First "real" game tonight - any advice?

[Lucky Pucker]

I have a try out tonight with a Men's +35 team. Perhaps surprisingly to some (maybe less so to others), this will be my first actual game, with officials and whistles and scores being kept. I've only played pick-up/shinny to date.

I'm kind of excited - but mostly nervous as fuck.The 11:15pm start is not ideal either. Strangely, I got the call because while this team has 2 goalies, they both want to play out. To make things better (worse?), they are in 1st place in their division, playing the 2nd place team that lit them up in their last match up.

I knew I wanted to transition into league play, but didn't think I'd get a chance this way, this soon.

Any advice?

[Md30]

They wouldn't have picked you if they didn't like the way you play. Just do what you do. I think you will find it is easier with refs and whistles. Just staying awake for me would be the difficult part. Good luck.

[seagoal]

Best of luck.

Just try to make your scope and your concerns as narrow as possible.  Try to focus only on yourself and what you can control.

You can not control the refs, your D, your F, the number or quality of shots you face, or anything in front of you.

You can control your preparation, your gear, your mind, your emotions, and your choices and your reactions in a game. 

Treat every shot like it is a good one going in / the most important save you'll make in the entire game is the next one.

Also, watch goalie motivation videos on Youtube.  Envision good things happening for you.

Cheers.

[Lucky Pucker]

13 minutes ago, Md30 said:

They wouldn't have picked you if they didn't like the way you play. Just do what you do. I think you will find it is easier with refs and whistles. Just staying awake for me would be the difficult part. Good luck.

Thanks - although they have never even seen me play, so they're really rolling the dice with me - LOL!

It's actually one of the dads from my son's hockey team who asked me, so he has at least seen that I can skate and hold a stick - almost as well as the 7 year olds!

[Punisher Goalie]

Just have fun and be humble. 

[Math.]

Team play is very different.  You (usually) have some kind of defense that wil (or will not) backcheck with a little more heart than your pick-up Ds. 

When you're in a team play set-up, foncus on the shot, always try to be square to the puck and focus on the actual treat of a shot comming at any moment, you can always blame a backdoor play on bad defensive coverage, but it's hardder on the selfesteem to let a soft one in because you cheated too much.

[jayluv54]

24 minutes ago, Lucky Pucker said:

I have a try out tonight with a Men's +35 team. Perhaps surprisingly to some (maybe less so to others), this will be my first actual game, with officials and whistles and scores being kept. I've only played pick-up/shinny to date.

I'm kind of excited - but mostly nervous as fuck.The 11:15pm start is not ideal either. Strangely, I got the call because while this team has 2 goalies, they both want to play out. To make things better (worse?), they are in 1st place in their division, playing the 2nd place team that lit them up in their last match up.

I knew I wanted to transition into league play, but didn't think I'd get a chance this way, this soon.

Any advice?

Relax, league games are easier than pickup.  D is better(usually), less prime scoring chances/cherry picking/odd-man rushes, 3 guys won't be camped out backdoor, etc...  

One little tip that I remember from back when I first started and transitioned from just playing pickup to league games...when you cover the puck or the puck gets lost in your gear, DON'T MOVE until the ref blows the whistle.  Sounds like a no brainer, but I didn't realize how quickly I would release a puck or shake one out that died in my gear in pickup games until I automatically did it in a league game before the ref blew it dead and you can guess how that story ended...good way to make sure you don't get asked to sub again...lol.

[Lucky Pucker]

2 minutes ago, jayluv54 said:

Relax, league games are easier than pickup.  D is better(usually), less prime scoring chances/cherry picking/odd-man rushes, 3 guys won't be camped out backdoor, etc...  

One little tip that I remember from back when I first started and transitioned from just playing pickup to league games...when you cover the puck or the puck gets lost in your gear, DON'T MOVE until the ref blows the whistle.  Sounds like a no brainer, but I didn't realize how quickly I would release a puck or shake one out that died in my gear in pickup games until I automatically did it in a league game before the ref blew it dead and you can guess how that story ended...good way to make sure you don't get asked to sub again...lol.

I have so many opposite team skaters squatting in the blue paint some games... but I guess that's my bad for being out of position from making the 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd save on the initial odd-man rush - LOL!

YES! That thought had crossed my mind, as it sorta happened in my pick up game last week. Guy knocked it in after I moved a bit, but everyone booed him, and it didn't count - but it would have in a game!

[old but slow]

Just an FYI, don't think of it as a try out! you have a game tonight, nothing more. 

My mantra playing with new teams or leagues is as follows, as the puck enters the zone I speak to myself " oh ****,oh****,oh****,oh****" until I make the save or pressure is releeved then a loud **** if it goes in or a quiet phew as it goes the other way. It's a great way to judge the confidence level as the "oh****'s " get less and less as the game goes.

seriously, go have fun and let us know how it goes.

[Math.]

20 minutes ago, old but slow said:

Just an FYI, don't think of it as a try out! you have a game tonight, nothing more. 

My mantra playing with new teams or leagues is as follows, as the puck enters the zone I speak to myself " oh ****,oh****,oh****,oh****" until I make the save or pressure is releeved then a loud **** if it goes in or a quiet phew as it goes the other way. It's a great way to judge the confidence level as the "oh****'s " get less and less as the game goes.

seriously, go have fun and let us know how it goes.

Can relate!

[seagoal]

26 minutes ago, old but slow said:

Just an FYI, don't think of it as a try out! you have a game tonight, nothing more. 

