Starting in Goal as an Adult

[bunnyman666 445]

Drop-in/New Gear Report:

 

'twas looking like another low-turnout skate this morning. I thought if nothing else, I can just try out my gear. I didn't bother to get the goals out; if worse comes to worse, I can just work on my slides with no net. Needless to say I summoned a bloke who was coming in to dress that the nets needed to get out.

 

We got nine people- just enough for three-on-three. Ugh. I like 3-on-3, and I don't. I like it 'cos it's fast; I hate it 'cos it's tiring. 

 

Now to the pads- those are MONEY! I can't imagine what the G2 or G3 are like. Bloody f***ing' hell- they slide like nobody's business. No Sno Seal necessary... They actually made me better! No pains with strapping- everything was easy to dial in. I tried carpet flies with my skates, breezers, and knee guards on. On ice- there were no surprises. F*** me- they were like they had my name on them. Good thing they were easy to dial in, as I have already removed the knee cradle and cut the flaps to hold the knee strap onto the pad ? The only thing I may do is get softer padding or Maltese Gel to put into the knee stack. One feature of these is what Pete Smith did with his last solo pad incarnations- you can add or subtract material in the knee stack easily. 

 

I stoned McDangles several times. He still scored a few on me. I had one bloke's number and shut him out. 2-on-0 plays I still don't save well. My break away defense is getting better; it had better, as that's what you do in pick up all the time it seems. The ability to read the play is getting better. I even got some comments alluding to me getting a ***bit*** better. A funny note was that I had no moorings for the net! There was the occasion where I would unintentionally dislodge the net.

 

Overall, I am feeling nearly good enough to play in a league. A few more months should get me there.

[bunnyman666 445]

3 hours ago, badger_14 said:

 

There's certainly something to be said for the adrenaline high.  (and the part where I get to socialize with people who are not a) co-workers or b) under the age of 6.) 

 

Luckily, the mailing list (a sort of internet goalie 911) is always full of people pleading for a goalie for their pickup or to sub in for a league game.  I had 5 emails just this morning.  (of course, all for games tonight). 

 

A-freaking-men!!!!

 

Hopefully you can get your goalie on quite easy soon!

[tedpenguins 93]

Didn't have a bad game last night but it wasn't the greatest either. The game ended in a 3-3 tie. Got caught off my angle once and the other 2 goals resulted from me trying to kick the puck to the corner to find out that no one decided to pick up the wide open opponent just waiting to bang in the rebound.

 

Before the game started one of our worst players decided that he was all of a sudden a goalie expert and attempted to tell me that I needed to challenge the shooter more. This guy is one of about half of the team that does not back check and can't even keep up skating wise in a 'Never-Ever' League. He hasn't even played for half the time that I have in net! To say the very least that didn't go over very well with me. I'm hoping to go to a couple of public skates this week with my gear on and just practice my slides so I can attempt to stop the wide open players that are getting to my rebounds. One-on-one lessons will have to wait another week because I haven't received my work schedule yet.

[magnets 98]

So our ice is delayed a few more days, but I managed to get a shot from our new crease.  Can't wait to protect it.

 

[ktang 34]

Are the dasher boards at the bottom missing?

[magnets 98]

2 hours ago, ktang said:

Are the dasher boards at the bottom missing?

Not missing, but there is a black plastic liner sheet that is coming up the side of the ice.  Once the ice is complete, it will be cut back.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

13 minutes ago, magnets said:

Not missing, but there is a black plastic liner sheet that is coming up the side of the ice.  Once the ice is complete, it will be cut back.

So there's no dashers in your rink??

[magnets 98]

9 minutes ago, OptimusReim said:

So there's no dashers in your rink??

Here's where the confused Australian comes in to make sure he knows what we're talking about (forgive my lack of knowledge).  I always thought the dashers were the ledge at the top of the boards, but in the context with Ktang, I'm now assuming it's the small bit at the bottom of the boards that I always referred to as a kick plate.  Both are present in our rink, a timber ledge at the top of the boards, and a yellow kick plate at the bottom of the boards, but the bottom edge is currently covered by the liner sheet sticking up from the edge of the ice.  This liner will be trimmed back when the ice is complete, revealing the bottom edge (the same edge as you can see behind me in my profile picture just below my catcher).

