Starting in Goal as an Adult

[IPv6Freely 2083]

Sorry, I'd just never seen a system like this. 

[badger_14 601]

I've seen similar things for public hockey, just to make sure there aren't like thirty skaters at once.  This is just a pickup group and the teams are randomly sorted from the players who signed up.  (More or less randomly.)

[IPv6Freely 2083]

Ohhhh it's just pickup. Now it makes sense. 

[badger_14 601]

2 hours ago, OptimusReim said:

Ohhhh it's just pickup. Now it makes sense. 

 

Oh! Yes, sorry for the confusion.  The Saturday hockey is pickup, assembled from a mailing list of interested persons.  

 

I have never played goal for a real team, not even as a sub.  No one wants that.  :P

[bunnyman666 445]

On June 17, 2016 at 0:53 PM, badger_14 said:

 

Oh! Yes, sorry for the confusion.  The Saturday hockey is pickup, assembled from a mailing list of interested persons.  

 

I have never played goal for a real team, not even as a sub.  No one wants that.  :P

 

From what I surmise, you would be a good teammate no matter your skill.

[badger_14 601]

1 hour ago, bunnyman666 said:

 

From what I surmise, you would be a good teammate no matter your skill.

 

I like to think so.  I'm quiet and generally noncombative.

 

But people also want to win, so you see folks asking for B goalies to play in D leagues.

 

I want to win, too, I mean it's nice to feel successful and we all like a bit of swag to show off.  But I'm not good enough to give a team a halfway successful season or even tournament.  So, pickup.

[bunnyman666 445]

On June 19, 2016 at 7:11 PM, badger_14 said:

 

I like to think so.  I'm quiet and generally noncombative.

 

But people also want to win, so you see folks asking for B goalies to play in D leagues.

 

I want to win, too, I mean it's nice to feel successful and we all like a bit of swag to show off.  But I'm not good enough to give a team a halfway successful season or even tournament.  So, pickup.

 

I have no delusions of grandeur. I don't get being uber competitive after there is no freakin' chance of being a pro. Nobody is going to be homeless if they don't perform. Nobody is going to be forced to move to some unknown city that is hundreds of miles from an airport if they lose. I just don't get it. Maybe it's 'cos I am totally done being competitive, having tried to break into one professional league or another from the ages of 17-34 (hockey was early; cycling, duathlon was later) is where my lack of competitive nature comes from. When I came to the grim realisation that my talent ATM was overdrawn, I just wanted to have fun. It was a great relief to know that a bad performance wasn't costing me anything other than a bit of pride. I don't miss hearing "through the grapevine" that my sponsors were getting impatient with my lack of top placings, even though I was being a good ambassador for the brand, for example. 

 

Don't get me wrong- I don't like to suck, but I don't get upset when I do.

 

If that means pickup and no men's league for me, then so be it. In the end, a win or loss means NOTHING if you're not a pro.

[badger_14 601]

Folks do get strangely uptight when a T-shirt is on the line.  (or a medal.  At least medals look like you accomplished something.)  And I understanding wanting to have some tangible symbol that you have made a progression or done well in something.  I'm nowhere close to swimming at a meet with a team, but I still like to mark down an improvement in my times.  It's harder to do that, I think, in hockey, or even in softball, where there's no obvious progression beyond "I can stand up/I can skate forwards/I can stop/I can skate backwards". 

 

My basic anxiety about other people, coupled with perfectionism, (couple with my disinterest in alcohol), makes me a poor candidate for most leagues and tournaments around here, with how intense people get.  I cannot begin to express how difficult it is for me to not think that the Saturday group is trying to get rid of me, and even then, it's like "well, do you really know they're not trying to get rid of you?  Even if you asked, they might be lying."  Can you imagine me trying to play in a league?  I would throw myself under the zamboni by the third game.

 

There is a tournament coming up in August that I would like to play in for specific reasons, but I'm waffling about it for the above reasons.

[bunnyman666 445]

@badger_14 I would bet if I turned every pick up into the Shit Show Cup with a cup that could be won, there would be people getting SUPER competitive. Ugh.

 

Now, onto what we've been waiting for, the Tuesday Drop In Report:

 

Since several area rinks are having camps, several drop in groups have converged on another somewhat out of the way rink. 

