A tactic is a strategy. A strategy is used to mitigate the risk of attack. A tactic is made up of individual skills which when assembled form a strategic response. Developing a strategy for different situations, and the ability to recognize and anticipate them developing, is a crucial step in the development of a goaltenders game. This issue we will cover tactical responses to net play – passouts.
Net play: passouts
Passouts can be broken down into passouts into the low slot and into the high slot.
Furthermore, passouts can be further broken down by corridor, nearside, mid-ice and farside.
The main difference between the low versus high passout is the time available to reposition. In the case of a low, or shallow passout, the goalie has very little time to respond. However, for the astute goalie, there are also benefits. Since there is little time and space for a response, there is also little time and space for the offensive player.
A vital rule of thumb pertaining to time is simple. When time is limited, prioritize angle even if this is all that can be achieved. Therefore, on a shallow passout, the goalie must drive towards the center of the net protecting the low, middle portions. A butterfly slide towards the middle is the classic response in these cases.
Ice awareness is, again, critical to tactical success. The ability to facilitate the required coverage is much easier when the goalie can anticipate the play. With good awareness of one’s slot, the goalie can make a fluid, compact move to the center.
On higher, or deep, passouts, the goalie has more time and can fulfill more of the positional equation. Remember, positioning is made up of angle, depth and body. With time, the goalie ought to be able to fulfill all of these items. So, when faced with a deep passout, the goalie can often move directly to full position.
When it comes to the corridor impact of passout positioning, the key variable is positional sequence. Goalies seek to combine angle, body and depth positioning in a powerful way to repel attacks. In brief, a nearside passout will have depth priority. A mid-ice passout will have a combined angle/depth priority and a farside passout will have an angle priority.
Rule of thumb
When facing a shallow passout, the goalie requires strong awareness plus a prioritization of center coverage.
The goalie must facilitate their down play in a manner that allows for strong, low, middle coverage.
In the case of a deeper passout, the goalie has additional time and can be more aggressive on the play. In no circumstance can this more aggressive positioning be at the expense of angle positioning.
For more info, contact Brady Robinson, GDI’s B.C. regional manager, at 604-219-9254 or brobinson@gdihockey.com |