Thunder’s Owsley keeps facing the shots

The Thunder has allowed the most shots per game in the ECHL, which has given rookie goaltender Drew Owsley a lot of work.

Owsley will take it. The 25-year-old from Alberta, Canada, began the season as a backup to Scott Greenham and faced uncertainty as the upper-level Ottawa Senators’ affiliates shuffled between goalies.

But after the promotions of Greenham and former NHL goalie Chris Driedger, who have both spent time in Wichita this season, Owsley is the top option. He has played all but one game since Dec. 23 and faced 204 shots over seven outings.

Owsley will likely be in goal when the Thunder plays Indy on Tuesday night at Intrust Bank Arena.

“I like it,” Owsley said. “I love being the guy that’s the workhorse. I played a lot of game in juniors – last year I played 65 of 70 games. I like being the guy that’s going to be relied on to play those minutes, and I think being in there every night has helped me a lot.”

Owsley’s results have been mixed. The Thunder just ended a nine-game losing streak, but he wasn’t the primary culprit.

The Thunder scored two goals in the first five losses, then struggled so badly defensively that four straight games of at least three goals weren’t enough to earn a victory.

Owsley’s statistics took a hit because the Thunder allows more shots than the next-to-worst team in that category than the distance between the ECHL’s 16th- and 23rd-ranked team. Owsley often helped the Thunder build momentum that either the offense or defense couldn’t sustain.

“You don’t usually too get bored out there,” Owsley said. “It’s nice when you’re seeing low-percentage shots. It makes it easy because you get into the games quicker. It’s those games when you get 25 (shots) but they have 10 pretty good scoring chances. Those are the tough games to play.

“I like being the guy that can keep a team in the game even if they start pretty bad. I just try to give the team a chance to win every night.”

Owsley has stopped at least 26 shots in seven of the last nine games he has started. The Thunder has virtually exhausted all of its options in goal, which makes Owsley that much more valuable.

He has allowed 3.29 goals per 60 minutes with a .905 save percentage, helping the Thunder earn a point in six of his 14 starts. More importantly, he has become a stabilizing presence at a position each team – especially the Thunder – needs one.

“You just kind of want to be a guy that the boys are comfortable with out there,” Owsley said. “Every time I’m in there, I just want them to know that we have a chance to win. I think that comes with working hard in practice and gaining their trust.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 7:31 PM with the headline "Thunder’s Owsley keeps facing the shots."