Eric Carlson asked:
 
>The point is we have two goalies with extremely different sizes and =
>styles.  Now the question I have is, are certain types of goalies better =
>suited to play against some teams than others?  Which ones against which =
>kind of team?  Does anybody else have this great a contrast in two =
>goalies?
 
An example of one style working better against a certain type of team
is the difference in goaltending  between Europeans and North
Americans (many sweeping generalizations to follow). The Euro-style
goalies tend to stay back in the net (Dominik Hasek, Arturs Irbe prime
examples) and be more prone to flop around a bit -- I suspect that
this stems from the greater reluctance of European players to shoot,
hence the higher value to stopping a first shot from in close.  Thus,
a goalie who stays back in the net might fare pretty well against a team
that waits to pull the trigger and emphasizes a flowing, passing
attack with a lot of weaving (if you come out to meet the shooter and
he whips it across the rink to a teammate, you look pretty stupid).
On the other hand, the same goalie might get strafed by a team that
shoots first and asks questions later.
 
In addition, there may be a mental advantage to using a goalie
in a certain situation -- his unorthodox style might surprise
a team that has only seen the 'other' goalie, or it might be
a change of pace from what the opponent saw the night before.
There may also be a mental advantage to using a goalie that has
had success against a certain team (Jason Currie of Clarkson
shutout Princeton three times over two seasons in the early '90s,
even though he shared the chores with Chris Rogles normally).
 
As for a team with a similar contrast, I think Harvard has done
so twice  - first w/Allain Roy and Chuckie Hughes, then with
Tripp Tracy and Aaron Israel (see my post from earlier in the
week for details). How about Denver, with Sinuhe Wallinheimo
and Jim Mullin? RPI's Mike Tamburro and Bryan Masotta? Princeton's
James Konte and Erasmo Saltarelli? All of these pairs offer pretty
stark contrasts in style and physical makeup. In each case, the
backup has been given some starts and made relief appearances this
season.
 
Geoff Howell
Drop the Puck Magazine
 
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