bunnyman666

That's the way!!!!

It can contribute. Sometimes, we forget that this is supposed to be fun. I predict that you are going to have a better game next time up :)

magnets- How long was your hiatus? That could have a bit to do with your slump. Sometimes when a few fluke goals happen, it works your mind game over time. Try to shake it off and have some fun.

I added to the rib protection on my Vaughn, and it was definitely needed. My hits were never direct, but could have been bad, none the less. When I get a CA with adequate protection and no Frankensteining, it will be a very good day.

Flop- Most of my goalie moves are more of the stand up variety, much like the stuff you had posted (but I don't execute very well). The hardest part is, of course many modern pads do not seal the 5 hole standing up terribly well, and I have been caught with a five hole open when standing. There is so much to learn. If I get good at this goalie thing, I hope I am not falling apart by the time I am playing well for over a couple years! I started old, which is why I say that.

Good job, Opti!

Drop-in hockey today: Three goalies showed up YET AGAIN, though probably next week is when the goalie count will go back down to two or one goalie. Donnie McDangles scored a hat trick on me today, but then got nothing else behind me today. In all, I think I even had fingers left counting goals against; of course if I would have played the whole hour and a half, my goal count would have gone UP UP UP!!!! None the less, I tried to smother moving pucks with my glove and it didn't happen. At least they didn't result in goals :) Glove is still a bit stiff, though I did make a few juicy glove saves. In the end, I saw slight improvement in my play today. By no means I am in any danger of taking any NHL goaler's job away from them.

I've had a few try to give me pointers, and a few whom are OVERLY apologetic about their poor defence, but none have yelled at me as of this time. There is always the occasion where guys think there is no consequences for playing in a dangerous and/or extremely unsportsmanlike manner. Thank G'd that usually, that play is rewarded with BOTH teams beating the crap out of the offender.

Ack. What is the point of screaming at the tendy? These games don't amount to sh** at the end of the day, after all. I don't mind good, physical play; goonery has no place, especially when 99/100 of you have to work the next day.

When is college back in session?!? Bloody fackin' hell- three fackin goalies at shinny?!? McDangles was there- I stopped him three times. He scored on me more than that. Let in a few really, really stupid shots. Made some weird, weird saves. I still suck like a Dyson.

Most of the time when ordering custom pads, you're asked for your skate size along with every other measurement. Some of us have weird proportions. I have short thighs and long shins, which not only screws up my thigh rise on leg pads, but also requires that unless I wear a size small breezers, I have to hike the inseam anywhere from 1-3". The only way I would fit in a small is to be as small as I was when I was much younger, like a teenager. I could stand to lose a stone or two, but that would still get me into breezers that would require an inseam hike, and I wouldn't have the blocking area of a large. +1" is the max for my thigh rise, and I would probably do better with a +0". I fit well into a 33"+1", but my boot size could probably shrink a bit, as I wear a 8 in a Graf or a 7.5 in everything else. The point of this rambling is that not all of us fit into the stock sizing, and we need a little customisation. Seeing that you're a 6 boot but are tall for that size, you could easily stand to lose an inch or more from the boot of the pad. You could have the boot on your pads shortened- it is not a big deal repair. A LOT of pads have boots too big. This is not something to sell your pads over; depending on where you live, it might be something that could be done locally. If you're handy with a needle, thread, and scissors, you could do that repair. But if you buy a new set, go custom. You won't fit into stock sizes without modification.

Seems like that game got kinda chippy in parts, even without seeing the scrum behind the net, Opti.

Flop- love your username! Getting shooters and goalies playing out to compliment you on your second time playing goal means that possibly you could teach a couple of us a thing or two! Welcome!

Drop in report: Two NYE skates today. I elected to go to the afternoon skate. Yes, it was twerpfest. But they were good players, but danglers fo sho! Five goalies showed up (?!?). My end, we did 15 on, 15 off. That was fine with me. Got in touch with my inner Hasek, even executed (poorly) a Hasek roll that stopped the goal. Didn't quite have sight of the puck until I just saw it sitting in the crease! Covered it up and was called a genius. But in all- I still SUCK at goal but am having enough fun to keep coming back for more. Am I a sucker for punishment? I think so...

