Playing the Breakaway

[Mfordy99]

Since I started playing goaltender about a year ago, it became obvious whoever committed first usually lost.

I was playing in a 4 on 4 league, and the game was tied at the end but instead of putting players in the penalty box they tally penalty shots. So at the end of the game I was put into the position where I had to save it to tie or if it went in we obviously lost and were out of playoff contention.

The kid comes in on me I come out past the crease then gradually back in matching his speed, he dekes right towards my blocker side so I slide in the butterfly then he cut like I havn't seen anyone do on ice before so he had an open net. I through my glove on the ice, fell on my back, and slammed my stick back and just clipped it but it trickled in. He was so close though that I felt as if I didn't go down and slide, he would of beat me five hole.

I just havn't figured out how to play a breakaway, usually I do decent but I guess because now we aren't in playoff contention I want to know more.

I guess the better questions are, how do I decide when to commit to a save selection? What should I if I am put in that situation again? Just sell out and try to get any peice of equipment on it?

I don't know, I'm confused and upset. Any help would be nice.

[Ryeno42]

I bet if you did a search you will find your answer.

Its skating positioning knowing your angle and not overreacting.

[bguminey]

other then the search comment hes right, breakaways and shootouts are my favorite thing to do they really test you. I come out about 2 to 3 feet above the crease and match his speed, I stay with him the best I can and try and watch the puck and his hands to see what hes going to do. Its hard to just throw a new goaltender in the net and say go get em you'll learn everything in time

[Coach Odie]

Playing the break-away is by far the hardest thing to teach any tender let alone a new one. My goalie coach years ago gave me some advice, which is as true now as it was then...

The break-away is not a match-up between skill of the tender and skill of the forward as the deck is stacked in the forwards favour every time. The objective is to make the forward go where YOU want him to.

In other words the goalie must draw the forward in close enough so that there is only one move left... Most tenders that have been playing for most of their lives do this without thinking and we write it off as "reacting" to what the player is doing.

The basics are to start far enough in front of your crease to allow the "gap" between the forward and yourself to become "closed" or close enough so that they can't cut back to the other direction without you being able to knock the puck way (about 3-4ft max) when you are at the top of your crease, thus you know exactly where the skater is going and all you have to do is get there. This means you can't go at the same speed as the attacking player or you will end up in your net (or on the goal line) giving too much room for the shooter.

The reason for wanting to be at the top of your crease is simple, the further back in the goal you are the more room they have to shoot at if they decide to (this should be the 'easy' save on a break-away)... Also by being at the top of the crease it gives you space to move (i.e. room to slide either double-pad or butterfly depending on your style) without going into the net and leaving you in position for a possible rebound...

The more you practice the easier it becomes (repetitions are the only way to make it "second-nature")...

Good Luck and hopes this helps...

Odie

[Target1234]

Originally Posted by Coach Odie

The break-away is not a match-up between skill of the tender and skill of the forward as the deck is stacked in the forwards favour every time. The objective is to make the forward go where YOU want him to.

Odie

For sure!! I have tried to explain this to people who ask, and I think you have said it the best! So many skaters scoff and laugh when I tell them this, especially the good ones (well they think they are GOOD!).

I also like to leave deliberate openings sometimes, in a sense; I have had friends and fellow skaters tell me after a good skate that they tried a "big play" because they thought I was open on my low glove side as I was backing in, but what I was really doing was loading my right leg a little, so my left pad drops slitely. They will do the a fake and appear to be staying blocker side and then cut back super fast to the glove side at the last moment. With my right leg already pre-loaded I can do a serious slide across and make a more comfortable save, one that blocks more of the net.

I know without a visual it may not make much sense, but it is something I use very rarely in a game, more in shinny just to have fun. But it is funny how well if works. Make the shooter go where you want them to! Love it

[und3rd06]

I have come to learn that when a player makes it "obvious" that he is going one way that will mean that he is preparing for a double-deek (fake one way and go the opposite).

I usually follow with a "fake follow" of my own but I don't commit to the slide I stay on my feet and mentally prepare to go the other way if I have to.

What I mean by player makes it "obvious" is kind of hard to explain but it may look something like the following:

- player wil take the stick and puck a great distance away from the center of his body
- player will also add some "body language" they will 'flash' that they are going that way (Crosby with his lifting of the leg is a good example)

Keep an eye open for those "flashes". It makes me think of the following proverb.... "If it looks to good to be true it means there is a catch"....


Stay calm & focused on puck and stick, hands if your "global eyesight" allows it.
Your mechanics seem good, you are out of your crease matching speed and cutting the angle....make sure you are not backing into your net too much....

I usually stop backing down as soon as my toes touch the line of the crease... I can slide to the post at that point so I don't need to go backwards anymore, that player has to shoot at to do something at this point because there is no more room left.

BTW, if you do happen to overcommit on the slide and the player is going the other way make a habit of cutting his "way back" with your stick...you are suppose to have a sticks lenght distance between you and the shoot ....you have no idea how many times this has saved me especially when player triple deekes...just cut his legs/stick off....odds are you will be stopping the puck and/or player from cutting across you when you are in avulnerable position....this technique is very handy as well in 2 man breakaways for cutting off passes.

Happy practice.

[Timberwoof]

On a related note: One way I judge whether a goalie clinic sucks is this: At the end, there's usually breakaway practice. If it's a contest to see who's the best goalie, and any goalie who lets a goal in gets eliminated, the clinic sucks.

If the rules are, for example, that if the goalie makes the stop, the shooter has to do twenty push-ups and if the goalie lets in a goal, he has to do a goalie-fall-down-and-get-back-up drill or something equally strenuous and embarrassing, then it is a good clinic. This teaching style allows those who need more practice at breakaways get that practice.

The first method just insures that the goalies who suck at breakaways continue to suck, for they won't get any practice after letting in the first goal.

[paulster2626]

Originally Posted by Timberwoof

On a related note: One way I judge whether a goalie clinic sucks is this: At the end, there's usually breakaway practice. If it's a contest to see who's the best goalie, and any goalie who lets a goal in gets eliminated, the clinic sucks.

If the rules are, for example, that if the goalie makes the stop, the shooter has to do twenty push-ups and if the goalie lets in a goal, he has to do a goalie-fall-down-and-get-back-up drill or something equally strenuous and embarrassing, then it is a good clinic. This teaching style allows those who need more practice at breakaways get that practice.

The first method just insures that the goalies who suck at breakaways continue to suck, for they won't get any practice after letting in the first goal.

Yeah that's what I figured as well - what's the point of sucking at breakaways and then getting booted out of the practice?
That's why I decided to not listen to the rules. Just keep going back in net. Nobody will care.