BREAKAWAYS

I don't know if I'm crazy (yes I do, I'm a goalie!), but I LOVE breakaways. I live to play the breakaway just cuz it's so damn exciting! I just wanted to get some input on how you guys play breakaways. I always play 'em differently to keep the players guessing, and I find it so successful and therefore fun. Even if I get beat, it's usually by a really sweet move and then I'm just awed by the player. I find a great move to use on players with their heads down or players with too much confidence is to just run out and perform a diving poke check right at the puck. I've tried other ways of charging the shooter, but two pad stacks are much slower at getting to the shooter so it's easier for him to evade. Just jump headlong at him and get your stick at full extension for the pokecheck and you've got him crapping his pants. Don't try this any more than twice a game if you know what's good for you.

[daemyn75]

I usually do the Hasek flopp it seems to work most of the time cause your moving around so much the shooter has no idea where to go. I also charge the shooter if he out smarts me a pad stack usually does the trick, by then he is so close to me lifting the puck is useless. Don't get me wrong it isn't 100% but it is affective. I also find takeing a few off the face mask and laughing at the shooter works also :-)

Nobody else has ever faced a breakaway?

[Aaron]

I've been experimenting the last few times. I know the rule "never make the first move". Meaning, don't go down! I tried a few times to just stand still, other times skate slowly backwards. Sometimes when standing still, they expect me to move, and when I don't I think it confuses them. Who knows what goes on in the minds of those forwards Anyway, I think it's best to be moving. But when I get someone coming across the slot close in, I try to poke check if they're within reach.

[Bryan]

I play all breakaways exactly the same way. I get as far out of the crease as possible to cut the angle (AT LEAST to the hash marks). As long as you match the shooters speed backwards, it doesn't matter what he tries to do, because he can't get around you AND he can't see any net. I do breakaways totally on autopilot, no excitement or stress, and I stop about 19 out of 20 of them. Of course it's the only thing about my game that DOESN'T need help! I would much rather see a player carry the puck to the net than to shoot from far out. Those are the ones that end up beating me for no apparent reason.

[Bernie]

I also use Bryan's method. His point about the shooter not seeing the net is a primary objective of mine. When the puck is in the other end I am usually standing at about the bottom of the circles and I'll actually skate forwards to the hashmarks when I see a potential breakaway. Good backwards skating skills are necessary of course and I just do my best to stay in front of the shooter (Ooops-I mean PUCK) until the shot comes at which point I butterfly or stick a leg out or whatever. Of course if you commit too early, your back-door is wide open and he'll skate around you. And if you skate slowly, he'll just move wide and skate around you too. On a breakaway you MUST stay in front of that puck and time the shooter's advance all while staying centered in respect to the net.

For what it's worth, I more often find I make the save at near the top of my crease rather than near the goaline. I like to believe it's because the shooter ran out of patience and knew he must get the shot off even though he doesn't see a good target.

10 common mistakes goalies make on breakaways:

1. Centering to the shooter- not to the puck.
2. Committing to a save before the shot (guessing)
3. Too far back in the net to start with- thus not playing the angles
4. Too far back in the net at finish and the goalie either stops the puck but he's inside the net or the puck trickles through but of course ends up over the goal line.
5. "telegraphing" the intention to poke check (Don't move your hand to the top of the stick as he's comming down if you want to poke check. The stick should just "shoot" from your normal position to maximize the surprise effect)
6. Losing concept of where the center of the net is if the shooter wanders wide. (I.E. the shooter may wander to a bad angle and actually draw you way out of center so you no longer are in front of the net. When he shoots and you think it went wide but you look over your shoulder and you are actually not even in front of the net at all!) Learn to use the markings on the ice to determine where you are. If your right foot is lined up with the left face-off dot when the skater is moving wide to your left, you are probably already closer to the left goalpost than you think so adjust your leftward movement so you don't start floating off behind the goal line!

7. Not staying square to the puck and the rebound from your body goes into the net (also happens if you are too far back in the net)

8. Not keeping stick flat on the ice

9. Not immediately recovering position after the save.

10. Moving the stick in a side-to-side motion while skating backwards rather than keeping it in front of the 5-hole.


Bernie

Wow, that was REALLY thorough, Bernie! You should write a book or something! I have a nasty secret to share with you guys...I'm not only a goalie, but also a player! I know, I know, you all want to oust me from the BB, but I just thought I'd add that playing in some pickups in ice hockey, I've come across goalies who play the angles REALLY well and goalies who couldn't even spell "angle." I must say, the goalies who take up the whole net are so intimidating...NOTHING to look at equals a handcuffed, confused shooter.

[Squealagig]

ANG... Aww crap

[Bernie]

LOL Squeal!!! That one made my day!

[TartanBill]

When I use the method described by Bryan, I save about 95% of the time. This is one of the things I count.

I don't get out quite as far, I aim for the hash marks. I try to time the retreat so that I can butterfly at the top of the crease using my momentum towards the goal.

I have had the following problems.
1) turnovers inside the red line. If I cannot get out to the hash marks, my save percentage drops to about 66%

2) Skaters who can put on a burst of speed and to way outside. Not many can pull this off, but I need to work on it.

3) Defensemen who let the man beat them inside. This always ends up on as a breakaway with me caught flat footed at the top of the crease.

I stand still. I don't move, I just back up slowly to the player while he is coming in. I then commit myself left or right after the play goes either direction. This is what they teach goalies to do at the higher levels of play, like Junior A, or college, or even olympic.