The weekly competition for the ISU hockey team’s starting goaltender starts the previous weekend. The Cyclones have three goaltenders and use them all regularly. Every week, the three of them compete for the starting job at the weekend’s games.

When ISU coach Al Murdoch is trying to decide which goaltender will be in the crease each game next weekend, he starts by looking at the results of the previous weekend. Then Monday through Thursday, he judges their ability to make saves on breakaway situations, just the shooter and the goalie. He also takes into account one-on-one situations and two-on-one situations (two forwards versus one defenseman).

In team play, Murdoch judges their ability on special teams closely.

“I watch all week at their ability to do well on penalty kill side of the puck, obviously they’re going to get a lot of shots,” Murdoch said. “And on the power-play side of the puck, I want them to communicate how many guys are coming in to forecheck.”

Finally, Murdoch looks at his goaltenders’ ability to handle the puck. At the end of Thursday’s practice, Murdoch tells the goaltenders which one of them will get to start each game. The rest of the team doesn’t know until they are about to take the ice for the games Friday and Saturday nights.

“Goalies have a distinct mental focus pattern,” said ISU goalie Paul Karus. “We need to prepare ourselves more than anybody because we’re in the entire game and we just can’t have a mental lapse. So we have to make sure that we get all our stuff focused and ready a day before.”

Karus currently has a 0.93 save percentage and is allowing just 2.03 goals per game on average.

Karus isn’t the only successful goaltender for the Cyclones this year. Peter Alexander has a 0.92 save percentage and allows 2.23 goals per game on average, and Jared Andersen has a 0.92 save percentage and allows 2.12 goals per game on average. This has helped carry the Cyclones to the top of the CSCHL and a No. 7 ranking.

For the goaltenders, the competition lasts throughout the whole week and isn’t just at the games.

“The competition this year has been really good,” said Karus. “I feel that us as goaltenders are pushing each other … to get better.”