How far is too far? (Angles)

[Roymond]

I used to never cut off the angles far enough, in fact i would stay in the crease, but now i'm skating 3 to 4 feet out of the crease, is this too far? If the play comes in i do back up but this is when the guy is at the blue line. But i started this in my last practice and it was alot easier to stop the shots then when i back in the crease.

[Chasedog]

There isn't a cut and dry answer to your question. I usually play about a foot or two in front of the crease. When a break-away is developing, I'll come out about 10 feet. If my team is doing their three stooges routine of chasing the puck as the other team passes it around the zone, I'll be about a foot behind the crease waiting for the one timer. So basically, it depends on your comfort level and skating ability as well as the situation.

[Squealagig]

whether you are out too far depends on the the position and number of attackers. if your all alone you cane be further out as there is just one guy to worry about. You know your too far out if he can either skate around you or if he can draw the puck to one side or the other and get a significant amount of empty net as the further you are out the less the puck needs to be moved from side to side to take you out of the net (It's actually based on a ratio between you and the net and you and the puck)
If there are multiple attacters it depends on how well they are being defended. You need to go fairly deep if there is another attacker open on the other side and somewhere inbetween the two extremes depending on how much you trust the Dman to stop the pass.

[BKLYNNetminder]

I got caught on a cross ice play. I was out at the face off dot and I *thought* my D had the pass. I was wrong and while I almost stopped it on a desparation pad slide, it banked of my glove and in.

Moral of the story: Whatever works for you as along as you don't get caught.

[guitargoalie]

HeY, twister how old are you and what team do you play on? i may have played against you.



jason

[TartanBill]

It depends upon the situation, the level of play, where the puck is, and your skating ability. Geometrically, when the puck is top dead center your best coverage is when you are about 1/3 the distande out or closer to the shooter. If the puck is at the face off dot, then top of the crease is probably good enough. If the puck is in the corner, you should be right on your post.

Generally speaking there are goal line hangers, guys who live between the top of the circle and the hash marks, and those who range from a stride out to a step inside the crease. There are many great goalies in each category, but I feel the middle position is easiest to learn and maintain.

In each case though, the successful goalie will move considerably. The difference is a goal hanger like Potvin will step forward when given the chance. A hash mark keeper like Barrasso will always be moving backwards.

A multi player attack generally means you should stay within your crease. The cross ice passing option is a vulnerability that you must mitigate. By playing a more conservative position you not only are less vulnerable to that pass, but you encourage the shooter to shoot rather than pass. At high levels of play they will connect on the pass and it's a lot easier to deal with the direct shot.

For break aways, I skate out to the hash marks and retreat. I slowly reduce the gap so that the shooter is forced to try to go around me. I try to time the retreat so that I can make the save at the top of the crease.

Another thing to consider is that when far out, it is more diffucult to maintain your angle. Many beginners around here start out at the hash marks, but the time the puck crosses the blue line, they are half way into the crease! I advocate starting deep in the crease and skating out to the play. It is much easier to establish your angle this way.

I play the 1-1 and 2-1 aggressively. In the former case, it can become a breakaway so I want to be ready. In the latter, I trust my D to stop the pass. On a power play, however, I move a step below the top of the crease. I then step out to challange the shot if time permits.

[Roymond]

Thanks alot everyone. These are some really good tips.

[Leffler]

There is a point at which coming out confers no increasing coverage of the net - about a foot or two in front of the crease. If you come out any further you are not covering a substantially larger part of the net, but you are increasing the distance you have to cover for any sort of cross ice play. You are also giving the shooter room to get around you and still get the puck in the net if your skating skills fail you.
Playing a breakaway you can come futher out, but that is not a question "covering more net", but giving yourself enough room to move back with the shooter, closing the gap as you go so that when hit the crease they are on top of you and have no angle to make a play.
There is also a question of ice size. American and Canadianb players can get away with playing further out because the ice is smaller and meaning there is less distance to cover going across ice. On international rinks, it's vital to remain "relevant to the net" because those broad cross ice passes can make you look very stupid indeed.
So remember, you will find a point where you gain nothing by coming further out, the key is to find that point relative to you ownb body size and style of play. But it will rarely be more than a foot ot two in front of the crease. Good luck

[Joe]

It all depends upon your skating ability, you want to be as aggressive as possible without being so far out that you can't get across the net in time in case of a pass. Other then that it's all to do with being comfortable.

[geojedi]

Twister and Chasedog,
There is a method to the madness. The mad scientist is named Stephan Popa. He uses kinesiology to develop his system of angles and positioning.
www.popagoaltending.com

[streethockeygoalie]

Tartan, I do the skate out into the play thing depending on which side the play is coming in on, I will tap the respective post with my glove or the shaft of my stick, then skate out to challenge