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FIVE-HOLE:
The area between the goalieʼs legs or under the goalie (during a save selection). Goalies must
learn to close this space better.
FLOW:
On rushes, and dekes, a goalie must have some backward motion or flow. This flow provides rhythm
and momentum and eliminates being caught flat-footed. Too much or too quick flow forces the goalie too deep
into the crease.
FOCUS:
Simply, seeing the puck well. Too often goalies do not watch the puck to the body and beyond.
Goalies often “look past” the puck, and do not follow it. When the puck “looks like a beach ball” rather than a
“golf ball”, the goalie has the most success.
FRONT DOOR:
When a goalie challenges a shooter, that shooter is considered the “front door”. The goalie
must learn to balance the trade off between “front door” and “back door” through reading the situation.
HALF BUTTERFLY:
Probably the most used save. A “half” is the extension of one pad, while the other pad
firmly supports the body. This should be able to be accomplished while stationary, moving forward, backward,
laterally, from a shuffle, and while turning to remain square using the “Y” theory.
HUGGING THE POST:
The goalieʼs position when the puck is behind the goal line. The goalie must be ready
for a wrap around or quick centering pass.
KILL ZONE:
A semi circular area in front of the net where rebounds are considered to be highly dangerous.
KNEE DRIVE:
The explosive downward thrust of the goaltenderʼs knees when entering a butterfly position.
When done with sufficient power the sound of the knees striking the ice is audible.
NUMBER 1 GOALIE:
The go-to guy. True #1 goalies challenge themselves, they do not need competition from
another. In “big” games they get “bigger”. They give the team a chance to win and thrive on “making a
difference”.
PAD FLARE:
The ability of the goaltender to create a butterfly that is significantly wide when when viewed from
the front. On poor angle shots the pad flare can be purposely constrained.
PADDLE DOWN:
This move properly considers “aerial angle” to be used on some wrap arounds, in tight plays
around the net, etc. Often overused, this is effective when the goalie has defensive pressure and is close
enough to smother the shooter.
PADDLE HEIGHT:
The height of the “fat” part of the goalie stick. The maximum is 26”. Many young goalies use
paddles which are too long and thus negatively effect their stance, and stick use, and often opens the “six-hole”
when making a save selection.
PLANTING “THE BACKFOOT”:
If moving (for example) to the left, when the right foot pushes the goalie in
that direction, yet stays stationary, forcing the goalie to open up, and ultimately end up on his/her rear end.
“READING” THE SITUATION:
The goalieʼs ability to recognize the type of situation and make two important
decisions. . . where to be positioned and what save selection to make.
SAVE SELECTION:
The goalieʼs proper save choice in a given situation.
SHUFFLE:
The goalieʼs skating motion when he/she moves side to side without turning the skates (T-push).
This move is used to consistently stay “square” to the puck. Too often, goalies use shuffles which are too large,
thus opening up the 5-hole or creating trouble in making transition. Smaller shuffles are better.