Joshua Gleason’s goalie stick laid in splinters as he went through the handshake line following Niagara Wheatfield’s 4-3 overtime loss to Starpoint on Dec. 8. When he was finished, coach Rick Wrazin pulled him aside. He appreciated Gleason’s passion but there were better ways to handle the frustration of allowing a game-winning goal.

Gleason did not need to hear the speech, though. He already knew. But it was hard. He wants to win so bad. Gleason made 43 saves that night, but in the moment, he felt like the reason the Falcons lost the game.

Not many pucks sneak past Gleason, but he takes great umbrage with the ones that do. He wants to be great and he wants to be the player his team can lean on to win each game. So far, the senior goaltender has been that player this season, even if the wins and losses do not reflect his performance.

Gleason has started three of Niagara Wheatfield’s four games, going 1-0-0-2 with nine goals allowed. But he has also stopped 119 shots — all in games that were decided by one goal, including two that went to overtime — proving his worth as one of the top goaltenders in Western New York.

“Every single goal has always been personal,” Gleason said. “I never want to be scored on — ever. Every game, I want to get a shutout. That’s the way I go.”

Midway through last season, Wrazin knew he had a superb goaltender but questioned whether Gleason had the focus to become great. Wrazin wanted Gleason to be the type of goalie who could carry Niagara Wheatfield to a win on nights when the rest of the team wasn't at its best.

Heading down the stretch, Gleason found the extra gear his coach was pushing for, though he can’t point to a singular moment his game started to take off. He attributes it to maturity that comes with experience.

Regardless, Gleason finished the season with an 8-1 record and a .932 save percentage that ranked fifth in the WNY Federation among players who had a minimum of four starts. His 1.57 goals-against average ranked sixth among qualified players.

“When he’s in a game, he’s dialed in now,” Wrazin said. “There’s no distractions, he doesn’t let anything bother him, and when you’re a goalie, you have to be able to forget mentally and move on. He’s able to do that now.”

Gleason may take every goal allowed personally, but he has indeed learned to move on in a hurry. The Falcons surrendered a two-goal lead in their loss to the Spartans and Gleason was livid when he allowed a short-side goal to tie the game in the third period.

He did not snap his stick on this occasion, instead using his emotions to vocally encourage his teammates as he skated in circles during timeouts, perhaps pumping himself up in the process. Between allowing the third and fourth goals, Gleason made several critical saves to send the game to overtime, including sliding from one side of the crease to the other for a point-blank stop. He also made a one-on-one save a shot from the high slot in the extra period.

“I started to have a saying to have a 10-second mind,” Gleason said. “Every 10 seconds, I’m like, ‘All right, we’ve got to go.’ After that 10 seconds has passed, we have to move on. After I get scored on, I’m focusing on the next shot.”

That mindset not only comes in handy when giving up a critical goal, but it also helps when Gleason is occasionally frustrated his play does not match his goals-against average or wins. He would like to trade the two overtime losses for wins — who wouldn’t? — but he also loves being the player who is asked to carry the team.

In Niagara Wheatfield’s season-opening win over Kenmore East, Gleason made 46 saves in the shutout, as Cash Jacobs scored the game’s only goal midway through the third period. He made 89 saves as the Falcons were outshot 93-39 in their first two games.

“I like that feeling that the whole team is riding on me, that they can count on me,” Gleason said.

With Gleason laser-focused on winning this season, Wrazin has the type of goaltender he questioned if he would ever see early last season. More importantly, he has a backstop who can help a talented young Niagara Wheatfield team navigate early-season potholes as it continues to find its stride.

“He can steal a game,” Wrazin said. “I think he did in the Kenmore East game and in the Starpoint game, he was on the verge of stealing one. In this league, if you’re inconsistent — and so far our team has been — you need a goalie who is going to steal you a couple. It’s great to have a goalie who can do that now.”

The Falcons attempt to improve to 3-0 in the Niagara Frontier League when they face Grand Island at 6:50 p.m. tonight at Hockey Outlet.

Nick Sabato can be reached via email at nick.sabato@gnnewspaper.com or on Twitter @NickSabatoGNN.