IPv6Freely

Looks like I forgot to post last week's pickup video (I didn't get to play this week as I'm out of town). I'm pretty happy with my play last week. A few stinkers went in, but that's par for the course in a pickup game generally. We actually had the crappy nets out, so a couple of the goals actually went right through the net. Pretty funny. We also had some kid out there who I think was part of the Jr Gulls (now Wildcats, I think?) practice before our pickup. I think somebody may have asked him to play because we were short. You can't miss him... #6 in white. You know, the guy who skates around everyone. Check out the "poke check" aka "throwing my goalie stick at the puck" that actually saved a goal! hahaha He beat me once glove side on a shot that I think I should have had. The play at 0:56 where my own D-man banked it in off me. I never saw it. I felt it on the back of the leg and assumed it was the other team that had done it. I didn't know it was my own man until I saw the video! haha Had a nice windmill at 6:45. Those are always fun! hahaha

If you use 3rd party footbeds I'd recommend you try them with the red insole still in, or else you're going to create volume in the skate. When I got my VH I tried pulling out both the red and yellow insoles and putting my Superfeet in and it was WAY too much room in my toe box. Put the red back in and it felt much better. Though I ended up going back to using the stock footbeds. They're mostly good, they just seem a bit too wide in the heel... I need to trim them.

Yea, I had my liner rip. I'm not 100% why it happened exactly, but It wasn't during the molding process. I think I just didn't open up the top enough after baking and tried shoving my foot in too forcefully the first time I wore them on the ice. See pictures a couple pages back in this thread.

All good now?

The funny thing is that since they're a raquetball glove, there was ONE SINGLE left hand glove, and it happened to be my size. I thought about one under my blocker, but I don't have nearly as much of an issue there. I love subbing in higher divisions. Having some actual structure and (usually) some guys who know how to play defence makes a ton of difference. Tends to be less bullshit goals, too. Though I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be in a D4 game until I get my new pads. I feel everything with my current entry-level blocker and had a pretty bad bruise on my thumb last week from a slapshot that caught me the wrong way. Speaking of new pads... ordering these soon. I wanted Gnetik Pro II but the exchange rate makes these such a great deal right now. I wouldn't even consider them if they didn't have their Smart Strap clone, though.

Won tonight 6-2. First goal against was a wraparound attempt that I stopped twice, then covered it with my glove and they kept poking and it went in. I guess the ref didn't see that I had it covered? I was shocked when they went to center after the whistle. Second goal against was in the last two minutes. Their best player just sniped me blocker side. Hell of a shot, can't get too down on myself for that one. Otherwise, I played pretty well and so did my team in front of me. We only had 8 guys, they had a full bench. Stopped 36 of 38 shots. Probably 10+ of them were glove saves... which brings me to the next point. This was my first game wearing a glove under my catcher. WOW what a difference! I tried on baseball batting gloves, golf gloves, football QB gloves, just looking for something thin but grippy. Actually settled on a racquetball glove, of all things. It could not have been any more perfect. Great ventilation, fantastic grip. No more pushing my glove onto my hand the entire game. I think I'll be doing this permanently. Finally, I'm now leading our league in GAA and SV% which is pretty cool since it's a division up from where I was last season.

I'm talking constantly, even more so in our own end. The D needs to know how much time they have with the puck and if anyone is closing in on them, etc. Being vocal is crucial. I expect the same of my teammates, so I know if I need to "squeeze" (if I have it but not sure) or "loose" so I know I'm in trouble, as well as what to do with it when I stop it behind the net. Communication is so incredibly important!

I can definitely get them on without it, it's just easier because of how tight a fit it is.

Yup exactly. And I actually now use the shoe horn every time I put my skates on.

Fixed the video link.

Great segment on the new VH goalie skates without cowlings.

Wow. ROFLMAO. Amazing.

Hah, funny! I'm just happy the baseball gods made things right!

Blue Jays!!!

We lost 5-2 last night. THREE short side (blocker side) goals. One went off my D-mans stick and went top corner so... Whatever. But the other two was just me thinking I had the angle and letting it sneak in. Both were from the bottom of the circle, and one was a backhand, even. My angles are usually pretty good so I don't know what to do about this besides just be more conscious on my blocker side.

It's mostly the fit. They feel like tennis shoes.

Yea, I haven't seen nearly as many complaints with the 2. I've never had durability issues with the Mako 1 that I've had since they were still full retail price, whenever that was. But I'm probably not as hard on skates as some.

Yes they are THAT good. Don't let the poor adoption rate sway you... People just don't know what they're missing. I wouldn't wait, personally. Who knows when the next iteration is coming out.

That sucks dude, but I totally understand. I figured it would be my knees that would be in pain all the time. I was wrong, it's definitely the hips.

Mostly just the ones I know I should have had. You beat me with a good shot, well done. You beat me by making me scramble, well done. But you shoot it and I miss it badly, that bothers me. Just have to forget and stop the next one.

Not a bad night last night, minus some pretty awful blunders. I'm still quite a bit jet lagged from my trip to Sweden, too. It really shows in the second half where I'm a lot less quick to my feet. In some cases I stay down FAR longer than I should have and it almost cost me. There was another goal against that I'm missing (too much work to dig back through the source footage to find it). Tried to glove a puck along the ice going 5-hole, like a catcher would do. Wrong decision. I'm fairly happy with this, at least compared to the last couple of videos where I was just awful.

First game in the new unis last night, won 9-5. We looked damn good doing it, too. Then, after that game was over I left that rink and booked it across down to another rink to play another game, this time skating out. Only 40 minutes between games, including driving time. Man, that was EXHAUSTING. But fun. We won that game 3-2.

I agree with both of you. If there had been one near here I would have definitely done that.

Man... Sorry to hear :(