a lot of SA

[goaliepowa]

Is is regular to be getting about 35 - 40 shots a game on average against you? And if you let in 8 - 9 goals from it? Would that be my fault or defenses' fault?

[Gman-29]

I have never been someone to quit a team that regularly gives up a lot of shots. My reason is that by seeing a lot of shots your skills have to sharpen over time. This is not in place of study and practice. Its not unusual at any level to see those amounts of shots. I think in time you'll see 2 things:
1. your team will improve.
2. you'll improve.

Then when the opposition 'only' gets 25-30 shots you'll feel like you hardly played!

I have always played my best when seeing alot of shots on regular basis.

And I never worry about 'blaming' someone for a goal -- in your mind you must think that every shot is stoppable. When one goes past you make a mental note on what you could have done to stop it.. Then move on.


Good luck!

[Bryan]

For recreational hockey, 40 shots isn't THAT bad. I've certainly been in worse situations.

The 8.50 GAA is a concern though. You need to accept what you can't change (that your D sucks) and work on what you can. Be a leader to help the D do what you need them to do (shout instructions), and focus on improving your end of the game.

The trick is to set attainable goals, so that you are setting up a game that you can win. Each time you reach a goal you set for youself, your self confidence increases, giving you the mental tools to set your sights a little higher.

Make getting that GAA down to 4 or 5 your goal, and celebrate that accomplishment when you get there just as you would if you won the championship!

[stollie_the_goalie]

Exactly what Bryan said. I usually face an average of 50 shots per game (and I only play three ten-minute periods). My GAA used to be about the same as yours, but I worked really hard, and now it's down to about 4.50.

A lot of shots can really help your development. I only started playing about 2 years ago, and now I'm one of the best goalies in our league because of it. While there's this one other kid that always gets stuck on good teams and only faces 5 shots per game, and he really sucks.

Of course, you may play on a team like mine, where nobody tries to improve, or even play well, and all they worry about is staring fights at the end of the game. If that's the case, you just have to take it all in stride.

[Ryeno42]

Its not the ones you stop but the ones that went in.

That's what you should worry about.

stop trying to rationlize your poor performance by justifing it with the shot you stopped.

[streethockeygoalie]

On my adult "B" league team, the average shots I face is around 40. I have worked hard, and now give up on average about 4 goals a game. I love facing lots of shots, because it forces me to work harder, and get better. If I don't get at least 40 shots, I feel cheated

[batman1126]

u think that's bad, my average now for shots against per game is at like 60-65. (mumbles)stupid d-fence all they want to do is score

[stollie_the_goalie]

How many minutes total do you play, Brad?

[batman1126]

we have 2 22 minust halves(sp?)

[stollie_the_goalie]

Oh. Well calculating the totals, I would be facing more shots/minute that you (1.67 shots for me, and 1.48 for you), but it's essentially the same. You're not alone.

[Chasedog]

I never worry about how many shots I face, my league doesn't post it. So the first thing I would do is to look at the goals. What's beating me? Are they straight on shots, one timers, break-aways? Then work with my team to improve all of our skills.

Here's an example I faced recently. Whenever the puck carrier got loose in our zone, the entire team converged on him. Leaving the rest of the other team open. At first I was blamed for being too slow laterally, until I pointed out that four or five goals were coming from one-timers. I got my team to stay with their men and cut off the passes, I worked on my movement and sliding saves. Now, there are a lot less one timers and I'm better at handling them.

The other thing you might work on is conditioning. If you're starting out great, but you let in 3 or 4 soft ones late, you might want to try and get in better shape.

Hang in there!