 

Let me start by saying the facilities are WEIRD. The toilets are only accessable through the lobby/game room. So if you have to take a leak mid-way through getting dressed (as I do, because I super-hydrate before), you have to exit the dressing room, go around the rink, go through the lobby/game room area, then go to the loo. Also, you end up in full view of everybody when going to the shower facilities. Ugh.

 

I knew the other goalie, as I used to play against him. He had a shit game today. His defense was only interested in skating the puck. Meanwhile, I was blessed with a GREAT defense today. I was only left hung out to dry a few times. 

 

I had a twenty minute shut out. First goal against was when I was trying to freeze the puck against the outside of the goal. The kid going after it smacked my stick from behind and the puck went in. Several goals against were from weird deflections (defenseman's shin guard, etc.). One popped over my stick. In the end, one guy I regularly play with told me that he noticed improvement from me. 

 

There was a bit of chippiness- one guy in a visor got rubbed in the nose with a high stick and made a thing of it. Half-shields are bad in rec hockey, and that was yet another example of why.

 

Didn't fight the Vaughn skates today. Overdrive blades helped IMMENSELY.

 

Stay tuned for Thursday's report.

[bunnyman666 445]

Thursday Drop In Report:

 

3-on-3 half-ice. Ugh. 85% humidity in the rink. Ugh. Hot as fuck. Ugh.

 

Didn't play bad, but FUCK did I get winded. The linger it went, the more goals I let in due to fatigue. Ugh.

[badger_14 601]

Humidity is the worst.  I already sweat like a box of popsicles in August, god save me when it's all humid and sticky in the rink on top of that. 

[Ashtasticness 89]

So my rink isn't the only one that has soft wet ice? It's disgusting 

[bunnyman666 445]

@Ashtasticness The ice wasn't quite a wet, soft mess, but I was sweating so much from the humidity that I would wring out my Kewl Band every 20 minutes or so. I also put my chesty in the washing machine Thursday afternoon, as it looked like I had it in the washing machine, but was starting to stink a bit. I air that stuff out, but it gets smelly. It took longer than normal to get the wet sheen off of the ice, as well. The ice was decent, but degraded quickly, so it was softer than normal. 

 

@badger_14 Yes, I sweat like a 40 coming from a cold liquor store in July when it comes to the hot temps. Of course here in the St. Louis, MO area, it seems to be humid and sticky from May through early October. We had a reprieve in May through the week before this past, but it feels like it's going to stick around for a bit. The only saving grace is that the heat may kill my lawn and I am 150% okay with that LOL

 

It looks like I am probably going to give an All Age Stick and Puck Report tomorrow. Because of camps, my picks for play are dwindling at the moment. I actually HATE All Age Stick and Puck sessions, but with the fact that that could be the only day I play next week, I gotta keep my chops up. I gotta play at least once in a week's time or I get VERY rusty. If we have multiple goalies show up, then we may divide the rink so I don't get skated into or get lots of cage and cup shots. The worst is when three shoot at a time. Ugh.

 

Wish me luck.

Edited June 25, 2016 by bunnyman666

[badger_14 601]

We need some PSAs for appropriate use/treatment of goalies.  Just blitz all the rinks.

[badger_14 601]

 

Like this, but with a goalie, of course.

[bunnyman666 445]

2 hours ago, badger_14 said:

 

Like this, but with a goalie, of course.

 

LOL!!!!!!

[bunnyman666 445]

@badger_14 There have been times where I apprised the rink management of why I skate out of the crease. Only once (and it has been chronicled here) has a parent complained; the answer given was "what did uncle bunnyman say about shots to the cup and cage? And it is NOT cool for three of you to shoot at the same time!" Kids have whined about it until they are also told off about it. 

 

But still- what a bloody pain in the arse.

[bunnyman666 445]

All Age Drop-In Report:

 

Just my best mate Dewayne and I. I got more action than a hooker at a convention. Lots of shots, lots of rebounds, lots of different things to work on. Hot as hell in the rink. Got very tired. 

 

The next session was a private rink rental. A few very cute women were watching us play. That was the bonus.

