By Ryan Stieg
What does it take to be a great goalie? It depends on who you ask. However, for the St. Thomas netminders and their recruits, they have a good person to consult as former University of North Dakota goaltending coach, and Fighting Hawks record holder, Karl Goehring takes over goaltending coach duties this season in St. Paul.
After winning a Minnesota Class AA state championship at Apple Valley High School, Goehring went on to have a stellar career at UND where he won a national championship in 2000 and is the Fighting Hawks’ all-time leader in goalie wins with 80.
“I was really fortunate to go there as a player,” he said Tuesday. “You get to play for (former head coach) Dean Blais and just the group of guys that I got to play with are just some fantastic people. So, you know for me that was kind of the takeaway. You spend so much time at the rink and being with guys that you just really enjoy playing with and growing together both on the ice and off. So, for me, it was a great experience.”
There were many highlights during Goehring’s time in a Fighting Sioux jersey, but the main highlight was the 2000 national championship where UND defeated Boston College, 4-2 in Providence.
“I was fortunate to play in the NCAA Tournament a lot of years I was there,” he said. “You come to appreciate how hard it is just to get to the Frozen Four and to get to the finals. To be part of a group that was able to win it was really special, and I missed it because we were playing last weekend, but a bunch of our guys just got together and celebrated the 25 years. So it’s a pretty special thing to be able to be on top of the end of the year and it’s something I’ll cherish forever with those guys.”
After a few years of professional hockey, Goehring coached goalies for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch before returning to his alma mater to coach its netminders. When he was not retained during UND’s head coaching change from Brad Berry to Dane Jackson in March, the Tommies hired him in August. In fact, Goehring and the Tommies will be facing UND this weekend with Friday’s game in Grand Forks and Sunday’s at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
When asked why he decided to get into coaching, Goehring said it came down to the love of the sport. As far as coming to the Tommies, it was to be part of what’s been dubbed “the process” of building a strong Division I program.
“I’ve always just had a passion for the game, and understanding the position,” he said. “I was fortunate to have a lot of great mentors and coaches that impacted me whether they were goalie coaches, or whether they were head coaches. So, I really had an appreciation for that and. I really enjoy working with players and helping them find the best version of themselves whether on or off the ice. That was something that was always on my mind as a player as I was finishing up my pro career.
“I have just been really grateful for this opportunity and the people involved with the program from leadership in the athletic department to our coaching staff with (head coach) Rico (Blasi) and (assistant coaches) Leon (Hayward) and Cory (Laylin) and everybody involved, and then seeing where they’re looking to bring this program, I couldn’t be more excited to be on this staff and be part of building something we hope to be very special.”
So, what does it take to be a good goaltender? According to Goehring, it requires quite a few things starting with wanting to be reliable for your team.
“I think you know the first thing is having an appreciation to want to be a guy that that can make a difference and make an impact as as a player,” he said. “It’s a unique position where you’re on the ice the entire time. You’ve got flurries of a ton of activity followed by stretches where not much is going on. So that ability to maintain your focus and want to be a part of that and then also be a person that understands that you can only do your job. I think it takes a real unique personality that really wants to be in that position to make an impact and recognizing the limitations of it as well.”
It may seem odd to the casual fan, but if you ask most college goalies, they’ll say it’s easier to play when there’s frequent action in their end of the ice than in the offensive zone.
“I think it’s just a lot easier to play when you’re engaged,” Goehring said. “The tough games can be when you’re not getting a ton of action and all of a sudden, there’s a really good scoring chance. You’re having to keep yourself mentally into those games. The goalies that can manage themselves and can understand that, those are the guys that really give themselves an edge because it’s never gonna work out where you’re only in games where you’re busy.”
When there is an impactful moment in the game, Goehring also said it’s important for goalies to do something to reset their brains, whether that may be taking a drink from a water bottle, or just simply shaking their heads.
“In my opinion, it’s really important that whether it’s a goal, or whether it’s breakaway save, or anytime there’s kind of a high or emotional moment, to have a reset routine,” he said. “Everybody is a little bit different from what I’ve found as a player and as a coach. I think it’s important for the goalie to embrace their individual side, but it’s important that they do have one.”
It’s been 16 years since Goehring has played in a professional game and almost 25 since he last played in college, so naturally, he’s noticed some changes in how his position is played. As a result, his approach to it has also changed.
“I definitely think it’s evolved,” he said. “For me as a coach, it’s important. We’re asking our guys to keep growing and keep progressing, so that’s something that I’ve really aimed to do as a coach as well. Not only that, but the game and the speed of it as continued to pick up. So, I think it’s important as I’m working with guys to continue to adapt and continue to find new tips and new ways of playing to help guys find the best version of themselves.”
Goaltending has changed a lot and although Goehring thinks that it’ll continue to evolve, some things will always be a part of the position.
“I know there’s things that are always gonna be foundational for me,” he said. “I think goaltender skating and their mobility is always gonna be really important. I do foresee potential changes in how goaltenders are playing situations. I do see that evolving you know, that’s been a fun thing to watch in the game. I feel like the individual skill, in all positions really, has just continued to grow and continued to push the limits of what guys are doing. So, I do foresee changes, but I also do see you some of the foundational things always being important.”
The transfer portal has made some big changes to college hockey and Goehring said it’s influenced coaching goaltenders.
“I think it just changes the dynamic to a certain agree,” he said. “Years past, when there really wasn’t a portal, you kind of knew you were gonna have a certain timeframe with a student-athlete. Now, I’ve seen it a few times where you sometimes might be getting in a senior goaltender and you’ve got one year to work with that player. So, it definitely has kind of changed the dynamic there, but I guess from approach-wise, you’re still doing everything you can to connect and work with that goalie.”
The Tommies are notorious for rotating goalies every game and that probably won’t change this year as they’ve got two quality goalies in Colorado College transfer Carsen Musser and UST veteran Aaron Trotter. Goehring sees a benefit to rotating the goalties as well.
“From a team perspective, it is good to get guys minutes and give guys the opportunity to be a part of it,” he said. “That being said, going down the stretch, I do also think it’s important for a goaltender to get into a rhythm and kind of owning that. So, we’ll see how the season plays out here, but I do think it’s great to get everybody involved and then hopefully, you’ve got a situation where you’ve found a rhythm with somebody towards the end as well.”
There has been a lot of hype around the Tommies this season with most people thinking they’re going to finish at the top or near the top of the CCHA and possibly clinching their first NCAA Tournament bid. However, Goehring isn’t thinking about that too much and wants his guys to focus on one game or one series at a time.
“Obviously as a group, you’re always working to win that league championship first,” he said. “So keep the eye on the prize so to speak. That being said, from a coaching standpoint, my goal is always to help our guys make as much progress as they can, and for me from an individual perspective, to really see guys come together. For me, if we’re able to do those things, we’re able to make progress towards playing the best that we can play, those things will take care of itself in terms of championships and getting to play for what we believe we can play for.
“Just making progress every day, every practice. Getting more comfortable within our system, getting more chemistry with our linemates, understanding our position, understanding how we can really impact games. That to me is where I really hope to impact. A lot of times, it’s that work behind the scenes that hopefully will come forward on the weekends.”