The offence might be hot and cold and the power play a work in progress, but there's little disputing that the guy between the pipes has been the biggest constant in the Guelph Storm's early success.
Brayden Gillespie was at it again Friday night.
After facing just one shot on net in the first period, he was solid in the second and brilliant in the third as the Storm improved to 5-2 on the season with a 3-1 victory over the Barrie Colts at a sold-out Sleeman Centre.
Gillespie said the preparation heading into the season didn't change, despite being the team's number one goalie coming into camp.
"I don't think it changed anything. It's just proving myself every day to the coaching staff and everyone that I can play. I had the same mindset last year at the playoff time and I just kept that up."
The Oakville native said he just worked hard all summer to earn and keep the job.
"You have it saved on the calendar. You can't wait for the season. I'm coming into the season and I'm coming in hot, because I don't want to lose that job."
It was an easy job the first 20 minutes on Friday.
"After the first period when it was just one shot I thought 'am I gonna' get any more?'" Gilespie said of the quiet first period.
"That's when the nerves kick in. You think there's going to be a breakaway or a two-on-one or something. But it's just really fun to play in those games."
Gillespie leads the league in both goals-against average and save percentage.
"I'm not surprised at all," Storm coach Chad Wiseman said of his goaltender's outstanding and consistent play thus far.
"His battle and compete every day, his attention to detail, his video work, his work with Rob Beatty our goalie coach .... he wants to be on the ice all the time. He's a sponge," Wiseman said.
Knowing you're going to have steady goaltending pretty much every night can have a ripple effect through the lineup, Wiseman said.
"It gives people to the people in front of you, knowing that every night you've got an opportunity to win," the coach said. "That confidence makes you defend harder and work hard for the guy you've got back there. He's going to work hard so you're going to work hard. It's a healthy relationship."
Friday's win was the first of a three-in-three weekend that could turn out to be a very successful stretch for the locals. Guelph hosts the Kingston Frontenacs Saturday at 7 p.m. then plays Sunday night in Oshawa. All three teams currently sit in the bottom third of the OHL Eastern Conference standings.
Guelph sputtered in a snoozer of a first period Friday, including failing on three power plays, but picked up the pace and intensity after that.
A shot that went in off a Storm player's leg saw them down after one period, but goals by Michael Buchinger and Vilmer Alriksson had them up 2-1 after two, then Max Namestnikov polished off the scoring late in the third.
Two of the Storm goals came on five-on-three power plays.
"I thought our compete was good and I thought our discipline to our game plan was strong," Wiseman said. "I would like to maybe get a few goals on the power play to maybe put the game away, but overall I thought it was a solid 60 minutes."