Edited June 26, 2016 by bunnyman666

[magnets 98]

After one of the A Grade goalies here went down with a dislocated shoulder, finishing his season, our regular goalie got the call up, so looks like I have earned a permanent B Grade spot :)

 

Had a game last night against the reigning champions, a team that regularly blows out their competition.  Coming up against our winless side would have been written in as a win before the game for them, but we held up pretty well, going down 4-2 in the end.  First goal I was screened by two of them, one of mine, heard the shot and just went down getting as large as I could.  Felt it bounce off my toe, but by the time I located the puck it had been rebounded in.  Second shot on a 2 on 0 cross crease pass, I got down and accross with the puck just hitting the outside roll of the pads, rebounding up to the crossbar and in.

 

Third goal in the third period was a shocker.  They had a breakaway wide and right, and I didn't see the other player come in behind me, so when I saw the shot going very wide, I lazily followed it and had no hope with the one timer :(

 

Fourth goal was another 2 on 0 breakaway with a late cross crease pass, got the save on the one timer, rebound went straight to another player, second save, but the third shot got me.

 

My team is improving dramatically, and despite another loss, this was probably our strongest game yet, especially if you consider the strength and ability of our opposition.  The first win for our club is still to come, but team morale is still high.  Despite the glaring holes in the defence, I'm happy to be part of this team.

Edited June 27, 2016 by magnets

[bunnyman666 445]

Drop-In Report:

 

Last day of hockey this week, so make it count, right?

 

At first, it seemed like another waste of time with super-slow breakaways and Shea Weber wannabes. Then the three-on-three started. Two guys wearing shorts, t-shirts, and only gloves and helmets as protection showed up. Every once in awhile, I would have to remind the ones fully suited up to keep the shots low. It wasn't a terrible scrimmage, except I had ZERO defense. I was lit up like an airport runway.

 

Two young ladies were in the rink. I was sad that neither one shot against me ☹️

[badger_14 601]

On 6/25/2016 at 6:45 PM, bunnyman666 said:

@badger_14 There have been times where I apprised the rink management of why I skate out of the crease. Only once (and it has been chronicled here) has a parent complained; the answer given was "what did uncle bunnyman say about shots to the cup and cage? And it is NOT cool for three of you to shoot at the same time!" Kids have whined about it until they are also told off about it. 

 

But still- what a bloody pain in the arse.

 

Misha's kids - 10 and 15 (ish?) - have always been very well behaved about goalies, even when Lunatic Goalie screams at them for being out of position (or whatever he screams at them for.)  The Nuclear Physicist (another goalie) suggests they behave well because their dad is actually there, but I prefer to think he's just taught them well and they would behave regardless.

 

On that note, I did play on Saturday.  I saw a lot of two-on-one's or two-on-oh's (cry) but by the same token, several of the goals were on the 3rd or 4th rebound (partially my fault for not being able to cover, partially the skaters for not clearing) and ultimately I didn't feel too terrible about my play overall.  By the second 45 minutes I was feeling much better about how I was moving, and I think that I am getting better at reading the play, being able to watch the puck and the players at the same time and predicting (hopefully spoiling) their plans.  Lunatic Goalie was at the other end, screaming at the kids, and Misha, and pretty much his entire team.  He also tripped two of my skaters and straight up shoved one to the ice.  I think he needs a couple of my ativan or something, I mean honestly.  (I attempted to express to Misha that I do not like Lunatic, and either Misha doesn't understand why or he's being deliberately obtuse, and he's an Smart Important Physicist Nerd so both are equally possible.)

 

My leg/knee did not feel quite so bad on Saturday as it has before.  I had a light workout on Friday that involved about 15 minutes of rolling out every involved muscle group and I think that helps quite a bit, but there's still odd moments where I'll drive with the leg and it hurts like someone drove a spike down my tibia.  I am playing phone-and-insurance tag with the orthopedics office and the hospital's recent software update has apparently had some sort of malfunction and eaten everyone's patient data (I've been dealing with this for my patients as well as myself).  But I look forward to scheduling an appointment shortly, getting a referral for some PT and maybe some x-rays and getting this crap dealt with so I can play and workout and sportsball like a normal (ish) human. 

