Jill Maser was mentioning the coaching of younsters as goalies, and I
thought I might throw in my two cents.  I have coached both mites and
peewees.  One of the things we stressed to the goalies was positioning
and conditioning, but that applied to all the players. (Sidebar- if you
have never seen mites, it is fun, as the kids tend to cluster around the
puck.  But sometimes they actually stay in their position, and once in a
while the puck comes to them and they score.  This is usually followed by
a comment like " hey, coach, that positioning stuff works!").
  But for goalies, one thing we stressed was that they were a vital part
of the team, therefore the team should make sure the goalie got what they
needed in practice, not just use them as a bullseye.  I would imagine
that this is the type of situation that good coaches at all levels should
use.  We tried to use 3 on 2's, break outs, and other types of drills
that were more likely to occur in the game then just breakaways.
 
Just my thoughts,
 
William Sangrey
Cornell '87&'94
Let's Go RED!!!
 
(P.S.- anyone going to be at UMass for the Holiday tourney next weekend?)
 
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