Starting in Goal as an Adult

[psulion22 402]

Damn, getting a shutout feels good.  It's been a very long time since I got one.

Who cares that I probably saw 8 shots all game (I did have to make 3 good saves)?  Who cares that I got saved by two posts and a crossbar?  I sure as hell don't.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

5 minutes ago, psulion22 said:

Damn, getting a shutout feels good.  It's been a very long time since I got one.

Who cares that I probably saw 8 shots all game (I did have to make 3 good saves)?  Who cares that I got saved by two posts and a crossbar?  I sure as hell don't.

None of that matters if the scoreboard still says 0 at the end of the game :)

[IPv6Freely 2093]

And I follow up that great game with this crap performance. I haven't posted a video in here in a while because honestly I don't think anyone actually gives a crap.. but whatever. 

I was extremely sick, as was many of the regulars for this pickup... all of whom said they couldn't make it because they were sick too. We had 2 on our bench. 

The kick at 3:10 caused pain to shoot up my left side, followed by back pain and tightness for the rest of the night. Crazy what trying to flex areas that aren't flexible will do to your back...

 

[psulion22 402]

1 minute ago, IPv6Freely said:

None of that matters if the scoreboard still says 0 at the end of the game :)

No.  No it doesn't.

It's extra nice because I had a shutout going until 18 seconds left last time we played them.  The puck dropped before I was ready on a faceoff in our zone.  To add insult to injury, we ended up losing in the shootout.  So this one really felt good.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

3 minutes ago, psulion22 said:

No.  No it doesn't.

It's extra nice because I had a shutout going until 18 seconds left last time we played them.  The puck dropped before I was ready on a faceoff in our zone.  To add insult to injury, we ended up losing in the shootout.  So this one really felt good.

Righting a wrong :)

Worst thing about MY game, the "player of the game" belt was with a guy who didn't show up - a violation punishable by being on beer duty the next week! So I didn't get it :(

[badger_14 601]

Playing full ice when it's so cold (10F) sucks.  The action is slower than small ice and all your sweat goes cold, even with wicking gear, just cold and clammy.  Neither of us goalies was doing too well, honestly.  We had the ice for two hours, so eventually things got moving.  Eventually.

I got some Target-brand C9 undergear that I've been digging.  Naturally, most of the Targets are now all sold out of it by now.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Well that was a not-so-fun experiment. Playing goal while very sick. Most of my team bailed tonight, too. But I can't because I'm the only one with pads ;) Or else I definitely would have!

Anyway, luckily I didn't puke, or start coughing. However I did get very warm. But the worst part was my complete inability to track the puck. Up close I was fine and made more than a few good saves. But first goal of the game was a shot from the blue line, going wide, and I tried to just poke it into the corner so it wouldn't go behind the net. Hit the heel of my stick and went in. 

Every single distance shot they took I would lose immediately even with no traffic. Like I'd see it leave the stick and then it was GONE. Like I was half a second behind everything the whole game. It was ugly. 

Ended up losing 8-5 with two empty net goals. We did well offensively, but the goaltending and D was atrocious. Considering three of us were playing sick I guess the result wasn't surprising. Just frustrating and embarrassing when the other team keeps taking slap shots from centre because they think you suck at them. Especially when they're right...

Im skipping pickup this Tuesday. I need a couple nights of good sleep.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Finally game footage! Now when I show up to the rink I take a look at who the refs will be and determine whether it's even worth taking the camera out. What's funny is that the head guy for our area is the one who chats with me about it!

Anyway, here's the game. We won 6-2, and now the first place team with all the ringers on it is 9-1. We had 7 skaters, and our one D played the entire game despite being sick. In fact most of our team bailed on us because they were all sick. 

 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Wow, I got lucky a LOT on Tuesday night. This video is much longer than most of the other pickup videos (usually around 7 minutes, game videos are usually under 5) because there was just so much going on. But with some really good saves, along with some really lucky ones, I had a lot of adrenaline going and didn't feel tired the entire night. It was kind of fun "knowing" you'd make the save every time they entered the zone. Usually it's "get the puck out!" but on Tuesday it was very much "I can't wait for them to come back down the ice so I can stop them again".

They scored 2-3 in the last 5 minutes though. 

 

[rusty_black 17]

I'm starting out goalie using some gifted gear.   I'm 32 years old and 6'5"  and the guy I got it from is 5'10 or so.  

So far I've played 2 games of low level rec league.   6 goals on 12 shots and 7 in 24.

My positioning and movement is terrible so once I go down its a guaranteed goal if I give up a rebound, and I give up alot of rebounds.    

I seem to do well on shots I can see from outside the circles, but if it's a 1 on 1 or a 2 on 0 where I have to make a move its a goal.    

I've played out for 10 years and consider myself to be pretty good so it's really frustrating to not be able to do things that I think I should be able to do.

Looking at some of the posts in this thread I think i'm dropping down and forward when I go to butterfly and my 5 hole is huuuuuuge.  It doesn't help that my stick is tiny so It feels like its never on the ice, i'm thinking of using tape and making a knob or something for me to hold higher up the stick.

