offensive club, is 12th.
“Focusing on the things he can control, he’s become one of the premier goalies in the league,” said Dean.
“For sure I’ve been more consistent,” said Schenkel, taken by the Soo in the fifth round (No. 91 overall) of the 2020 Priority Selections draft. “I’m having a lot more fun, 100 per cent. It’s a very freeing feeling when you know you’ve done everything to prepare for a game.”
“He’s put a lot of work into honing his craft and I give him a lot of credit,” added Dean, whose team returns home following the Sudbury clash to face Niagara on Saturday (7:07 p.m.) and Saginaw – in the seventh of eight, head-to-head games – on Sunday (2:07 p.m.) at GFL Memorial Gardens. “We know exactly what we’re going to get from Charlie.”
But that wasn’t the case earlier this season.
Unable to perform well on a regular basis, Schenkel’s first 16 games this season resulted in a saves percent of just .871, a g.a.a. of 3.30 and a pedestrian record of 9-6-1-0.
“I think he battled with his game over the first quarter, first third of the season,” Dean said. “Charlie has wanted to be a better goaltender so badly that I think sometimes he’s tried to solve all of his problems in one shot.”
Schenkel admitted he certainly wasn’t happy with his results early on, but spoke of how there was a benefit to it.
“I’m grateful,” Schenkel began, “because I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t gone through the struggles earlier.”
And that’s where goaltending coach Mark Visentin comes in.
Visentin, a former OHL star with the Niagara IceDogs, broke down Schenkel’s game and then helped the veteran netminder build it back up again.
Schenkel “has really put the effort in to improve his game on the ice, to improve his mental game and to live a nice, balanced life away from hockey,” Visentin noted.
The coach spoke of how he believes work ethic is everything and how Schenkel “has become an absolute workhorse in practice. His ability to read plays has improved a lot, he’s taken accountability that sometimes goals that go in are his fault and he’s managing his emotions.”
Visentin also talked of how he believes the best athletes are happy athletes.
“You can’t be consumed by the game away from the rink,” he added. “You have to make sure you’re not burning out. Charlie is now seeing the rewards from his hard work and attention to detail.”
Schenkel, who said he gives “tons” of credit to Visentin, while calling him a “great goalie coach,” now treats every shot he faces in practice as if it’s a game situation.
“If you have consistent habits, you’ll have consistent results,” he added.
The lanky netminder also discussed how that approach makes all of the Hounds shooters better, because they’re forced to be at their best during practices if they want to score.
“It boosts everyone,” Schenkel continued. “Deaner talks about making each other better by being your best self every day, and it carries over into the game.”
The Soo enters the Sudbury tilt fresh from a disappointing 6-3 home ice loss to Mississauga on Friday.
Having reviewed video of the game, Dean’s opinion of his team’s performance didn’t change from what he offered the media in a post-game interview on Friday.
“We played a lackadaisical, poor brand of hockey and we got beat,” he said on Monday. “We let the game slip through our fingers, unfortunately.”
The Wolves, the league’s second-best offensive team behind only London, will carry a 27-15-3-2 mark into Wednesday’s contest.
Dean said the keys for his team will be “structure and pace of play.”
Winger Jordan D’Intino missed Friday’s game with an upper-body injury and the Soo coach said he felt the overage likely wouldn’t play against Sudbury.
“But it’s not out of the question,” Dean added.
