The Spirit of I-League?

Last week, I missed out on the happenings at our rink so that I could go to Lubbock and get beat by my baby sister in a foot race. So I needed to find a few people to cover my games. The Patriots all ready have a stand-by goalie on the roster, Doug Phillips, who ordinarily plays wing. It would not be a problem for him to pull out his old gear and act as my substitute. The Diggers on the other hand were not so fortunate.

Without a win on their record (yet) and no other guy with a set of pillows in the closet, it looked like they would face a difficult situation. But no, coordinator Bob Sirkis has the burning urge to fill the net.


Bob's son plays goalie in the mites (I think) and he decided he should give it a try, just to see what his little guy has to deal with. He let me in on his plan, and I was more than happy to loan out my sack-o-biohazard for the weekend. I had a pair of shorter pads hanging in the garage, the rest of the stuff would be close enough to fit for one night, except of course the cup, ahem. Donning a hodge-podge mix of older and newer equipment he hit the ice.


I have been trying to encourage the development of goalies in our league with little more than a nominal effort in practice sessions from skaters, some don't get any further than just asking about equipment, and techniques, and whether or not it hurts.


The equipment is really not very heavy, you get used to the bulk of it and learn to move within the parameters of it, hopefully utilizing every square inch in the process. When it comes to techniques, there are plenty of books and videos and whatever to aid in that. I am not the picture of technique, that's for sure, but whatever it takes to stop the puck (safely) is the key to goaltending. Technique changes from year to year in goaltending, some of the biggest innovations come from people who either broke the rules or played unconventionally, so make it work for you. Does it hurt? Not usually, in this league, if you are ever fortunate enough to spar with a really talented shooter, and actually stop a shot you will have respect for Turco and all the pros, where every shot is harder than the hardest shot you will ever see on a Saturday night. Making a desperation save in the NHL is often painful, despite the equipment. There is about three inches of padding in my leg pads and I have worked with guys before that make my shins sting, that's pretty amazing. Meaning, even a save that you are set for can leave a bruise.


So how did the experience go for Mr. Sirkis? He had a good time. It surprises me when people tell me how tiring it is to play net. I have read that you lose eight pounds in just one game. Bob claims he lost fifteen, we'll see. It gets hot in that gear and as Bob found the only thing you can do is skate around in circles during play stoppages to cool-off. Did you wonder why those guys are wandering around back there? He also learned to hold still until the whistle. The first shot wedged itself between his left arm and his chest, when he turned his body to look behind for the puck, it fell into the net. I know what a downer it can be to allow a goal on the first shot. . . and the second. But mainly it was about perspective, you have to follow the action through the bodies in front of you, always at the ready. A shot can come at any moment, so that tension builds in your stance until that shot finally heads your way. That sudden release of the puck fills you with such urgency, especially if it catches you by surprise, so that even the slowest shot can seem like a lightning bolt.


Perhaps the most difficult part of playing goal is that no matter how good you play, you can't score a goal and win the game yourself. It isn't much fun to see your forwards struggle all night and then you go and allow a goal against.

I was very proud of Bob for giving it a go. He doesn't think he'll become a regular, in fact he doesn't think he'll play net again until next session, maybe.








If anyone else is interested, drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to help.