Playing goalie requires speed, quickness, courage and instincts. To play in goal you have to understand that you will stand in front of shots that may be coming at you at speeds of 100 mph. Additionally, you may have a difficult time seeing those shots when an opponent or one of your own teammates gets in your field of vision and screens you. There are no excuses when you play goalie and you are expected to stop shots.
Playing the Shooter
When the opposing team is coming in with the puck and has an excellent chance to attack in a 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 situation, the goalie has to know who to take and who to let the defenseman watch. When the attacking team crosses the blue line, the goalie must go after the shooter. When practicing this play, let the defenseman try to stop the potential pass. If you don't make stopping the man with the puck your top priority, you are not going to have a good chance of stopping the puck.
Cutting Off the Angle
One of the most important drills to get ready to play the game is to cut off the angle on the shooter. When a player on one side of the ice has the puck and the goalie senses that a shot is coming. He can creep out toward the shooter. By coming out of the crease and getting closer to the man with the puck, the net will look smaller to the shooter and he will have less room to shoot the puck. This cuts off the angle that the shooter has and is essential in hockey. In this drill, the goalie will take on five shots from the right side and five shots from the left side to practice cutting off the angle on the shooter.
Rapid-Fire Shooting Drill
The rapid-fire shooting drill is a part of nearly every practice session. Players will fan out around the blue line with multiple pucks. The goalie will take his position and players will start firing pucks at him. The goalie will have a chance to make the save and then regather himself, but the shots will come fast and furious. This teaches the goalie to be ready quickly and will help him lose the fear of facing a puck that is flying at him at high speeds.
Handling the Puck
A good goalie must know how to handle the puck. That includes chasing down the puck when your opponent sends it into the zone and then starting the play in the opposite direction by making a quick and accurate pass to your teammate. In this drill, the goalie will retrieve a puck that has been dumped behind the net and then make a pass. Ten pucks will be sent behind the net and the goalie must practice retrieving and making a clean pass.
Member Comments