 

 

[Hills 710]

I've been reading this thread for a while, but I feel like I have a hard time contributing here since I've played most of my life. With that said I ended up doing a pretty in depth analysis of my most recent game I had where I point out mistakes or why I made the decisions I made with a gfy to directly show the example. I am not sure if this will be totally helpful but perhaps it could help with decision making in games.

 

 

Thankfully I got called out again to sub in and we happened to be playing the team I played against last time. The previous game ended 3-2 and was fairly close. This one was as well but we just couldn’t score and hit the post a couple of times.

I think I’ll be doing some more Analysis on some of my games, pointing out what I did wrong and what I should’ve done instead. Perhaps it will be a good learning tool for myself and perhaps others.

First Period:

 

0:00 I am actually not super happy with how this play turned out, and this is one of the more difficult plays for me. When a player is skating across the ice I find it difficult not to open up holes while trying to follow them, and it is more difficult when going from my blocker side to glove side since my blocker has to cover up high and ensure my stick is covering 5 hole. When moving glove side to blocker you have 2 hands available to assist in making the save. A few years (or even months) ago I would’ve gone into the VH here, but I have been trying to become a more active and square goaltender and noticed the player never really readied up for a shot as the defense did a good job pushing him pretty wide. My issue is ensuring I get 5-hole coverage and not allowing the player to shoot back towards the direction they came in, I fear that during this play I left a bit too much 5-hole open but luckily for me his backhand was relatively weak and I got my stick on it.

0:13-0:31 I included this just to show my RVH (reverse-VH or SMS) for the play in the corner (Not in Gfy). I should’ve gotten up sooner but this team has a tendency to shoot from anywhere and I am more comfortable being in that position rather than having to drop on a shot I don’t completely see through legs. The shot was also pretty poor rebound control and it should’ve gone into the corner, something I have been having a bit of difficulty with.

 

0:36 This was a pretty ugly save, I realized late I was probably giving up too much short side and knew I really had to get my body up against the post. I wasn’t square but I didn’t end up leaving too many gaps and I did end up making the save. This play shows one of the issues I have with my Warrior Ritual G2 pads in how they tend to fall flat on their face, it isn’t completely the pads fault as I made an ugly play here but I have found that the G2s are less forgiving than other pads, so once you hit a certain angle while driving down they will always fall flat on their face because of the boxy design, where as the Kohos I wore were more forgiving and would sometimes fall on their face and others would rotate “properly”.

0:47 Ben Scrivens had a good article in The Players’ Tribune and mentioned how a lot of the times a quality save isn’t really recognized by teammates or non-goalies. I feel that this save was one of those times. This was a good shot that was just going above my pad and under my arm, I was able to squeeze my glove on top of my pad and have the puck land between my thigh rises. While a rebound wouldn’t have been particularly dangerous in this scenario as the defense and forwards were all back and doing their job, it was good rebound control anyways.

0:54 I didn’t have to do anything spectacular here and the pads helped me out with a decent breakout pass to a teammate and I thought it looked pretty cool.

1:15 This was actually tipped by my teammate while I was sliding for the pass to the top left of the crease, I had pretty good coverage down low and got it with my pad and stick.

1:21 This was really bad rebound control, thankfully the defense got control of it. I have a bit of a hard time with shots right between my legs and how to control them.

1:28 Once the player pulled the puck to his forehand I knew he was going to shoot so I just tried to block it the best I could. Which ends up with me making a very technically broken VH save, I have had issues with opening up the 5-hole too much in the VH in these pads specifically so I just tried to close off all gaps down low. I know I am tall enough and my shoulders and arms were going to cover everything up high so I just ensure nothing would squeak through.

Second Period

 

1:48 Here is a save, but it was a pretty bad one. I got too worried with the player in front of the net (actually played against him the day before as well, and he tipped a puck in on me) and never got square to the puck. I also ended up looking left of my player when trying to see the point and that also dragged me closer to the center of the net and not square to the shot. If the shooter picked closer to the post on the blocker he would’ve scored. I should’ve stopped this with my chest but instead had to make a pretty ugly stick save.