When I was a lad, the fields would have just enough water to freeze, so we had the best of both worlds: ice to skate on; but if you fell through, you had a muddy skate rather than a rescue situation. Of course it has not been cold enough around where I live for the best part of twenty years. I definitely recommend a low-key drop in for your first times. I felt like I had jumped into the high-energy drop ins too quickly, but it was going to be a minimum of a six month wait for a stick and puck with no games for me. Going to twerpfest can also be highly stressful as a neophyte goalie. If you can take your friends to your first drop in, I would HIGHLY recommend it. It will be 1,000% less stressful.

Opti- You are getting to be a bloody good goalie for having been at it in as little time as you have done this!!!! Good onya, matey!!!!!

Good purchase!!!!

I know what you're saying, Opti. I don't get cancelling games for the Super Bowl, myself; but I don't get American football, either. No offense to American football fans is intended. Winter holiday cancellations make WAAAAAAAAY more sense, IMO.

Where I live, there is a skate every day next week and TWICE on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, I have to work every day this coming week EXCEPT New Year's Eve. No, I am too old and out of shape to do the double. NYE is ALWAYS full, even OVER-FULL. I imagine I am going to split ice time between three goalies on Thursday.

If you had 16 weeks to wait, the Protechsport is an EXCELLENT value at $300 CAD for an all-fibreglass unit. If I were to suddenly find that I can't get a fibreglass SK2000 clone, that is the direction I would go. Opti is right about the NME8- fine masque for the money.

NME3 is not really a good helmet for ice, as it is made of polycarbonate. A good fibreglass shell would be much better. fyi- it is the titanium cages that are the problem on the higher-end Bauer helmet. Look to spend a few clams on the lid. With Christmas clearance and new models coming, you can get a better lid than the NME3; it will just be a bit spendier. As far as the Vaughn Ventus LT88 CA goes, I have the LT80 (which was in the LT88's spot in the Vaughn line-up). I went with Vaughn because it fit better; but with the way I have reinforced my LT80, mine does NOT resemble the stock unit. The belly is lacking, and the arms are kinda thin as a stock unit (thin arms and belly are what some complain about as far as all Vaughn units go). I have done a fair bit of reinforcement to my unit (extra shoulder caps, added foam in the belly, supplemented biceps protection, and augmented wrist protection on the catcher side). Modding is not a big deal, you just need donor pieces (I use cheap shoulder pads and the like), a Speedy Stitcher, and some E6000 glue. Do some research, follow directions and you will be fine. If the Warrior fits better, it is the preferred unit for many I have spoken with. Also, you should decide whether or not you will tuck the CA into your breezers (pants); some breezers allow for tucking, others don't. There is no right or wrong way. I recommend that you take your breezers with you when trying on CA units. As always: YMMV. Whatever you do, just have fun and be safe.

Drop in report: Donny McDangles was back and dangling- I did stop him a couple of times, but he lit me up pretty well. Had some weird stops and found one more place on the CA that needs bolstering. Used the new glove today- it does close; however, it needs to break in a bit more. It was much better than the first game I used my Warrior for certain. No stingers, and would swallow pucks better than my Warrior. Now if I could just upgrade me...

Tomorrow is the first game with my new Factory Mad glove. I can close it pretty well and I have only been messing with it on my couch whilst tele. MUCH better than the Warrior that never could close or open until I spent nearly two C notes to get it reworked. I wouldn't play a championship game with this glove until it has seen some ice time, but it closes good enough for shinny :) Hoping that the twerps are sleeping in tomorrow morning. It ain't fun getting lit up by college players :( However- the skate is at 9:30 a.m. and I think we will be in a twerp-free zone. No offense to any of you under 25, please note. Report tomorrow.

Opti- that game could have come unhinged much worse than it had; YOU kept it from being a 15 goal game.

Yesterday was another interesting drop in game: 1) Donny Mc Dangles was up to his old tricks again. I did trip him with the goalie stick (not quite on purpose) but saved the goal. 2) I challenged a few near the hash marks, either making the glove save or getting burnt. 3) Since I switched from my heavily modded Vortek (that went from a 34+2" to a 34-2") to my 33+1" Vaughns, I have let in more in the 5 hole when down in the butterfly. 4) Need to work on positioning and speed, as I was caught in weird places and gave away big, open nets. 5) But the weird saves keep coming. 6) Even weirder goals just squirt in from nowhere, which leads me to number seven: 7) By the time I will feel fully competent in goal, I will probably be too bloody old to play goal.