MARQUETTE – Imagine you’re in goal during a hockey game and it’s late in the third period.

Seconds are ticking down and your team is on the power play. The faceoff is in the opposing team’s zone and the puck squirts out to the boards. The opposing team’s defenseman sees an opening and he fires a pass to a winger streaking down the right side of the rink.

Nobody on your team is within five feet of him and he has a clear path to the net. You are the only line of defense and could be the savior or the goat in a matter of seconds.

Most of us would have thoughts racing through our heads and probably would have a panic attack. Not Northern Michigan University goalie Mathias Dahlstrom. It takes a special breed to be a goaltender and Dahlstrom is rapidly becoming one of the best in college hockey.

“I’ve been wondering what I’ve been thinking when that happens and it’s not much,” Dahlstrom said. “You really have to follow the guy. Don’t bite on the first move he makes.

“When he starts coming in, I’m more standing up and the closer he gets, the lower I am so I can follow what he’s going to do. When there are shootouts, I have some teammates where if they know the guy, they’ll say this guy is going to do this move, but I really don’t pay attention to that because if I’m only going to focus on that move, and he doesn’t do it, I’m pretty screwed.”

Modesty best policy

Dahlstrom is definitely confident in his abilities, but he’s also one of the most modest guys in the locker room. That’s evident to Wildcats head coach Walt Kyle.

“He’s really humble,” Kyle said. “He’s a good kid. He comes from a wonderful family. They were over here the last four games (before the Alaska trip). He’s just a down-to-earth, straight kid. He’s probably one of the most popular kids on the team.

“I don’t think anyone would have a bad word to say about him. He’s just a good person and he always cares about winning. It’s tough.

“Sometimes great players care about their own numbers. This kid doesn’t. He cares about winning.”

Heading into this weekend’s series against Bowling Green, Dahlstrom leads Division I hockey with a sparkling 1.19 goals against average, is second nationally with a .952 saves percentage and is tied for the lead with four shutouts.

Ask him about his glowing stats, however, and Dahlstrom would shrug them off and focus on the team’s record.

Wowing the crowd

Dahlstrom has the ability to thrill people with impressive saves thanks to a great reaction time, and he always seems to know where the puck is.

Fans have been delighted to see him rob opposing players with his glove and slide across the crease to stop easy scoring opportunities, corralling the puck before a winger can get a stick on it.

Kyle says some of those plays are due to Dahlstrom’s natural talent, but it’s his work ethic that really helps him shine.

“Probably the one thing that stands out for fans is his athleticism and his ability to make really big saves,” he says. “What stands out for me as a coach that most people don’t see is his attention to detail. His focus and his work ethic. He watches video, he stretches relentlessly. In goalie sessions, he always wants to work on something. He’s putting in time and he has exceptional character.”

Skating ability

When asked what is his biggest asset protecting the net, Dahlstrom said it’s his ability as a skater.

“I’ve heard from some guys that I’m a pretty good skater and I try to stand up more because I’m a pretty good skater,” he said. “I’ve been working a lot on rebound control. I work every day on playing the puck with my stick.

“There’s something new every week that I need to work on, but I don’t just focus on what I need to be better on. I still work on stuff that I think I’m good at, like playing the puck. I think it’s a lot of fun, so I do that quite a bit, and skating because you really need it.”

Dahlstrom is also at ease playing the puck around the back of the net, an area some goaltenders stay away from and can make fans cringe.

“I believe I’m comfortable playing the puck behind the net,” he said. “Walt wants me to do it because I think he’s comfortable with me doing it. I think it helps our defense.

“There are days where it works out (and) teams don’t have the opportunity to set up in our zone. They dump the puck and we’re out before they can set up.”

A matter of style

Goaltenders have different styles, some being more stand-up, others preferring to go down into the butterfly position. Dahlstrom says he’s more of a butterfly goalie, but also mixes in some stand-up.

“I would say I’m more of a butterfly,” he said. “I just use whatever works for me. I don’t think you can go down into a butterfly every single time and face the first shot. You have to think of the second one like ‘Where’s the rebound?’

“I’ve rarely used a poke-check,” he said about knocking the puck away from a skater before he gets to shoot it. “You have to be 100 percent sure that you’re going to hit the puck when you do that, because it’s a lot of balance in goaltending. If I use all my power to poke-check and I miss the puck, the puck ends up on the side of me, all my power is going forward, and it’s hard to get back.”

Up against the best

This season, Dahlstrom has and will be going up against some of the best goalies in the country, including Ferris State’s C.J. Motte, Minnesota State’s Stephon Williams and Michigan Tech’s Jamie Phillips. He’s more than held his own against such talented opponents.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to be the better one today,” he said. “I think if you have that mindset, it should work out pretty good.”

Kyle thinks that good opponents have helped Dahlstrom become a better goalie.

“I think the goalies we’ve faced have been a great challenge for him,” Kyle said. “I think if I was a goaltender, I would take each one of those moments as an opportunity to show who I was and how good I am and I think he does that.”

Picking favorites

Dahlstrom also enjoys watching opposing players on TV and likes how each of them brings something different to the ice, whether they are a goalie or not.

“A player that’s really fun to watch is (Detroit Red Wings center Pavel) Datsyuk, even though he’s not a goalie,” he said. “I’ve got a pretty good friend in Phoenix, Oliver Larsson, and when I get a chance to watch those games I do because he’s doing good.

“I can’t really pick one favorite goalie. There are some goalies that have different personalities that they are good at. Jonathan Quick battles until he gets the puck. Either he has it or it’s in the net. I’ve never seen a goalie battle that hard for a puck.

“I like (Henrik) Lundqvist because I think he has a good stance. He looks big in the net even though he’s only 6-(foot)-1, he’s pretty much the same height as me. Tuukka Rask, I’m not sure how tall he looks. He finds a way to stop the puck, too. One guy I like is Marty Turco when he played because he could play the puck really well.”

Sky’s the limit

As far as what the future holds, the sky is the limit. Dahlstrom would love to play in the NHL or back home in Sweden. He also is aware of what he has to do to get to that level. At the same time, he isn’t concerned with moving up and is just focusing on developing his game.

“My goal is I want to play in the NHL someday,” he said. “That’s really what I want to do. I think it’s the most fun place for a goalie and it’s the best league in the world. I wouldn’t mind playing in Sweden, though.

“I’m not sure if any teams have been looking at me. I’m not really thinking about that right now. Right now, all I think about is game by game. I think you shouldn’t focus so much on stuff that could happen in the future.”

Wherever he ends up, it’s clear that he will put on a good show.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.