1:57 DO NOT MAKE THIS SAVE EVER. Shot was going really high, I never followed the puck into my glove, this was just a bad decision by me all together and I am lucky I actually caught it.

2:10 While I was actually pretty square to the shooter this time I didn’t move into the shot here, and had to reach for the puck with the possibility of a deflection in close. If that player touched the puck it was a 99% chance it was going in. I got lucky that didn’t happen here. But I did actually follow the puck into my glove… so that is good.

2:38 Here is another good example of my bad glove hand, my girl friend says I basically wear 2 blockers and she is right.

2:48 Someone asked me on Reddit why I go paddle down as much as I do, and here is an example where I feel I can use it to explain myself. I knew I was in pretty good position for the pass out in front of the net, but wanted to ensure I’d cover the entire bottom of the net. I am not the most flexible goalie in the world and I don’t have a very wide butterfly. I know with my catcher on my pad and in the paddle down I can cover up almost everything down low and ever slightly above my pad, and where the shooter is he doesn’t really have a chance to put it high blocker and if he tried I’m staying tall enough to stop that attempt or to push to the blocker side and seal the post more. I think this play the paddle down was acceptable, but I do know I rely on it too much

2:55 I did a pretty good job of challenging the shooter, the player without the puck scored on a 2-on-0 the day before as well but I was close to getting it. I figured he’d have to make a perfect shot top glove to score. Watching this play in slow motion shows he did have room glove side, but I managed to seal my arms pretty well and he wasn’t able to get it short side. I got a bit lucky here but I had good positioning (including my stick which was right between my legs the whole time).

3:12 I have been making more of these saves since I’ve gotten my Brown Chest Protector (check out my review coming this week!). Since I no longer fear pain from shots up high I believe I can get my arms and shoulders on high shots while using my glove to ensure I don’t get beat 13 inches off the ice. I should probably have a more active glove, but this is working for me at the moment.

3:18 The shot here on the toe drag caught me off guard, I was able to make the save standing up but my blocker of a glove hand gives up an ugly rebound. I am disappointed in myself here as I tried to do too much on the resulting rebound. I was able to slide across and be square, but I felt the need to be more reactive and started to stand up to try and be ready for the cross crease pass and to stop myself from over sliding on the play (notice my right leg get up first). I have a bit of an issue with this where if I try and stop myself I almost always immediately stand up instead of just staying in the butterfly. Down 1-0

Period 3

 

3:36 Me getting up while trying to stop a butterfly slide is shown here again, I should’ve stayed down and the resulting play made me awkwardly drive to the post and scramble.

3:40 I do a decent job of moving into the shot to ensure I get hit right in the chest and that there is no rebound. I did this as I knew there was no one right in front of the net, but it was dangerous since if I let up a rebound I would’ve been VERY out of position.

3:58 Here is a great example of being square in tight and not having to rely on the VH or RVH. Proper butterfly while ensuring I keep my upper body up means I can cover the entire net. My defense did a great job in removing any options for the shooter, so all he could really do was shoot or skate around the net.

https://gfycat.com/ZealousCloseBorderterrier

4:10 Decent angle and coverage, not much to say about this one.

Anyways, if you like this post let me know, and if you had feedback please leave it as I would really like to know what I should change in the future.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Hills

[IPv6Freely 2083]

Dude this is amazing. I'm going to take a better look at it when I get home.

 

BTW your input is always welcome. Even if you're not a beginner we're all more than happy to get some advice and suggestions from guys like you who have been doing this a long time. You saw me play at Winterfest, so you know what level I'm at. To be honest I was expecting that experience to be much MUCH worse! haha

[bunnyman666 445]

@Hills This is EXACTLY what us pukes need!!!!! Seriously, your input is BEYOND welcome. We NEED the insights from a veteran like YOURSELF!!!!

[Thinkingjack 51]

So my ACL injury healed without needing surgery, thank goodness.

 

Last week while playing out so I could use my demo sticks I had sent to me, I got crushed on the boards by some dummy, completely gave me nerve damage on my hip, apparently its my sciatica nerve.  Walking and sitting, let alone exercise and hockey are a complete painful disaster.

 

Its gonna be a long wait before I can play net.  Kinda bummed, I had worked so hard in rehabbing the ACL and now this.