I'm told that we are expecting the boards to be replaced late this year, as a continuing part of our rink upgrade.  However getting a usable ice surface in the short term was the most immediate goal.

Edited May 8, 2016 by magnets

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Another stinker. Lost 7-2. Other goalie had a 7-0 shutout going until the last 5 mins or so. I just don't know what to do at this point. I don't feel like I'm doing anything different, they just all seem to go in. I've had 5-6 goals in the last two games that went between the torso and the arm. I'm starting to wonder if my confidence has gone so far into the crapper that instead of squeezing like I should be, I'm leaving my hands out trying to be as wide as I can to try to stop a deflection that never ends up happening. I don't know. It used to be that shots from the point made me happy because they meant easy saves. Now, I have no idea anymore. 

 

The first goal... well... that sucked. Shouldn't have turned my head. I was fine, I just needed a minute to let the ringing go down a bit. 

 

 

[beedee 227]

Well all be darned, we won 9-2 on Saturday night, against the Saturday Knights. lol

Our team dominated the first period and we were up 4-0 at the end of it. I'm not too certain that it was because we had great shots, but rather their goalie wasn't at his best. He usually plays way better, and he let in the first shot he saw. As a goalie, that crap is impossible to get out of your head! Their first goal on me came in the 2nd period, I joked with my defenseman that he got the assist AND the goal on it. After one blind, backhand clearing attempt up the middle, I stopped a shot and steered the rebound to the left corner, this time the other defenseman did the ol' blind backhand up the middle, right to the opponents stick. The guy ripped a clapper that was going high glove, but the same defensemen redirected it downwards and into the net from about the mid-slot. It was a beauty of a redirect, lol!!! That was it for the scoring in the 2nd. In the third we came alive again, scoring 5 goals. Their next goal came late in the 3rd, our left d'man got beat around the corner and the guy was coming in from just outside the face-off dot, moving from his right to left. I had him squared up but cheated a bit anticipating a backhander from across the crease....however he stayed forehand and squeaked it in between my pad and the post. Oh well.

Their ringer that was routinely scoring 3+ goals for them last season isn't playing with them this season, and it is hurting them. They are in the basement with us, sitting at 3-6 on the season so far. I felt like I played well, stopped a few breakaways from their ringer "sub" that was filling in for them. The score sheet says I stopped 15 of 17, I hate to say it, but I think that was fairly accurate, as I really didn't see a whole lot of action. Nonetheless, it felt great to break a 4 game losing streak!!!

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I got an assist on our last goal of the game! I was in reverse vh along the right post, their forward tried to throw it to the slot from below the goal line, in which I broke up the pass with the paddle of my stick, it went right to our star center, whom took it coast-to-coast and buried it for the 9th goal and my first assist of this season. 

[badger_14 601]

Finally got in some hockey today!  Not too many people at the lunch-time open hockey, but enough for 3 on 3 half ice, which meant a solid workout for an hour.  Then two of them left and it was a less-solid workout for another half hour. 

 

I have had some pain in my leg for a couple of weeks - I think I may have tweaked something while stretching, because there is no obvious external damage, and there's no tenderness either.  But after skating today sweet merciful crap going up stairs, or down stairs, or any kind of 'pushing off' on that leg hurts like a bejeebus.  Ugh.  I know it will subside with rest and ice, but rest isn't any fun.  (I may have to take to the liquid form of ice for exercise for a bit.) 

 

I know the regular rink opens again on the 16th, but I've heard nothing so far of what the Russian Embassy's plans are for summer hockey

[IPv6Freely 2093]

I give up. 

[magnets 98]

32 minutes ago, OptimusReim said:

I give up. 

You ok mate?

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Just now, magnets said:

You ok mate?

Just really really suck at this. 15 goals in two games followed by a 1.5 hour pickup where I made maybe 5 saves.

[magnets 98]

Just now, OptimusReim said:

Just really really suck at this. 15 goals in two games followed by a 1.5 hour pickup where I made maybe 5 saves.

