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Here's an experiment -- put arch support inserts in your skates and see if that makes a difference. Seriously.
I think most of you have seen my kid with the silly-putty joints... well, he got that from me. I think I've suffered more sprained ankles than just about anyone on the planet. According to "the medical profession", taping your ankle doesn't truly offer any "support" unless you're actually in a splint or other immobilizing device.... which of course means that you can't bend the joint.
Anyway, back to my idea -- take a look at your ankle's angle (try saying that five times fast!) when standing straight up, and then again when in your stance (on the inside edge of your skates). You don't even need to put your skates on, you can picture it in your head -- ankles straight when standing straight, ankles "bent in" when standing in your stance.
Now imagine, in your stance "bent in" position, if there was something underneath the inside edge of your foot, lifting/rotating it just a tad -- what does your ankle angle look like now?
An arch support should lift your foot's inside edge a tad so that your ankle is in a more neutral position when in your stance. (I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express a couple weeks ago!) Go ahead and give it a try. Use actual ARCH SUPPORTS though, not just a Dr. Scholl's foam or gel insert. You want something that stays fairly firm when your foot presses on it, not something that compresses completely. (Some arch supports are even adjustable, with a little bendy-clip thing you switch out for a stiffer or looser one as needed.)
Personally, I'm not a goalie, and I don't have flat feet. (One way to check for flatfootedness is to walk on concrete with wet feet -- if you leave a Sasquatch-type footprint, you have flat feet, if you have that c-shaped footprint, you don't.) But with my floppy ankle joints, I developed Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome (like carpal tunnel in your hands, only in your feet instead) when I was skating a lot with Dom's mini-mite team a few years ago. I actually lost all the feeling in the toes of one foot because of it.... and within a couple weeks of wearing the arch supports in my skates, my feet were fine (and have been ever since).
You're looking at a one-time investment of $5-$20 for arch supports, depending on whether you go for a Festiva or a Corvette. And since they're the firm kind instead of the foamy kind, they don't break down and need to be replaced like a sole insert does. I haven't thrown out a pair yet....
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