Troy Callahan has developed a simple creed to remain sane while playing goalie – One shot at a time.
The Steinert High senior mans the net for the Hamilton tri-op ice hockey team that includes players from Nottingham, Steinert and Hamilton West. It’s not surprising to see over 50 shots pelted at him in one game.
Most times he is up to the task, because he is not thinking about the massive number of pucks heading his way.
“I try not to worry about how many shots I’m gonna get during a game,” he said. “I just worry about the first shot and after that the next shot that comes. That just helps me not worry about if I’m getting 60 shots a game.”
Callahan faced an average of 37 shots on goal last year, and saved an average of 31. He had four games in which he saw over 50 shots and seven when over 40 came his way. The human bullseye had six games with over 40 saves, including a season high of 51 against Lawrence.
If he were a professional athlete, one could safely say he would have earned his money.
“That’s the whole point of being a goalie; stopping the puck, making saves,” Callahan said. “I get a break when we go down and score a goal. But being a goalie, I just do what I have to do.”
He has done it well since making the Spartans varsity as a freshman. Callahan played just seven games behind the talented Trevor Malik in ninth grade, but made 170 saves on 209 shots.
When Steinert merged with its sister schools in 2020-21, Callahan again backed up Malik and stopped 64 of 71 shots in two games against Robbinsville. That was an abbreviated season due to Covid.
Last year Callahan played all but two games and helped Hamilton tri-op to a 6-13 record after it went winless the previous season.
“It’s a blessing to have a guy like that between the pipes,” coach John Patterson said. “It allows us to set up our entire system based on the fact he can handle that type of workload and handle that many shots. We obviously make a concerted effort to keep the shots coming from the outside and try to eliminate those second and third chances. But when we need him, he’s there.”
Callahan has been “there” since age 6, when he offered his services to play goalie for some mysterious reason. He began hockey at age 4 playing as a skater with IceLand. Upon his moving to the ProSkate in-house program, the team needed a goalie.
“I just said ‘All right, I’ll try it,’” Callahan recalled. “I just volunteered somehow. I don’t even remember why. But I did it.”
He apparently took to it naturally. His memory of those early days is a bit clouded, but he does recall liking the way he looked in uniform.
“I liked wearing all the pads, having these cool looking gloves and blocker and stuff like that. I was a catcher in baseball in little league. It was pretty much like the same thing — blocking the pucks, blocking the baseball,” Callahan said.
He moved on to play travel hockey for Princeton, and is still with that organization. He has tried to hone his game along the way by attending clinics and studying other goalies on YouTube.
“I’ve seen a lot of stuff online,” he said. “I’ve watched videos online, just small things you can utilize to help the way you play and make yourself better. All the small things add up.”
There is nothing better than actual game experience, of course, and Callahan got a ton of that during last year’s high school season. The workload helped him grow as a netminder.
“It just helps you get ready for when the same shots come at you again,” Troy said. “You’re already prepared on where to put the rebound out, when you should cover the puck. It just helps your experience overall. It gives you more confidence for the next time.”
Confidence is a key weapon in a goalie’s arsenal. Should any negativity creep into the mind, it could be devastating. Which is why Callahan focuses on forgetting about any goal that is scored on him.
“You can’t worry about it too much otherwise they’ll start putting in more. You gotta put it behind you and get ready for the next shot,” he said.
Patterson feels that mindset is one of Callahan’s best attributes, and thinks it trickles down to his teammates.
“He doesn’t let a goal bother him too much,” the coach said. “Like a leader, he comes in and he’s not gonna lay blame like ‘Oh he should have picked up that guy,’ even though a lot of times maybe they should have. He shoulders that load, he says ‘Hey I should have had that one, I’ll get it next time guys. Let’s get out there and get it back.’ That’s what a leader does.”
Callahan had a brilliant start to this season, making 31 saves in a scoreless tie with Hopewell and kicking out a career-high 58 shots in a 5-3 loss to Robbinsville. Despite the 0-1-1 mark as of Dec. 13, there was optimism for this season as Hamilton returns high-scoring Ashton Truelove and Zach Meseroll, along with a core of experienced players.
“We’ve got a really big senior class and a bunch of good guys,” Patterson said. “We know this is our year to make a little noise.”
Callahan agreed, noting that “Whenever you come to practice, you can feel the chemistry and energy going around. Everyone is ready and excited for the season. That first game we played pretty good, our energy was there, our speed was there. It’s pretty obvious that we’re excited and ready for the season.”
This will be Callahan’s final campaign of scholastic ice hockey, as he will play lacrosse at Cabrini University next year. Troy began that sport in fifth grade and decided to play midfield “so I’m not stuck in the same area for the whole game.” He tallied 41 goals and eight assists last season.
When he is not playing games, Callahan is hitting the books. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has a weighted GPA of 4.08. He volunteers his time to coaching youth hockey clinics with the Mercer Bulldogs and the Devils Learn to Play organization in Princeton. And he has a paying job making sure the skaters are safe during open ice time at the Mercer rink.
Although lacrosse is Troy’s future, Patterson and Callahan are pretty sure that hockey will still be hanging around.
“I’ll probably focus on just lacrosse at school,” Troy said. “But maybe I’ll come back and play for men’s leagues in hockey, stuff like that. I won’t go too crazy, but I don’t know if I want to get rid of a sport right after high school season.”
Patterson is positive he won’t.
“I can guarantee whatever Troy does, he’s gonna be playing hockey, whether it’s a men’s league or some club team,” he said. “You don’t get a guy wired that way and then he just drops hockey after his senior year. There’s just no way.”
Steinert’s Troy Callahan defends the net for Hamilton’s tri-op ice hockey team against Lawrence High on Feb. 16, 2022. (Photo by Amanda Ruch.),
