By Sean Murray /
Mid-net positioning ensures the goaltender will be square to the shooter consistently. In this issue, we will also explain the theory of “position before depth” that is often taught to today’s goaltenders.?
One of the biggest changes you will see from watching a goalie of today as a goaltender from 10 years ago and beyond is where they stand when the play is at the far end of the ice.
Today you will notice that the goaltenders will remain in their mid-net position (Pic 1) right up until the player enters the blue line whereas before the goalie used to stand outside the crease area before the player had entered the offensive zone.?
The change was made because when you use the old method of staying outside your crease two major negatives can occur to the goalie.
First off, if you are already out what ends up happening is as soon as the player enters the blue line, the goaltender used to back in or fade back into the crease, giving the shooter more net to shoot at.
Secondly, if the player cuts across or makes a cross-ice pass, the goalie will quickly lose their position as they will not be sure where the net is behind them and therefore not be in perfect position.?
With mid-net positioning, the goalie will always maintain a proper attack (Pic 2) and therefore be square, and can set their edges (Pic 3) to eliminate fading back into the goal, while maintaining optimum net coverage.
After there is no threat for a shot, the goalie must always return to their mid-net position to maintain proper position on each shot and to also be able to know how much he/she can challenge the shooter or stay back if there is a back door play possible.
This brings us to our final point on this issue of “position before depth.”?
PBD is when you must adjust your attack or challenge towards the player with the puck as there is an open player back door or cross ice.
The key is you have to situate yourself between both players because if you challenge too much it is an easy tap in goal with a pass therefore your PBD read of the play must kick in to give yourself a chance to make both the straight shot and the pass.
Sean Murray is the owner of Pro-Formance Goalie Schools Inc. and is the goaltending consultant for the Vancouver Giants, UBC T-Birds and also works for Hockey Canada.
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