BE PATIENT: Make The Shooter Come To You

When a player with the puck is preparing to shoot, pass, or skate the puck into a better position, your instincts might tempt you to act quickly. But reacting too soon, without tactical purpose, plays right into their hands. The key is to stay composed, make them commit first, and then react with timely technical execution.

Goalies Don’t Create, They React

Unlike skaters who thrive on creativity—crafting plays, making moves, and setting up scoring chances—goalies succeed by staying disciplined and controlled. The moment you start trying to “guess” what a shooter will do, you step out of your reactive role and into dangerous territory. Overcommitting before the play unfolds can lead to unnecessary net openings and body gaps for the puck to find its way past you.

Instead, your focus should be on reading, processing and reacting. Let the game come to you. By staying patient and reading the situation, you maintain control over your movements and decisions.

Why Patience Is Key in Reacting

When you act too early, you hand the advantage to the shooter. They now have the freedom to exploit the net openings and body gap you’ve created. But when you stay calm and composed, you reduce their options and force them to work harder to beat you.

• Positioning Leads the Way: If you’re centre/square to the puck and at the correct depth in your crease, you’re positionally prepared for whatever the shooter decides. Being in the right spot gives you the confidence to wait.
• Tracking the Play: Reacting effectively means staying focused on the shooter and his movements with the puck, not reacting too soon on what might happen.

Patience Starts in the Mind

Hockey is a fast game, and a player bearing down on you with the puck can make the seconds feel like a lifetime. Staying mentally calm in these moments is essential.

• Trust the Process: Remind yourself that your job isn’t to outthink the shooter but to react to their actions.
• Stay Balanced: Balance is crucial, both physically and mentally. Maintain a stance that is engaged and aggressively balanced that is centered in the shooting lane while keeping your mind calm and focused on reading the play.
• Own Your Crease: Being prepared gives you the confidence to position yourself with tactical effectiveness and react to the play without trying to force it.

Reading the Shooter For Best Reactions

A focused goalie maintains their position, challenging the shooter to make the first move. By staying reactive rather than overly aggressive, you create a better opportunity to maintain control.

• Positional Pressure: Positional commitment can force the shooter to look longer for their best option. Make them use time to think, putting on the pressure to make a play quicker than they want or allowing your teammates to close in and control the play. Your goal is to always be positionally prepared and ready to react.
• Read The Release: Shooters will telegraph their releases to shoot or pass through their body language, stick blade position, and head movements. Train yourself to recognize these cues.

The Power of Patience in Reaction

Goalies who stay reactive are the ones who frustrate shooters the most. By refusing to overplay the situation, you take away their ability to manipulate the play. This forces them into tougher decisions and lowers the odds of success.

Final Thoughts

Being patient and reactive is one of the hardest, yet most valuable, skills a goalie can develop. The next time you’re facing a player ready to make their move, remember your role. You’re not there to create a save situation. You’re there to hold your ground, read the play, and react to what the shooter executes.

Be patient. Make the shooter come to you. Mastering this mindset will elevate your game and turn you into the type of goalie that shooters dread to face.

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