Slumps happen, and the more you focus on the fact you need to break a slump, the less likely it is to happen.

 

Get your head back into the right place.  Forget what's come before and start watching what's coming.  You've improved dramatically over the short time you've been playing.  Make yourself feel better by watching one of your first videos, then watch a recent one.  You'll see how far you've come.

[bunnyman666 445]

4 hours ago, OptimusReim said:

Just really really suck at this. 15 goals in two games followed by a 1.5 hour pickup where I made maybe 5 saves.

 

You need to step back, take a breather, then go back in having fun. I have let loose and have been surprised with how much better I am playing. If I let in one 5 hole whilst standing, I laugh. You're not depending on playing goal to feed your family, right?

 

Keep your pecker (nose) up.

[tedpenguins 93]

4 hours ago, OptimusReim said:

Just really really suck at this. 15 goals in two games followed by a 1.5 hour pickup where I made maybe 5 saves.

Keep working on whatever skills you are working on! 

 

When I bought all of my gear the goalie expert in-store gave me some advice that may help you. He told me that I would start off strong and have some really good games. As I focus on working on certain skills, goals would start pouring in and I would wonder what the heck is going on. This happens to every goalie no matter the age or level they are playing. He said to stick with it and everything will start to even out once you start to get all of the skills down. We start off so good because we stay within a comfort bubble and don't try other skills. When we start to move around and learn to anticipate it leads to mistakes but through practice we fix those mistakes; you just have to get through that learning curve first! 

[psulion22 402]

I was going to give the same advice as ted above.

 

You need to stay the course and push through.  Identify weaknesses and work to improve them.  Now's the time for that.  When you're playing bad, things can't really get worse.  So if you start to adjust things now, you won't really suck any more than you already do (not insulting you).  When you're playing well, you (not you specifically) want to stay in the groove and are hesitant to change.  But now you have the opportunity to work on something without worrying about degrading your play.  Go back and watch video of your games when you were playing well, and now that you're not.  Identify things you may be doing differently between then and now.  From my limited viewing of your videos, your angles seem to be off.  You're getting beat on clean shots you weren't before.  Go back to basics - focus on proper angles, proper depth, proper stance (I find when I play poorly it's because I get lazy and bend at the waist instead of the legs and don't gett deep enough.)  And then work on things like movements and recoveries.  When I feel like I'm not tracking the puck well, I bring out the white pucks for warmups.  A black puck looks like an airplane beacon after tracking a white one.  And one other thing, you talk about how you don't go down or do much during warmups.  That has to change.  If you're not playing well, you need to take every opportunity to refocus and build confidence.  Warmups are a great time do do what you need to do, particularly getting square and tracking.

 

You've made tremendous improvements.  Don't get down on yourself.  You've hit a plateau, that's all.  It happens to everyone.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

 

Let's play a game. See if you can determine the exact moment where I gave up.

 

 

 

[bunnyman666 445]

@OptimusReim You weren't that bad. You had a LOT of odd man rushes against you. Bloody fackin hell- you defended a fair few 2 and 3 on 0 situations with D men who should wear orange cone-shaped helmets.

 

Stop being so bleedin' hard on yourself; you are better than I.

[tedpenguins 93]

I agree with bunnyman. Some really, really bad bounces were also happening against you.

 

The one that starts the video off really catches my eye. You have 3 players on your team lazily gliding back. You take care of the first shot but between the boards that give a huge rebound right back up to the slot and the lazy back checking it would be a hard shot for almost anyone to save. Your 3 teammates actually slide to your left and farther back on the ice; no matter where the puck was rebounded to off of the boards it would have went straight to one of the opponents.  Plus, half the guys on the other team are placing the puck perfectly right underneath the crossbar. On the second goal it probably would have helped if your defense would have boxed out the crease for you. I know it's pickup so defense isn't a huge emphasis for the skaters but these are all things to look at.  

 

Putting too much blame on others isn't always a good thing but in this case it might be. I would hope that in actual games your defense isn't playing like that in front of you so a few extra goals shouldn't be a huge surprise. Breakaways especially, we aren't perfect people and I for sure can only stop so many. The whole point of the defensemen is to help break the puck out of the zone and to DEFEND. I saw a whole lot of leading rushes or joining  the rush and no help being given to you. 

