Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1215906
B ET W E E N T H E P I P ES P R E S E N T E D B Y BOOKS k There is no such thing as a backup goalie in youth hockey. Our job as youth hockey coaches is not to identify and play the best 12-year-old, but rather to develop all athletes on our team. The recommendations below are based upon research conducted on age appropriate training. 8 & Under – Every athlete on the team should play every position. With the new Try Goalie Gear, athletes can transition from player to goalie in around 40 seconds. This allows for playing goal in shifts instead of a full-game commitment. The new 51 in 30 Hat Trick will be a goal, an assist and a shut out all in the same game. 10 & Under – Goalies switch at the halfway point of each period. Alternate from game to game which goalie plays the first half of the period and who plays the second half. The benefits are that the coaches can now coach and communicate with the goalie after their shift. Sharing the game also has psychological benefits as it isn't as mentally taxing as playing the entire game. 12/14 & Under – Goalies switch at the halfway point of the game. Alternate which goalie starts the game and which one goes in halfway through. Flipflop who starts from game to game. This allows for the goalies to work on staying focused for longer stretches of time as they get older. 15 & Older – Goalies play full games in tour- naments but still split regular-season games. Alternate which goalie would play in the cham- pionship game of the tournament, should the team make it. Play your best goalie in the postseason tournament if one has earned the starting job. If you're coaching a competitive team it's important to teach athletes to be competi- tive. A goalie who didn't earn the starting job that season will have a full year to work on his or her skills to try and earn the job the following league or state tournament. AGE-APPROPRIATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALTERNATING GOALIES GOALIE DRILL OF THE MONTH Starman Two Goalie Stick Save 16 // MARCH 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM STARTING 'EM YOUNG AS A GOALIE AND A READER k As the wife of a professional goaltender, Kellie Lamoureux knows a thing or two about the challenges and the allure of the position. When she looked around at libraries and bookstores she noticed a lack of children's books about hockey, and even fewer about goaltending. That's why Lamoureux has written and illustrated "Inside The Net," a fun-to-read tale that takes youngsters on a journey of how rewarding it feels to be a goaltender while highlighting the topics of hard work, coachability and teamwork. Lamoureux's husband, Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, is currently in his 12th professional season, including the last nine in Austria. Her sisters-in-law, Jocelyn and Monique, were members of the gold medal-winning U.S. Women's Olympic Team in 2018. You can find "Inside The Net," at Amazon.com. By Steve Thompson GOALIE TERMS THAT COUNT Equipment Confidence: The mental state of a goalie that allows him to know that the equipment will not let him down. For example, the arm pads protect the goalie well on high shots and the goal pads are not "overpowered" by the puck when closing the five-hole. Goalies and goalie coaches use a precise language to communicate. Here is another term to help parents, coaches and young goalies speak the same language. OBJECTIVE: This drill offers multiple goalies the opportunity to practice con- trolling rebounds and reacting to deflections. ORGANIZATION: Place an additional net on an angle behind the goal line facing the middle net. A coach sets up in the high slot with pucks. Have goalies positioned in each of the two nets. On the coach's command, the center goalie pushes off the post to get on the angle at base depth (top of the crease) and sets his/her feet pri- or to the shot. He/she uses a good stick to deflect the puck toward the other goal- ie's net. The second goalie reacts to the deflected puck with a butterfly save. Both goalies track the puck all the way and cover any available rebound. Each goalie gets five reps and then switch nets. Count the number of goals each goalie scores. VARIATION: Use tennis balls or add a rebounder. Add a third net (as shown in the diagram) and position a goalie on the other side.