IPv6Freely

Pickup this past tuesday was probably the best I've ever played. Sadly, my GoPro battery was dead after 5 minutes. Really kicking myself for not charging it :( Moving on to last night... Pretty happy with this game. Despite going down 2-0 early on two crap goals, the team stormed back and we ended up winning 6-3. Very happy with my play except for those first two goals, and then my blunder playing the puck in the 3rd period nearly leading to a goal.

If it was a skill level thing, sure (I know I definitely give out a lot of suggestions for things I know I myself am not able to execute on), but in this case it definitely sounds like more of an issue with his level of effort.

"Do as I say, not as I do."

Absolutely! I even went fairly neutral on a custom set just because you never know. I only put red in sections that would be easy to pad wrap; the rest are black and white. I kind of wish I'd gone all out on colours but oh well. Probably smarter to go neutral.

Awesome!! Make sure you post photos when you get them! What colours did you get?

Brian's will be far better made than pretty much anything at the same price point, even at the beginner or senior level. Build quality is amazing. They also have smart straps, so the strapping is all elastic, which means you can wear the pad tight to your leg and still have complete range of motion (for both you and the actual pad rotation). Modern goalies strap their leather straps super loose so that the pad can rotate for the butterfly. With Brian's you can strap them tight and still get the same effect. The toe tie is also elastic so you can wear that tight to your toe as well and it stretches in the butterfly (saving your ankles from strain) and also snaps the pads right back into place when you get up. I would HIGHLY recommend them. They just might take some getting used to for anyone used to leather strapping. I was lucky that I started with them so I didn't have to adjust. My new pads should be arriving late April and I might sell my old ones (Brian's S-Series) 33+1 if you're interested. I'm still undecided if I'm going to sell them or just keep them as a backup.

A slightly used set of Brian's senior pads (subzero 6.0 or GNetik 5.0) would be ideal in that price range! What size do you wear? Edit: $599 CAD! https://www.thegoaliecrease.com/display_product.asp?product_id=3660

I had one of the best pickup games I've ever had on Tuesday. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead so I didn't get any footage. Really sucks. No goals in the first hour, and only a couple the entire time. Made a ton of saves, and was very busy, unlike last week. I'm really kicking myself for not charging my gopro :( I also learned how protective my maltese collar is, unfortunately. I'm 100% sure it saved me a trip to the hospital, that's for sure. It was a shot in close, going up high. Normally I'd have my chin tucked on anything close like that, but since the shot was high I kind of lifted my entire body up hoping to get it in the chest instead of in the face, and it ended up just going in between. Oops. Would have been better off taking it off the mask, but oh well.

That blows, big time. Sorry to hear :(

Got my first ever D5 shutout last night! Final was 8-0, though that score is misleading. Their goalie was hurt and couldn't go down. He actually made some really impressive old school stand-up staves! I wasn't super busy (they didn't get their first shot on goal until late in the 1st period), but things got scrambly for me as the game went on. Barely any positionally sound saves. However managed to keep the puck out for the entire game, and that's all that matters!

I was a catcher too, actually. I wonder if it's a coincidence or if that's common among goalies. Something about wearing more gear than the rest of the team, and enjoying fast moving objects flying toward them!

Awesome! Congrats! My first game was a win also. That always helps :) Had you done any pickups or anything in goal or was this really the first time?

I don't find the Lundy loop does anything for me one way or the other, really. I wore my boot strap as loose as it went before, so really I just use the Lundy loop because it's there. I do have my boot strap quite tight through it though because I like the pad to be tight on my leg. Have all elastic straps allows me to do that without losing any movement in my pads. As for the GoPro, just put it literally as high as you can reach. Make sure to set it so both LEDs are off. I set mine to the default wide angle. You don't really get fish-eye unless you're trying to do POV shots with it.

Nice avatar :) Second best hockey video game ever, after NHL94 for SNES.

Awesome! My advice is to just focus and let the shots come to you. You'll do fine :) Let us know how it goes!

Made the stupid mistake of assuming a cowling swap was a quick and easy job, especially since it's like for like (no new holes needed). If I'd known it was going to take 3-4 hours I would have left home in the morning. 4 hours wasted driving there and back... I got there and he said I'd have to leave them overnight. I had no idea it was such a labor intensive process. Oops.

What a crap pickup. I wasn't busy at all, the entire thing was completely one-sided. However, it seemed like every shot they actually took went in. I swear I only made like 5 stops in an hour and a half. Oh well, there's always next week.

Hah yeah, that was a bit nuts. They're usually WAY more responsible than that. My D is one of the biggest reasons we win games. Very responsible and clear pucks well.

Good way to start the season. Not super busy, and both the goals that went in I should have absolutely had. But I'm happy enough.

Yup, exactly. It's super comfortable to carry.

I love my goalie Grit bag. A lot. So much so that I was going to buy the player version. I've also always been a fan of backpack bags, and that was the other option I was considering So when I saw these on sale on IW I decided to give them a shot. Basically a player Grit bag but instead of wheels it has a big shoulder sling. The best of both worlds for me. It's not exactly big (I was actually worried my stuff wouldn't all fit, and to be honest if I wore higher end pants that were stiffer and something more than my Down Low shoulder pads, it may have not all fit.) Can't wait to try this thing out on Thursday!

Do you not wear a neck guard at all?!

I actually haven't lost anything in a long time. And my 'tending has gotten worse because of it. I have a difficult time making it through my tuesday night pickup sessions because I'm so out of shape again. At least when I was seeing my trainer twice a week for a while there I had plenty of energy and stamina! Ouch on the collarbone... you should look into a Maltese neck guard!

Here's the video. The game started out really rough for me, as did the second period. And then I let my emotion out after they tied the game late, which I'm not super proud of either but it is what it is.