I know that this subject has been discussed before however i must vent my frustration.
We just got back from evaluating a Midge AAA spring camp and we had one goalie who had very limited stick activation. Always held it high. Outside of the stick /blocker positioning he moved nice, was a good communicator, and transitioned well. However holding his stick up created for goals along the ice under him and scoring blocker side because of the blockers positioning by holding the stick up.
During the evaluation/discussion we had with him afterwards he told us that he was taught to hold his stick high so that he would be big to the shooter and then he could rely on his quickness to drop his stick on the ice when needed.
Goalies and some instructors, we are not trying to stop the shooter from entering the net we are trying to stop the PUCK from entering the net. So lets refocus and remember we play big and square to the puck! Not the shooter!
The sight lines of the puck are more important than the sight lines of the shooter. What the shooter sees will be of little concern if the puck sees nothing.
In some small twist of fate what the shooter sees can actually be used as a puck possession tactic.
When the opponent has the puck our team is trying to get it away from them. So in reality if the puck sees nothing but the shooter believes he has an opening he will shoot. Good positioning on the puck will enhance our ability to control the puck at our body thus giving puck possession to our team.
kinda funny.. because i watched a goalie play the other day.. i think it was a jr c team. or jr b. anyways, the goalie, who wasn't that big, always held his stick up, and dropped it to the ice for each shot. he did this in warmups the whole time.
he didn't start the game so i didn't see him during the game.. but i was lost to why he did that.
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