How far to come out.

[Squealagig]

My coach said I shouldn't come out as much. He says I should only come out as far as the edge of the crease. I dissagre. but what do you guy's (and girls) think?

[Bryan]

He's wrong. It depends on the situation. The edge of the crease is where you should come out at the minimum for most situations. If a guy lets a clear shot from the blue line, you should be much farther out than that. All of this depend upon if/where the open man is. Don't stray if a pass is a real possibility, or you're dead.

[Timberwoof]

Imagine you are attached to a rubber band between the puck carrier and the center of the net. Its effect is that when he's far away you get drawn farther out from the crease, and as he closes in, you get closer to the net.

In a one-on-none situation you have to have backwards momentum so you can steer to one side or the other depending on what the puck carrier does. If you're just standing at the top of the crease he will get around you every time. But if you come out to challenge him, then start backing up, you can then use that motion to react properly.

Finaly, consider the odd-man rule. If the other team has three guys and your team has them all covered (evenly matched), then you can skate out to meet the one with the puck. He's not very likely to pass to his teamies. However, if the other team has three guys and you have only two, then you need to stay further back in the crease to cover the likelihood that the odd (uncovered) man will receive the pass and shoot on you.

Breakaways and penalty shots can be learned. I played a season of hat-trick hockey (3-on-3 plus two goalies; penalties count for penalty shots at the end) and faced a *lot* of penalty shots. (As soon as your team figures out that you're good on penalty shots, they start taking penalties right and left.)

Remember the rubber band. As soon as the shooter crosses the red line, skate out towards him, fast! Halfway there, start backing up again so you're 1/3 of the way out from the crease to him. You're moving, so you can turn to counter any move he makes.

From then it's a game of chicken: he who flinches first loses. Be patient; let him make the first move.

[Squealagig]

so when the guy crosses the red line how far should I come out the hash marks? further? less?

[Timberwoof]

I hate it when you ask specific questions like that! ;-) Let me think.

Okay, here's my answer, and you're going to hate me. It Depends. How fast is he going? How fast can you skate, stop, and reverse?

Basic guidelines to start from and modify with experience: You should be about one third of the way from the net to the puck carrier. Let's assume he's moving straight down the slot. If he's at the red line, you could be at the top of the circles. When he's at the blue line, you could be at the hash marks.

For guys coming in off the side, you must know how your rink is laid out ... surprise -- rinks are not all the same size! And these are not hard and fast rules, either. It all depends on the situation.

Some teams don't like it when I skate out that far, and sometimes I lose my head and try to poke-check the puck away. That usually doesn't work, but sometimes I get the timing just right and it's spectacular. (But then I have to hightail it back to the net, and woe unto anyone who's there when I arrive!)

If you're not a strong skater, you can certainly compensate by staying closer to the net. The important thing is to be between the puck and the net.:-) But if you're almost all alone in your zone, there's no reason not to come out beyond the crease.

[This message has been edited by Timberwoof (edited November 27, 1999).]

[TartanBill]

Squealagig

Unfortunately, many coaches don't know much about goaltending. Your question indicates you have your doubts. Some goalies like to come out and some don't. You must find your own comfort zone.

Remember the three fundementals of position, center, square, and depth. By skating out and cutting the angle, the shooter sees less net. If he shoots, the puck is more likely to hit you. On the other hand, if you are far out, it is harder to keep centered. Besides, if the shooter is very far away, like the blue line or beyond, then you may have sufficient time to react.

How far to come out depends upon the situation and your skating ability relative to the players in your league. If you are a good skater, then in circumstances like breakaways you may be comfortable getting out to the hash marks, then backing in.

When I do this, the shooter almost always shoots into my chest or tries to get around me. I want to meet him at around the top of the crease so that I when he makes his move, I can cover to the post with my pad.

[Aaron]

If you see a guy winding up on the point for a slapper, move out as quickly as you can. I've been experimenting alot lately. If you know he has noone to pass to or if you like to gamble, go for it. My friend who was shooting said "damn, you closed it all off" as he skated by after his shot from the point.

Not playing on a regular rink, it's somewhat hard for me to associate myself with where I am in relation to my net. But there are certain marks on the floor I use. I play in a roller-rink on Sunday's.

Being somewhat shy about my skating ability, I have been hesitant about really coming out far on a breakaway. Last time, I figured why not...the best player vs. me! all alone right down the middle...i came about 30 ft. out and skated backwards with him. I have NEVER tried this, so it was all new! He deeked to hie left, but came back right. I didn't bite on it, and I stoned him about 7 ft. in front of the net when he tried to go 5 hole. I can't wait to try it again

[Squealagig]

Well thx for the input everyone. I think I'm going to just continue doing pretty much what I was doing and just ignore my coach like usuall. I think I might try coming out a little sooner as well as getting a bit of backward momentum a little sooner.