Different curve for ice vs. roller?

[Bravada 442 0]

As a little bit of a preamble, let me explain what happened and give a little bit of background.

I'm only about 2.5 years into playing adult league hockey. Learned everything I know playing roller with friends for about an extra year on top of that. Basically picked everythign up when I graduated college.

That being said, I've learned and really mastered the ability to shoot a roller puck where I want and make whatever pass needs to be done (saucer, backhand, flat, etc...) basically at will. I'm very fond of the Warrior Vanek (formerly the Weight) and similar curves.

Any time I transition from a roller game to an ice game in a short amount of time (a day or two) it always takes at least a period or two for me to get the feeling down of making the same places on ice that I do on roller in terms of placement of the puck.

Last night during warm ups before my ice game I broke the blade on my dolomite two piece and because my work truck had broken down earlier in the day, I forgot my backup stick. I borrowed a buddys backup which happened to be a one piece dolomite with a Jovonovski curve. It was a VERY noticable difference. I was able to make all the plays that I normally make in roller without having to think or change my style at all. It was as if everything just fell into place.

I stopped by a roller pickup this afternoon during a lull in work and messed around shooting for 35-40 minutes with my Vanek curve and everything was also fine there.

So, does it sound like this might make sense to use two different curves for roller and ice? Or was it some sort of lucky chance that I felt like everything fell into place?

I have another ice game Saturday night so I'd like to know what blade to buy and see what everyone thought about whether my play was an abberation or if it was a possibility that the curve difference between the two surfaces makes a difference.

[Slapshot9123 0]

I use a drury type blade for Ice and use a small prostock mid curve for roller and feel completely fine with both but when I take the mid curve out on the ice my whole game feels gone. Nothing to surprising to me, both pucks and surfaces are totally different so two different curves doesn't seem that strange to me at all.

[SickBoy 0]

I use the same curve for both, but a lighter flex for roller. That seems to make a ton of difference for me.

[K9 Unit 1]

makes sense, most roller pucks are easier to lift because their on pegs and as the lidstrom/jovo curve is more open than the vanek so it allows you to do what you do in roller with an ice puck/surface

[theWB 2]

makes sense, most roller pucks are easier to lift because their on pegs and as the lidstrom/jovo curve is more open than the vanek so it allows you to do what you do in roller with an ice puck/surface

Agreed. I usually use a staal/drury pattern for ice which is what I primarily play. A buddy got me involved in an actual roller hockey league (sport court, indoors, plastic puck) last year for the first time and I found that the lighter puck and the fact that its easier to "get under" were not mixing well with the pattern I was using. Switched to the only non open heel curve I had (a drury pro stock, still quite a bit of heel but less loft) and it definitely made a noticeable difference.

[gxc999 7]

I have the same issue from transitioning shooting roller to ice pucks. That's the main reason I quit roller, that and the skates don't have edges, roller blading sucks.

[Chadd 916]

Going to a stiffer flex or something with more loft when you go from inline to ice are the easiest ways to address the extra weight of the puck.

[gxc999 7]

Going to a stiffer flex or something with more loft when you go from inline to ice are the easiest ways to address the extra weight of the puck.

Very good advice. After transitioning, I had no wrister for 1-2 weeks on ice, but it returned after a bit of practice.

[raygunpk 0]

i actually used a stiffer flex for roller, because the floor created more friction than the ice. but that was years ago...so maybe i changed the way i shoot, i dunno.

[tareatingrat 4]

Well, it's not quite roller, but when I played ball/floor hockey I would have to use a stick with pretty much no curve. My favourite was a Forsberg. I tried a Drury and the ball would go above the net, all the time.

For ice, I pretty much need a Sakic, just because of the way I shoot and the extra weight of the puck, I guess.