Playing Goalie Against More Skilled Players

Towards the end of 2019 I started playing goalie in ice hockey. I picked up the sport in 2013 but always played as a skater. I thought playing goalie looked like fun, but there was a high price point to it, and my wife didn't particularly like the idea of people shooting pucks at me. She thinks I'd have to be nuts to want to play goalie, and she might be right.

Outside of COVID, I've been playing in at least 2 leagues. My rink has 2 leagues for adult players.

The Instructional-League (I-League) which is meant for new players who want to pick up the sport. They do 6 weeks of instructional sessions teaching you the basics of skating, and shooting. Then it's 10 weeks of games, once a week. Then it's back to the instructions, and so on and so forth. There are limited sign-ups and if you sign up, you're assigned a team. While it's not always perfect, the GM of the league will shift players around to try to keep the teams and games competitive. And while the teams are not only new skaters, they'll graduate (i.e. kick out and send to the adult league) those who are too advanced a skater. This is the league I play goalie in.

The other league is the adult league (real inventive). This one is divided into multiple divisions based on skill level of the teams. The big difference here is that you choose what team to play for. You do have to find one though, and there are no guarantees of finding a team. I started and captain a team called Bombers in this league in C4, the lowest skilled division. I play as a skater for this team, though I've played goalie from time to time if needed.

As a goalie, I generally stick with I-League as while I have most certainly gotten better over the seven years I've been playing the position, there is a pretty steep skill curve once you get past C3 and C4. At either position, a skater or a goalie, I feel like I'm generally a decent player in these divisions. I'm not a fantastic skater, I'm not going to lead the team in scoring or light up the stats sheet, but that's not really why I play. It's fun to compete. It's fun to go out there on the ice with my teammates, skate our asses off, then enjoy a beer together after the game before heading home, often quite late at night.

But despite my limited skill set as a goalie, I still get asked from time to time to fill in for a team whose goalie couldn't make a game and they're in a bind. Sometimes it's even in higher-skilled divisions where I might be a little out of my element facing skaters who could skate around me without even breaking a sweat.

I'm always honest about my skill level when new teams call. I'm more than willing to play, but I'm not going to be stealing any games (stealing a game means playing so well that you essentially win a game on your own as a goalie when your teammates are outplayed by your opponent). I've never been turned down, but it wouldn't surprise or bother me if I was. I actually kind of appreciate playing at the higher levels as it I think it helps me improve. The shots are harder, more accurate, and the play is a lot faster.

Hockey is still a team sport though, and the defenders in front of me at the higher levels, probably knowing I'm a weaker goalie, step up and help limit the more dangerous opportunities of our opponents. It's also good to know that even with the team helping me, I can still make some solid stops. I'll still let in goals, but I feel like I'm not a complete detriment to the team. I'm always trying to get better, even if only just a tiny bit.