[badger_14 601]

14 hours ago, rusty_black said:

I'm starting out goalie using some gifted gear.   I'm 32 years old and 6'5"  and the guy I got it from is 5'10 or so.  

So far I've played 2 games of low level rec league.   6 goals on 12 shots and 7 in 24.

My positioning and movement is terrible so once I go down its a guaranteed goal if I give up a rebound, and I give up alot of rebounds.    

I seem to do well on shots I can see from outside the circles, but if it's a 1 on 1 or a 2 on 0 where I have to make a move its a goal.    

I've played out for 10 years and consider myself to be pretty good so it's really frustrating to not be able to do things that I think I should be able to do.

Looking at some of the posts in this thread I think i'm dropping down and forward when I go to butterfly and my 5 hole is huuuuuuge.  It doesn't help that my stick is tiny so It feels like its never on the ice, i'm thinking of using tape and making a knob or something for me to hold higher up the stick.

Positioning and movement will come in time, but it helps very much to have gear that fits.  In fact, that's enough of a size difference that the gifted gear might not be safe for you to play in.  I'd recommend seeing what fits and what doesn't, and see if you can trade in (like at Play It Again Sports, don't know where you live though) the stuff that doesn't.

Moving as a goalie is so much different than as a player, it's lumpy and awkward.  First, make sure you have gear that fits properly.  Second, if there's a goalie clinic near you, take in a session or two.  You'll get feedback from a live coach and advice on positioning and movement.  If you're allowed (some rinks frown on this), put on the lower half (pants, pads) and go out to a public skate just to get the feel of it.  Put some padding down and practice moving and dropping on dry-land, like while watching TV. 

Before my games I try to play bouncing a ball off the wall and catching it (toss it underhand, catch the rebound) and that seems to help focus my hand-eye coordination and make it easier to track the play.  YMMV. 

[Thinkingjack 51]

Take your time man, go to stick times and have a friend or two shoot on you for specific movements, gloves, and legs, going down and trying to take shots and controlling them. After a while you will realize you can actually redirect rebounds to the corners or far out. I had the same issues in the last three years since i began playing.  Now i feel ive gotten better with movements and have improved as time has gone by. Look up goalie drills and butterfly techniques on youtube. You can learn so much. 

[Thinkingjack 51]

Also, 

 

Ive been playing in net non stop.  Today might be my first time playing out in a long time.  So here's the video for two weeks ago, cant find the one i took for last weeks 

 

 

[Thinkingjack 51]

found it, here's last weeks scrimmage.  I'm the one in the black senators blank jersey

 

 

[tedpenguins 93]

I second everything that badger said. If you can't afford a clinic or don't have the time, watch videos on youtube. I've been playing in net for over a year now and have made huge progress by doing this (I didn't attend any camp, clinic, or have any help from a coach). If you have a GoPro I'd recommend recording yourself so you can see anything that you are doing wrong. If you are unsure of what you are doing wrong, that's where we can help, I mentioned before I had never met with a coach but I did receive critiques and advice on this thread.  If you don't have a GoPro then ask for a friend to take some video for you.

The youtube videos are some of the most underrated pieces that you can use. Watch how pro goalies slide during different scenarios and how they eliminate as much negative movement as possible (in terms of not wasting energy and time). You can also find different drills online to help with speed and agility that you can work on off the ice and on the ice during warm-ups or stick and puck sessions. 

[Hills 712]

On 23/03/2017 at 2:59 PM, IPv6Freely said:

Wow, I got lucky a LOT on Tuesday night. This video is much longer than most of the other pickup videos (usually around 7 minutes, game videos are usually under 5) because there was just so much going on. But with some really good saves, along with some really lucky ones, I had a lot of adrenaline going and didn't feel tired the entire night. It was kind of fun "knowing" you'd make the save every time they entered the zone. Usually it's "get the puck out!" but on Tuesday it was very much "I can't wait for them to come back down the ice so I can stop them again".

They scored 2-3 in the last 5 minutes though. 

 

New jerseys!

[rusty_black 17]

Cheers fellas.    I've been on youtube for the past few weeks checking out anything and everything goalie related so I can se ehow that will help pickup the little things that add up to a solid foundation.

I have a Go Pro so i'll try to bring it along to the next game   (shitty scheduling means I have 4 games in 2 months). I want to see myself but at teh same time I don't want too as it will be embarrasing as hell.

I don't really have the money available to get new gear/gear that fits so I'm kind of stuck for a bit. I really want to get some pro stock gloves at some point as I feel that'll be best bang for buck.  I currently have a set of Full right TPS Response R5 gloves which just feels and look kind of small and the stick feels very small.    I'm not sure on leg pad sizing as they don't have them printed but they look like Itech RX9 Pro stock/Custom leg pads, they seem to have great protection from shots, but my knees are killing me after every time I wear them. Bruises all over my knees.

Also ThinkingJack  I can see you like to use your stick alot when in goal, can almost tell you're an out player playing in goal by the way you use your stick to poke and block cross passes.   I'm very similar, except with the short stick I can never seem to get good contact on the puck so I end up leaning forward and getting off balance and not begin able to recover.

