STORM LOOKING FOR THE ADVANTAGE IN THE CREASE
By: Skip Berry
Tri-City Storm Communications
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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KEARNEY, Neb. – In a sport where most goalies are superstitious and uptight, Carsen Chubak remains calm on game day as he drinks a cup of coffee a couple of hours before the game he’s about to play for the Tri-City Storm.
Chubak, who turns 21 years old in April, is in his final season of junior hockey, and he’s looking to earn that Division I scholarship at an American college. This is part of the reason he chose to play in the United States Hockey League as a 20-year old.
“The USHL is the best junior league in the United States and if you aren’t playing major junior, than you want to play against the best competition,” said Chubak, who’s a native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. “This league is similar to major junior in Canada and you get the best of both worlds here in the USHL, especially since you don’t lose your college eligibility.”
The fact that the USHL is a league that protects players’ eligibility for college hockey was important to Chubak since most goalies don’t develop until much later compared to forwards and defenseman.
“Going the college route gives me a better opportunity to develop and become a better goaltender. You see a lot of the goalies playing in the NHL and the Pros and they are a little bit older today. When you get a bit older, you’re a little more composed and ready for the highest levels.”
After a slow start to the year, Chubak has made consistent strides of improvement in the past month and has earned the praises of his fellow goalie and teammate - Steven Bolton.
“He’s found his groove here and is starting to find the things that make him successful as a goalie,” Bolton said. “He’s working harder in practice and wants to be the best that he can be every night and that’s what your teammates want to see.”
Nobody is happier to see the recent play of Chubak than Storm Head Coach/General Manager Drew Schoneck.
“You can’t win without a good goalie,” Schoneck declared. “There’s an old saying that you’re only as good as your goalie, and Carsen has been good for us here in the past few weeks.”
Chubak’s numbers have vastly improved from the start of the season. His record is 16-13-6 with a save percentage of .900 and a 3.06 goal-against average.
However, in the past ten games he has played, his record is 6-2-0 with a save percentage of .929 and an improved 2.47 GAA.
With 13 games remaining in the regular season, the Storm hope that Chubak is ready to find the same play that led his team last season to the league finals with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Powell River Kings.
“He seems to be more focused before games,” Schoneck added about Chubak’s play in the last month. “Goalies tend to rise to the occasion, and he did that last year with Powell River and seems to be doing that right now with us.”
The Tri-City Storm is member of the 14-team United States Hockey League, which has teams in nine states throughout the Midwest. The USHL is the top junior league ages 20 and under in North America for developing NCAA prospects and NHL prospects.