Playing a sport on the ice is a tough challenge in itself. Playing as a goaltender is even more of a test. Ice Hockey Goalie is one of the hardest positions to play in sports. Opposing players trying to shoot a puck past you at speeds up to seventy miles an hour would be difficult for anyone. As a goaltender for the defending ECAC Northeast Champion Nichols College Bison, here are seven tips to help you reach your greatest potential:
1. Stretching/Pregame – before every practice or game you should always get a good stretch in. Make sure you keep your legs loose and limber to avoid injuries. There are hundreds of different stretches you can do by yourself to loosen up your legs before you get on the ice. You will not be able to play to well if you are on the sidelines with a pulled hamstring or a groin pull. My first tip is very important, get in a good stretch!
2. Warm-up shots – after you are stretched, slowly start moving around taking some warm-up shots. Ask a few of your teammates to take some easy wrist shots on you, from close range and move farther out. Make sure you are moving from your left and to your right. Ask them to spread apart and rotate shots so you are moving around.
3. Check your angles – this is very easy for you to do. While on the ice and in net, choose markers for yourself to keep your angles correct. If you have good angles, the shooters have nothing to shoot at. They will have no option, but to hit you in the pads or in the chest. Always use the end of your stick to tap the post behind you when skaters are coming down for a possible shot.
4. Communication – goalies should be the loudest on the ice. Always talk with your defenseman and tell them if there are any fore checkers coming at them. None of your defenseman have eyes in the back of their head. Yell to them, “You have time!” or “One hard!” Be loud and communicate with your teammates.
5. Ready Position – never be too relaxed on the ice. When the opposition skates past the midline (Red Line) always be prepared for a shot. You never know when you will have shot taken on you. It could be from the slot, point, or even from past the blue line. Teams tend to dump the puck in the zone for a line change and they might just dump it in on goal. Always be in the ready position, ready for a shot.
6. Freeze the puck – do not hesitate to freeze the puck. When you feel your team needs a line change, or even if your team is all out of sync cover the puck and get a face off. It can be beneficial to you as a goalie to slow the game down. If the opposing team has momentum, you should want to slow the game down. The only time you should want to keep play moving is when you are on a power play. When on a power play you do not want a face off in your zone.
7. Never get down on yourself – if you give up a goal, you have to forget about it. Do not let one goal ruin your entire night. There are so many goalies that give up a quick goal and get down on themselves. This is a big mental game, if you know you can play well you will. Forwards are meant to score goals; it is part of the game. Play hard for sixty minutes every game.