 

 

[badger_14 601]

On 5/11/2016 at 7:58 AM, tedpenguins said:

Keep working on whatever skills you are working on! 

 

When I bought all of my gear the goalie expert in-store gave me some advice that may help you. He told me that I would start off strong and have some really good games. As I focus on working on certain skills, goals would start pouring in and I would wonder what the heck is going on. This happens to every goalie no matter the age or level they are playing. He said to stick with it and everything will start to even out once you start to get all of the skills down. We start off so good because we stay within a comfort bubble and don't try other skills. When we start to move around and learn to anticipate it leads to mistakes but through practice we fix those mistakes; you just have to get through that learning curve first! 

 

+10 to this.  It's much the same as learning any complex set of skills - as you learn new things, you focus on those, and get lost on skills you already had as you try and incorporate the new ones.  You start off okay, falter as you try and incorporate new skills, incorporate those, do okay, falter again, etc.  Eventually the scaffolding all comes together.  (I shouldn't say that, as it hasn't come together for me yet, so I don't know.  ;) ) 

 

Sometimes it helps, also, to take a short break, to let your body and brain process.  Then you come back refreshed and not thinking so hard.

[bunnyman666 445]

Drop-in Report: Went to my favourite drop-in session and tried my new Wilcox blocker.

 

First, a little info on my blocker and Dave Wilcox: Dave Wilcox was the designer and builder of some of the greatest goal gear in the last 12 of 15 years, having designed and built TPS pro stuff from 2001-13 and Sher-Wood from '11-13. None the less, he built me one HELL of a blocker, and it is only going to get better with use. I have player glove fingers, which was a HUGE improvement over the wallowy, one-size fits a few palms I was having trouble with in my Vaughn blocker. My hands are too big for intermediate, but too small for some of the other palms. I will put it this way- a blocker is NOT just a blocker, as evidenced by the fact that I have been trying different ones. This one is the baby bear blocker- just right!

 

Now, to drop-in: My warm up was pretty lacklustre- I let in EVERYTHING. I thought it was going to be one of those days. It wasn't. Did I have a shut out? No. Did I let in a few softies? Yes. Do I feel better about my game? Yes.

 

Here is where I feel better about my choice in head gear: I got whacked in the head by a high stick in a scrum. Just a bit of noise, that's all. I got my revenge, as the offender skated in too close through my crease. I upended him with a stick on his skates. Of course he skated through my crease again and ended up with my stick in his gut. He stopped cutting into my crease after that. My poke check is getting better, as well. My aggressive play lit a fire under everybody's bum, as fack me the game got fiery! Every time I let in a goal, my team would skate it back and would go either top shelf or back door. The opposing team would start taking huge risks in the neutral zone and my team would make them pay! They were getting frustrated that the formerly easy goalie was getting harder to penetrate. 

 

Playing the puck is something I am still not comfortable with. Break aways are getting better, but I am far from confident on them. 

 

Back to the blocker- this thing has some curve to it, and it will easily deflect a puck into the next zip code! I am aware of shots on the back of my hand, but no stingers, thus far. I had my concerns with a lack of "air pillows" (really, just soft foam) on the side board and the back of the hand, but I was pleasantly surprised with no stingers. I guess Dave knows what he's doing.

 

My blocker pix are on my instagram @bunnydevildude 

[tedpenguins 93]

Currently at the rink for the public skate to test out the new skates. There's absolutely no one here so they let me put on all my gear and skate around a bit and mess around in the crease. I really like the skates although the break in is pretty bad like reviews said it was. I'll have 2 different skates in them today so they should be good by the end of next week! 

[bunnyman666 445]

7 hours ago, tedpenguins said:

Currently at the rink for the public skate to test out the new skates. There's absolutely no one here so they let me put on all my gear and skate around a bit and mess around in the crease. I really like the skates although the break in is pretty bad like reviews said it was. I'll have 2 different skates in them today so they should be good by the end of next week! 

 

Sit in front of the tele with those skates on, that will help break them in considerably. That's what I do for every new skate.