Goaltending help needed....

[Gee Wally]

oh..the original question... sorry... as stated here... talk, talk, talk,,even to yourself...

another thing I used to do.. count how long it took the other team to get through the neautral zone..

you know..1 one thousand, 2 one thousand...it sounds crazy..it helps when you have some idea of the game speed coming at you.. especially if you have to stop a puck behind the net or your back is turned...

You do it enough during the game and you know how much time you got ..

 

[dawgbone]

Sorry, no dice... part of the reason I got run a lot last year was that I would react and go after the guy... Teams knew it could get me off of my game and make me take a penalty so they did it... This year I'm trying to restrain myself... 10 games in and only one penalty... not bad

You weren't hitting them hard enough then

Honestly, talk to the refs. At worst, you guys should be getting coincidental penalties, not them getting off and you getting a penalty. Complain to the league co-ordinator.

Find avenues off the ice.

 

[Seph]

I have a couple of tricks I use.

1. Lots of talk. I'm a very voacal gaolie anyway, but my d-men can always tell when I'm getting bored because I yell more. It accomplishes two things. It keeps my head in the game and it acts as reinforcement so that they don't let up either.

2. Play the puck. Tough to do if the other team isn't dumping or icing, but if they are it can keep you active in the game. However, word of warning here. Don't go out and play pucks in a way you normally wouldn't ie. forcing long passes, going up the middle, etc. Just stay active and if the best play is to leave it for your defencemen, do it. There is a temptation to overplay the puck when you're not busy.

3. Watch the game as a coach does. Really nitpick the game. Find where your guys are missing things and try and pick up on tendencies of their players. Between periods share that information with your teammates and/or coaches.

4. When you do finally see some action, keep everything as simple as you can. When I haven't seen shots for a while I have a tendency to overthink and overplay the situation which can lead to some soft goals. Just boil everything down to basics: stance, angles and rebounds.

Hope these help.

I was going to leave some advice, but you pretty much covered everything I had to say, almost word for word. But just a couple things to add:

Another reason that talking to your D is so good is that you have a completely different vantage point than them, and it helps them to have another set of eyes on the ice, especially the less experienced guys. But it also just helps you get into the game and feel the flow of the game. Any time I'm feeling a little off after a bad warmup before a game, I always start out the game really chatty and before long, I'm right in the swing of things. And when things get boring, it works to get you back in it.

And as for watching the game, it's particularly handy for your team if you watch the opposing goalie. Watch his tendencies, does he drop too soon? does he cover his five hole well? is his glove a little slow? is he overcompensating to one side? Between periods, tell your team what he's doing and how they can take advantage of it. Again, you have a different vantage point than the rest of the team, and more time to watch the goalie (since when they're shooting, you're doing nothing), plus, you're a goalie, you should be the best qualified to notice what another goalie is doing wrong.

 

[Papadice]

You weren't hitting them hard enough then

Honestly, talk to the refs. At worst, you guys should be getting coincidental penalties, not them getting off and you getting a penalty. Complain to the league co-ordinator.

Find avenues off the ice.

The league I played in last year was horribly run... No league admin really... And we were an "outsider" type of team... the only one from completely outside of that area... So the refs gave it to us hard... I can be dirty as hell when i have to be... my favourite is the stick up the crotch, right under the cup... That'll move them... But I try to do all the stuff when the ref isn't looking... trying to help the team and all that crap...

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

If you're losing focus I find it best to think back on some of your past saves... Either from the game (If your doing well) or past ones that are real nice. Helps keep you in goalie mode and is a boost to confidence. Goalie is mostly mental.

 

[SwOOsh*]

I was having this exact problem at the start of the season. I'm usually on a poor team and have a lot of shots and they count on me to keep them in the game, but this year my team is one of the stronger teams, and it seems that I only get about 17-20 shots a game. The thing I was doing was over thinking the shots instead of reacting to them, I would say "i'm going to butterfly etc." and would do this to early and would get caught. I have tried to eliminate this "over thinking" from my game and so far it has seemed to work.

 

[BuppY]

I played Tier II Junior A hockey for 3 and a half years... For two of those years my team was very strong and there were games when I'd have maybe 17 or 18 shots on me... It's a tough challenge to stay sharp in those games... The keys that I'd focus on are:

1) Keep yourself moving... Between whistles skate to the corners and back... stuff like that... Do some extra stretching in between whistles too so you will stay loose...
2) As CloudNine said, play a mental game during breaks... I had a goaltender coach once that helped me dramatically with the mental aspect of the game... One of the things that he taught me was playing the "mental games" during breaks... If there is a whistle (and you aren't skating into the corners ) put your head down, close your eyes and envision yourself making every possible save you can... envision a guy coming down on a breakaway against you and shooting high glove... envision the save... envision a shot from the point on the ice to the stick side and envision you making the save and controlling the rebound... it helps a great deal in keeping your mind in the game...
3) Play mini games! Another tip another goalie coach gave me was to break the game down into mini games... Instead of trying to escape from a game without allowing a goal or escape from a period without allowing a goal (which are both daunting tasks), try to break the game down into mini 3 minute games... Try to shutout the other team for 3 minutes... set small goals like that so you are achieving success throughout the game... it helps with your mental focus... sometimes you may not even get a shot during that 3 minutes... great... shutout!!! next game... 3 minutes goes by... 2 saves, no goals... excellent...

Unfortunately, the team I play for now (senior league) doesn't require me to use mental games to stay in the game... We are a fairly high scoring team but we tend to neglect our own end of the ice and I face a lot of shots, a lot of two on ones and a lot of breakaways... the other team keeps me in the game without my help

couldn't put it any better!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bruins4777*]

playing the puck and singing a song in my head work perfectly. I know it seems weird but i always have my mouth open. I don't know, i never breathe out of my nose in games...kinda weird thing to mention, but i dunno somehow i seem to breathe better and feel more energized in those games...

i dance back and forth as well.