by Tim Morris
It all began in novice hockey for Connor Shibley.
“Our goalie was hurt and I volunteered,” the Ottawa Junior Senators’ netminder recalled. “I tried it, and I liked it. I liked being in the spotlight every night. You can‘t hide from it. It’s a unique position.”
Now, years later, the 19-year-old finds himself among the leading goalies on the Central Canada Hockey League’s (CCHL) defending champions. He’s started the season with a 9-2 record, a stingy 2.17 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and a shut out. He leads the league in goals against average.
Shibley’s rise to success in junior hockey comes as a result of his embracing everything about playing the position from on-ice to off-ice training. He studies films of his game, he noted, so that he can “look at things I could do better.”
He reviews the film of Ottawa’s upcoming opponents as well, to look for their shooting and passing tendencies. Then there’s gym training, which includes a program of stretching, the Junior Senators goalie also does year-round hand-eye training.
“I work on a reaction board because your eyes are constantly moving,” said Shibley.
It helps that he comes from an athletic family. His mother, Lori, was a top figure skater and dad, Tyler was a hockey player himself. However, Connor is the first goalie in the family.
Part of the uniqueness of being a goalie, Shibley noted is the mental part. There’s never a moment of relaxation.
“You have to be focused all the time,” he pointed out. “That takes time to develop.”
To be his most effective, Shibley explained, a goalie needs to be proactive. Anticipating a play before it happens is a goalie’s most effective weapon. As a result, relying on his natural instincts is a huge part of Shibley’s game.
He pointed to Hall of Famer and triple Stanley Cup winner Martin Brodeur, as an example. Late in his career, when his physical skills had slipped, Brodeur remained an effective goalie because of the way he could read plays.
Position and playing the angles are keys to making saves. But, Shibley goes one step beyond that. He studies a player’s hands and their position on the stick.
“If their hands are high, it means less power,” he explained.
Shibley also looks at where the puck is on the blade of the stick before a shot. Whether a player goes heel to toe or toe to heel determines the speed of the shot.
Such are the ingredients that go into making a winning goalie. There is, however, more to being the man in the crease.
“Every day you have to play with consistency,” Shibley said.
While he enjoys the spotlight and the pressure that goes with it, Shibley is the first and foremost, a team player.
“I play for everybody on the team,” he remarked. “I owe a lot of my success to my teammates. They take away rebounds and clear the puck.”
Shibley has been splitting time in net with teammate Rorke Applebee. Together they are one-two in the CCHL in goals against average with Applebee second to Shibley with a 2.26 goals against average and has an identical .931 save percentage.
“We’re a good tandem,” said Shibley. “He’s a great teammate. It’s a friendly competition.”
Splitting time benefits both, Shibley said, because it “keeps us both healthy.”
A native of Ottawa, Shibley joined the Junior Senators this year after playing for the Nepean Raiders in the CCHL the previous two seasons.
“It was awesome joining such a prestigious team,” he remarked. “It was a bit intimidating. The players and coaches all welcomed me. There’s no place I’d rather be.”
