Synthetic Ice

[Johnny Confident 0]

I'm thinking of trying to get some for my garage someday. Has anyone tried it out? Does it feel anything like ice when you're skating? Here's a website I for a company that sells it:

Viking Ice

[ktang 34]

I tried it once in a store, very quickly. For the skates it felt like really soft summer ice. For the puck it felt the same as ice, but the puck had been siliconed.

[biff44 0]

I have a 16 X 30 foot rink in the barn. Bought the stuff on Ebay for around $700. Spent another $800 having it freight shipped, which was a surprise, and that was after the seller had it pallitized and dropped off at a freight depot on his own nickle. It is heavy! New, the stuff is outrageously expensive.

It is not that great for skating on. I guess if you are a beginner you can learn to make tight turns, but it does feel different. It is really good for stickhandling and shooting practice. My kid pretty much uses it now with his street shoes on. It has turned into a real teen hangout.

You can clean it with a motorized floor scrubber, and some spic and span liquid.

You need a very flat area to put the stuff in. My barn floor was not very flat, and that caused some problems.

I once tried the glycerine "glide enhancer" stuff for it, and the pucks stuck to it like molases. I think that stuff helps the skating only, not the stickhandling.

I guess my recomendation is to cruise ebay and get some cheap. Some shows up every 3 months or so. Ideally, you want it withing driving distance by rental truck. It is useful for stickhandling and shooting practice. Skating--go to the rink!

If you are planning on skating on it, you need a cheap pair of "rocks" skates, since the plastic rounds the blade edges over a lot and you will ruin your good skates quickly.

[Michael9 57]

I have a little 3x5 piece it's lots of fun to shoot pucks on and stuff but it's to small to skate on. I just place it out on my drive way and play in street shoes or roller blades.

[biff44 0]

The trouble with a small piece is that the player unconsciously lofts every shot to get it to reach the net. Unfortunately, since something like 70% of goals are scored stickside low on the ice, a small piece is not that helpful. If you have a long run of synthetic ice, you can do low shots also.

[AtlantaThrashers01 0]

how much are they? like say i want a 3x 5 too how much is that probably canadian?

[hockechamp14 0]

The trouble with a small piece is that the player unconsciously lofts every shot to get it to reach the net. Unfortunately, since something like 70% of goals are scored stickside low on the ice, a small piece is not that helpful. If you have a long run of synthetic ice, you can do low shots also.

70% of goals where? my dad told me that same statistic (he's a coach), believed it until I was watching NCAA playoffs this year....

[biff44 0]

IF the goalie can see the puck coming, physics dictate that the best place to shoot is where he has to move those heavy leg pads around to block the shot. In the top playoff teams, they score a lot by screening the goalie. When the goalie is screened, his tendancy is to go down butterfly and hope he can spot any high shots in-time to catch them. The forwards know this and try to get him screened properly and then shoot high. But if the goalies is not screened (most of the time), going low and hard is still the high percentage shot!

[Michael9 57]

how much are they? like say i want a 3x 5 too how much is that probably canadian?

http://www.nudo.com/nu-ice/skillpad/default.htm

that's the site i ordered from i ordered the 3X6 mystery color one i couldn't tell ya in canadian thought sorry

[hockeydude_49 0]

Do you know how much u paid in US?

[ladystorm3 0]

Do you know how much u paid in US?

this has the prices and colors

http://www.nudo.com/nu-ice/skillpad/Order%.../ordertoday.htm

[sniper94 0]

Hockey,

I do exactly what you do.

Man does it ever help your shot.

As for the 70% question

I just keep my shot as low as possible why does it matter whether the shot is low corner on the ice, or low corner 2 inches off the ice?

Its better then shooting off the cement anyway.

Saves your sticks!

Sniper94

P.S. I got a SKILLPAD pad at superstore on sale for $45.00 in Canada.

[Bruin88 0]

i have a little 2x4 foot piece of plexi glass i shoot off of ,but i only take wristshots because i used to take slapshots a few years ago and i hit the edge and snapped the stick right at the handle

[hockechamp14 0]

IF the goalie can see the puck coming, physics dictate that the best place to shoot is where he has to move those heavy leg pads around to block the shot. In the top playoff teams, they score a lot by screening the goalie. When the goalie is screened, his tendancy is to go down butterfly and hope he can spot any high shots in-time to catch them. The forwards know this and try to get him screened properly and then shoot high. But if the goalies is not screened (most of the time), going low and hard is still the high percentage shot!

the funny thing is that the goalies are getting so good that guys are only scoring on one timers, dekes, and traffic and all those force the goalie into butterfly and go down, then they shoot high... I've just realized this and it's helped my scoring immencely. I've honestly have just started roofing almost everything, and it works. :D

You can still practice shooting low enough to simulate on ice shooting from a shot pad anyhow, if that is what you desire.

[biff44 0]

Yeah the goalies are getting better, so a good way to score is to bounce the puck off of the goalie and have a forward shoot in the garbage rebound!

[MNdgame 0]

IF the goalie can see the puck coming, physics dictate that the best place to shoot is where he has to move those heavy leg pads around to block the shot.  In the top playoff teams, they score a lot by screening the goalie.  When the goalie is screened, his tendancy is to go down butterfly and hope he can spot any high shots in-time to catch them.  The forwards know this and try to get him screened properly and then shoot high.  But if the goalies is not screened (most of the time), going low and hard is still the high percentage shot!

the funny thing is that the goalies are getting so good that guys are only scoring on one timers, dekes, and traffic and all those force the goalie into butterfly and go down, then they shoot high... I've just realized this and it's helped my scoring immencely. I've honestly have just started roofing almost everything, and it works. :D

You can still practice shooting low enough to simulate on ice shooting from a shot pad anyhow, if that is what you desire.

That depends what league you're playing in, too. I know anytime before peewees goalies didnt know how to use their blockers right and werent the best at catching, kids always shot high. Especially because a lot of the time they go down and cant reach the upper parts of the net easily.