[psulion22 402]

12 hours ago, rusty_black said:

 

Also ThinkingJack  I can see you like to use your stick alot when in goal, can almost tell you're an out player playing in goal by the way you use your stick to poke and block cross passes.   I'm very similar, except with the short stick I can never seem to get good contact on the puck so I end up leaning forward and getting off balance and not begin able to recover.

I don't think that's him in the first video.  He comes in later, wearing the black Sens jersey and funky shorts.

[badger_14 601]

I played well enough today, but I'm in a mode of bleak despair where anyone who speaks to me on the ice will get shoved, cursed out or cracked in the legs, so it balances out.

[Thinkingjack 51]

On April 4, 2017 at 9:46 PM, rusty_black said:

Cheers fellas.    I've been on youtube for the past few weeks checking out anything and everything goalie related so I can se ehow that will help pickup the little things that add up to a solid foundation.

I have a Go Pro so i'll try to bring it along to the next game   (shitty scheduling means I have 4 games in 2 months). I want to see myself but at teh same time I don't want too as it will be embarrasing as hell.

I don't really have the money available to get new gear/gear that fits so I'm kind of stuck for a bit. I really want to get some pro stock gloves at some point as I feel that'll be best bang for buck.  I currently have a set of Full right TPS Response R5 gloves which just feels and look kind of small and the stick feels very small.    I'm not sure on leg pad sizing as they don't have them printed but they look like Itech RX9 Pro stock/Custom leg pads, they seem to have great protection from shots, but my knees are killing me after every time I wear them. Bruises all over my knees.

Also ThinkingJack  I can see you like to use your stick alot when in goal, can almost tell you're an out player playing in goal by the way you use your stick to poke and block cross passes.   I'm very similar, except with the short stick I can never seem to get good contact on the puck so I end up leaning forward and getting off balance and not begin able to recover.

The first goalie is Matt, he has a rough time playing the puck but he plays out too, he's just kinda harder about trying to stop passes and poke away.  I tend to be a little different with how i use my stick to take away shots only if needed, i've found that if i throw my stick out it'll most likely bounce to a player who can knock it in.  Or in two cases, knock it in myself,  I do however play the puck a lot in games since i do play out too. 

 

as for your gear, don't buy new, buy good condition pro stock or higher end used.   As long as the internal plastics aren't broken, you'd be ok for a while on a lot of stuff. 

[Thinkingjack 51]

On April 5, 2017 at 10:19 AM, psulion22 said:

I don't think that's him in the first video.  He comes in later, wearing the black Sens jersey and funky shorts.

Accurate, thats a shell from the Draft Tournament in Vegas back in february, lots of fun, funky unis

[IPv6Freely 2093]

FYI: here's how to NOT cover a puck with a minute left in a tie game

 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Oh man, that one hurts just to see in the gif.  :-(

Mark

[IPv6Freely 2093]

22 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Oh man, that one hurts just to see in the gif.  :-(

Mark

To be able to reach down to cover it I have to pull away from the post due to my lack of flexibility. This actually seems to happen to me more often than I'd like. I don't know how many times I thought I covered the puck and after the whistle I lift up my glove and the puck is actually under my body. I don't know of the palm side of the glove isn't sealing on the ice or what. I'm going to have to take a better look at why its happening.

Now also consider that my left skate blade got jammed UNDER the post, so when I moved it twisted my ankle. I had difficulty walking Sunday night and all day Monday. Thankfully I had my lace-up brace from when I had a broken ankle. That actually helped a lot. 

[psulion22 402]

54 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

To be able to reach down to cover it I have to pull away from the post due to my lack of flexibility. This actually seems to happen to me more often than I'd like. I don't know how many times I thought I covered the puck and after the whistle I lift up my glove and the puck is actually under my body. I don't know of the palm side of the glove isn't sealing on the ice or what. I'm going to have to take a better look at why its happening.

 

A rule to live by - 

Always, ALWAYS, get something behind your glove when you cover the puck.  Your stick is the best option, but a pad or skate would be ok depending on the situation.  But get something there so you're covering it in front of you rather than reaching, and there's backup in case you miss.  Also try to get the heel or cuff sealed to the ice in front of the puck, and then cover like a clamshell.  At least you'd have a sloid edge to stop the puck.  Coming down from the top is asking for trouble,

For this goal, you should have been aiming to get your pad down in front of the puck rather than just covering it.  Compunding this play was that It looks like your skate was in the wrong place on the post.  Your toe and pad should be inside the post, with your pad engaged.  This way the puck can't get so far out of your reach.  That will keep you from having to pull your skate off the post when you reach to cover.  If your toe was inside the post, that puck would have hit you in the boot break when you went down.  That would satisfy the rule above, and you'd be covering the puck more in front of you rather than reaching.  If it had been going as far behind your skate as it did, it would have hit the side of the net.  I'd say that if you're finding yourself reaching for pucks like that, a better option may be to play it out of danger with your stick.

Edited April 11, 2017 by psulion22