My mantra playing with new teams or leagues is as follows, as the puck enters the zone I speak to myself " oh ****,oh****,oh****,oh****" until I make the save or pressure is releeved then a loud **** if it goes in or a quiet phew as it goes the other way. It's a great way to judge the confidence level as the "oh****'s " get less and less as the game goes.

seriously, go have fun and let us know how it goes.

Haha, this is great.

I've told myself before on certain guys:

There's no making saves on this guy. The puck is either going to hit me or not. Next time he gets the puck, close your eyes and hope for the best.

[Lucky Pucker]

1 hour ago, old but slow said:

Just an FYI, don't think of it as a try out! you have a game tonight, nothing more. 

My mantra playing with new teams or leagues is as follows, as the puck enters the zone I speak to myself " oh ****,oh****,oh****,oh****" until I make the save or pressure is releeved then a loud **** if it goes in or a quiet phew as it goes the other way. It's a great way to judge the confidence level as the "oh****'s " get less and less as the game goes.

seriously, go have fun and let us know how it goes.

Really appreciate this, OBS! I think this resonated with a few of us - lol! 

I think you’re right; I simply have a game tonight. I’ve been feeling better about it since reading your post and thinking about it that way (and better still since cracking a beer!) Cheers for that.

 

[SaveByRichter35]

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

[creasecollector]

Nice! Happy for ya! Let us know how it goes!

You probably won't see this before the game, but when I took a few years off and started by just playing shinny again for a year and a half to get my game/conditioning back, I had to make the adjustment back to league play, so I sort of know what you're feeling. I've played in leagues growing up and all that, but getting back into it was .... different for sure. I needed to play certain situations the "right" way, instead of falling back into my shinny/pickup bad habits can appear in any goalie from time-to-time. Also, the puck smothering thing was a big thing for me, too. When you get a hold of the puck, just hold it instead of passing it out or flipping it back in play. It can cost you, haha. 

I think once you get more comfortable, you'll enjoy league a heck of a lot more and learn to live with the nerves. There is more structure in the game (usually, i mean it is beer league after all) and while freaky goals and stuff are always going to happen, it's a tad more predictable as far as the plays go or when you get familiar with certain teams and their tendencies.

Eventually, you'll find yourself trusting your team more and relying on your skillset to drive your play throughout the season, and making adjustments/improving and all that, instead of finding out how many 3-on-0's you'll face during a shinny skate and hoping for the best. 

Anyways, best of luck in your very first game. Keep plugging away! Winning as part of a team is a fantastic feeling. Hoping you get your first Win tonight  

[Lucky Pucker]

Appreciate all the replies; a lot of the tips and thoughts were in my thinking while on the ice.

We lost 4-2, but I was very happy (and relieved) with my performance. One goal I should have had, as it was a classic drag across the crease and slide through the five hole that I didn’t paddle down quick enough on - and I knew he was going to do it, too! But one was a perfect pass to a guy camped out at the back door (and I only missed getting a skate/pad to it by a few inches). Another was a clean breakaway that he beat my high blocker on, and the other was a 1 in a million no look bank pass from behind the net that I nevevr saw. So I figure 2 or 3 I had no chance on. 

Plus, that same night, Carey Price let in 4, so that makes me as good as him, because: math. And science.

[RichMan]

So, the question that begs right now is...did you sign the contract?

[coopaloop1234]

You can have my Keurig machine. 

It's just collecting dust in a spare bedroom

[Lucky Pucker]

55 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

You can have my Keurig machine. 

It's just collecting dust in a spare bedroom

Aw! Thanks dude! 

One small question though; WTF does that have to do with this thread...? Oh wait - it’s my signing bonus, right? Beats a team jacket, am I right, Gordie...? 

[coopaloop1234]

3 hours ago, Lucky Pucker said:

Aw! Thanks dude! 

One small question though; WTF does that have to do with this thread...? Oh wait - it’s my signing bonus, right? Beats a team jacket, am I right, Gordie...? 

What in tarnation. 

I posted this in the goal nets thread... Either in an idiot or a mod is messing with me.

[Lucky Pucker]

18 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

What in tarnation. 

I posted this in the goal nets thread... Either in an idiot or a mod is messing with me.

No worries, Coop; I had seen the coffee thread, so it sorta made sense. Sometimes the interwebs is tough. Wait... I mean the interwebs are tough.

English is tough too - LOL!

[Lucky Pucker]

On 12/16/2018 at 12:42 PM, RichMan said:

So, the question that begs right now is...did you sign the contract?

Well, they're deliberating over the holidays. Before deciding if they will let me play nets, they wanted to know if I would be willing to play out once in a while, so that if the other goalie on the team who plays out suddenly wanted to play nets, I could replace him.

You can't make this shit up.

[RichMan]

5 hours ago, Lucky Pucker said:

Well, they're deliberating over the holidays. Before deciding if they will let me play nets, they wanted to know if I would be willing to play out once in a while, so that if the other goalie on the team who plays out suddenly wanted to play nets, I could replace him.

You can't make this shit up.

terrible gig! that's like showing up to drop-in hockey, only to find out you're the 3rd goalie there

[Imperative]

Kind of a weird situation to be thrown into, being the third goalie and the other two want to play out. Honestly in a game you don’t really want to be thinking a whole lot just reading the play and reacting. If you are feeling like you are tensing up do some deep breathing to relax yourself.