bunnyman666

It sounds like your teammates love you! That is AWESOME!!!!!

I wanted to buy a CA to try the position, so the Vaughn did it's job as far as I am concerned. I was able to bolster it enough to not give me stingers; but I need better since I am serious about the position of goaler. I think you may end up liking using player elbows if you go that direction, as the elbow pads bolster areas of the elbow and forearm well. The best elbow pad I found for this purpose? The lowly Reebok 4K, as there is no biceps protection to get in the way. But as always- your preference may dictate something different.

Passau is where I am thinking of going, Opti; which is why I say that my next CA will more than likely have integrated elbow protection. The elbow pads actually help with bolster the somewhat lacking arm protection that Vaughn CA's infamously possess.

Thanks. I will show the downright futile and frankly SCARY substitutes for "elbow protection" tonight. I never felt comfortable with the so-called "elbow protection" that were in my Vaughn LT80 CA. I could have seen problems with those cups, frankly.

The elbow cups in my CA are very deficient. I unlaced them and NORMALLY wear player elbow pads. Let's just say I was a lucky, lucky dude today. When I get my next CA, I will have much better, INTEGRATED elbow protection with it.

In the loosest sense of the word.

Stick and puck turned drop-in hockey report: Different rink.I was the singular goalie. It broke into 3-on-3 half ice. Exhausting isn't the word for it. But I was playing with a higher skill level than normal. I am also convinced that a few people who frequent my home rink are kinda jerks. Not all, mind; but a few have elitist attitudes that are not deserved. Anywho- yeah, I let in a few stinkers, but a lot of the goals I let in were set plays- i.e. "tic-tac-toe-bam!" I made some weird saves, as well. The worst part: I normally wear player elbow pads with my CA. Dopey, old me FORGOT them, as well as my neck guard :0 I will put pix of the protection I fashioned on my instagram page, user name bunnydevildude. Look for them after 6 p.m. Central.

In the end, it is going to take getting a custom pad for me. I am, of course, talking to Dennis Dombrowski and we have come to a few conclusions: 1) my weird body proportions dictate that I need something custom, especially with my short thighs and small boot size 2) few, if any off-the-shelf pads will do for me without significant alteration because of issues mentioned above 3) I can't get the cool, aged horsehyde look that my Factory Mad catch glove has through any other manufacturer, therefore I need custom ;) I will continue to tinker until I finally get my pennies together for my pads.

Landing gear.

Opti- There are not that many games in your season, so yes- a 14 goals against will make it bad. But still- you ain't bad, mate.

Opti- an .85 spt is NOT BAD!!!! You are doing very well, sir. I have short thighs.My knee flaps are short, and I have a triangle in my butterfly. My other pads are shorter, but I close that 5 hole. I may just have someone make me new knee flaps that are just a hair bigger before trimming my pads. They would still be NHL legal (like that matters). I just believe I could squeeze my knees together without that extra stuff. I could be dead wrong here. But I am trying bigger knee flaps first.

Drop in report: 3-on-3, one sub, two goalies. Yes, my "team" tried to switch goalies, but they had one skater who made up for my lack of goal tending acumen. He was a bender, but a good bloke. But I ended up making some crazy saves. I am a scrambler, though if I could learn angles, I could be better. I made the improbable saves, but was scored on with some of the simplest goals. I think I am going to take an inch from my thigh rise, as I can't close the 5 hole when down. But my stick was good, even cutting off a few passes. Incrementally, I am improving. But I have a long, long way to go before I am mediocre.

I switched from the old 12" pads and it wasn't a big deal. Of course on my 12" pads, they weren't mobile until I chopped 6" off of the thigh rise. That being said, they became a LOT more mobile. But a pure butterfly pad like a Vaughn V5 is generally more mobile than my Vortek pads that were neither pure butterfly or stand up. I play mostly stand up with some butterfly saves thrown in. I think going from a Nike/Bauer Vapor to a pad made in the last three years would be a huge difference. Improvements in foams and such have thinned pads down a fair bit. It is a totally different feel these days from the pads of yesteryear. Keep in mind that I have been only playing goal on ice for nearly a year. Most of us here have played goal fewer than five years.

Daytime skates are a mixed bag- some are full, some are not. But it is a guarantee that when word gets around that a goalie is there, it will fill up. As far as beating yourself up over your last game, badger_14: Don't. Have fun. Don't take it too seriously. Are you going to get fired and become homeless after letting in 6 goals? I think not.

Drop-in hockey report: Had a ten minute shut out going, then the deluge happened. Stopped Donnie McDangles a couple of times, but he got a hat trick and a half on me. I did stuff him good when he tried getting too "cute" on me. Stopping break aways is NOT my strong suit. I just SUCK in a 1 on 0 situation. I made some weird stops, and made a couple good ones. I also let in dumb ones. I got pucks banked in off of my skates and the handle of my stick. I also froze the puck against the outside of the net with my stick handle. I see incremental improvement, but feeling comfortable playing leagues is a bit into the future for me.

Good onya, matey!!!!!

Sir, I do not disagree in the least. Hexy gave good stick therapy, as did my idol Billy Smith. I believe mismatch sock ponytail boy needs a therapeutic session with your goal stick. Maybe get out the composite for the next time you play against "classy".

Did you take chirpy out? I hope you did, Opti. Edit- just watched the game. The next time you play against ponytail boy, you need to make certain he doesn't want to get anywhere near you, if you know what I mean. He needs a bit of stick therapy.

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.