Many of the GSBB members have seen articles about basic rebound control. Below is an attempt to move past the basics into some advanced approachs to rebound control in a few different steps.
Advanced Rebound Control
Goaltenders have often been compared to a general, the army leader taking the troops to battle, the person who stays calm in the face of attack. As the person teammates look to for confidence and strength, it is important the goaltender is able to read the situation at hand in order to control the flow of the game; to give their team a chance to win. The best way for a goaltender to show they understand the needs of their team is to be able to control their rebounds in a way that controls the pace of the game.
The basic equation of GRC (good rebound control) + GPC (game pacing control) = ICW (increased chance of winning) holds true for a goaltender with advanced rebound control. Since advanced rebound control is an integral part of goaltending an in-depth MTN analysis is required.
The Five Rebound Control Priorities
In almost any practice/game situation a goaltender can encounter a number of different variables that effect how well a rebound is controlled. Despite the possible complications of any situation a goaltender that focuses on the five rebound control priorities, in the order they appear, will have a greater chance for success.
1.
Control the puck at the body. Goaltenders should always strive to control the puck at the body. Controlling the puck at the body may involve an active glove, body traps, or using active stick skills to pull in rebounds for a whistle. The reason a goaltender should strive to control the puck at the body is that it is the safest form of rebound control that allows the goaltender to make a decision whether to freeze the puck for a whistle or safely become involved in the transition. If in doubt… control the puck at the body for a whistle.
2.
Deflect the puck over the glass. By sending the puck over the glass the goaltender has controlled the flow of the game by incurring a whistle. Sending the puck over the glass ensures that the opposition will not get another shot on net making the situation less dangerous. The best tactics to deflect the puck over the glass is to use a strong stick with angle approach, or deflect the puck with the glove, blocker or shoulder.
3.
Deflect the puck into the corner. In the past coaches told their goaltenders to send the rebounds into the corner. The major disadvantage to option three is that the puck is still in play with a strong chance the opposition will gain possession of the puck with a possibility of another scoring situation. A deflection to the corner is best done with the stick (if pulled back into the pads or the shot does not have enough momentum to be deflected over the glass), blocker, or pads (as long as the pad is not too square to the play).
4.
Send the rebound directly back to the shooter. There may be times where the goaltender has a hard time seeing the entire trajectory of a shot or has traffic close to the goalie requiring a square rebound. A square rebound has a trajectory directly back towards the initial shooter. Yes, the attacker may get another shot on goal but, the shooter may miss rebound attempt, rush the shot/panic, and will most likely shoot the puck directly at the goaltender. If the shot is taken immediately the goaltender does not need to panic because they are already in position for the second shot.
5.
Direct the rebound away from the shooter. This may sound similar to the rest of the rebound options but this option requires a more aggressive approach to rebounds. This approach involves sending "hard" rebounds that move too fast for an open player to control or may require the goaltender to direct the puck to a teammate or out of the zone. This option is very advanced as a goaltender must understand the mechanics of rebound control and be able to read a situation very well.
As a goaltender progresses into elite hockey they will begin to understand when and why they use different rebound control tactics with the most important and safest option being control at the body. Now that the goaltender understands different types of rebound control they can now apply some…(to be continued)
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