Another New Guy

[Trap29]

Like the title says, I'm new to the Battram family. I grew up in Northern WI and played goal for a few years (Bantam-Highschool). I joined the Air Force and sold all of my gear. Here it is 10 years later and I've picked up a set of "New To Me" gear but I didn't really care for the leg pads I picked up (Sherwood 9980's) So I picked up a set of 34+3 Fury's from Gators76. He shipped them yesterday and I'm like a kid waiting for x-mas morning!!! I'll try to comment on the pads when I get them. He used them for the last 6-8 months and I plan on putting them to good use in my first league game in ten years next Tuesday night :o:D.

[Frozendisc]

Welcome to the board Trap29.....and thanks for your service, (ret. Brig. here) You will find this board a great source for anything that is goalie oriented. Battram gear is fantastic, and if you ever buy new, the Battrams are the best to work with.

[Trap29]

Thanks for the welcome Sir; I've got 10 down 10+ to go. I'm sure I'll be in and out of here picking everyone's brains about gear, technique, and more. A lot has changed since I last played in net. No more are the goalies that rely purely on angles, reflexes and flexibility.

[Gregan]

Welcome Trap!

[Frozendisc]

I don't know Trap.....Angles are still SUPER important, and quick reflexes are always good to have, being flexible is something I wish I had more of......just too old now. The thing that has changed most for you is the up and down that goes with the butterfly style most goalies use today.

[Trap29]

I've skated a few organized drop-in's in the area and my angles aren't too bad. I have been trying to get used to using the butterfly a little more (slides and such). I realized that I made up a lot of technical flaws w/ my quick reflexes and flexibility. I could do the full splits both ways before I headed off to basic. Not so much anymore :D

The league I play in locally is called the Scott Hockey League (named after Scott AFB). We have 6 teams and do a full draft every session (10 games plus playoffs). Like I wrote earlier, I've decided to take the plunge and jump back in goal. To be honest I never thought anyone would draft me considering I'm one of the better defensemen in the league. Guess I was wrong. I've got my first game Tuesday night :| It should be interesting to say the least.

We'll see... Anyone have any tips outside of stay on angle, get some depth, and play my heart out? I plan on sitting down w/ my D before the game to let them know I won't be playing the puck very much (I'm a righty skating out and lost the feel for shooting lefty) other than that all should be peachy right? :D

[Gregan]

What do you mean by get some depth?

Some of the really basic stuff I focus on to keep my head in the game:
= Keep your gloves in front of you so you can see them,
= Keep your eye on the puck,
= Come out and challenge the shooter when you know they are going to shoot the puck (take a step forward when they wind up)
= Keep that stick active and block passes and poke check when ever possible.

And above all... HAVE FUN!

[Frozendisc]

Good to have an understanding with your D, they need to know how you want it played.....IE: I am staying in the crease, you get it every time.....Other than that, I would say be patient....play relaxed....let the play come to you....Good luck to you, and take the time to remember to have fun, enjoy it.....

[Trap29]

Gregan, by depth I was talking about coming out to challenge and cut down the angles like you sugested. I'm pretty sure after that first shot durring warm ups I'll be fine. I'm the type of person that's pretty impossible to get worked up. Having fun won't be a problem. I'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes. Oh yeah, I just looked at the schedule and we're playing the "best on paper" team first game. Might as well!!!

Thanks again for the tips guys.

[Sprawl]

welcome to GLBB! Congrats on getting back to the sport and Thank you for your service time. Hope your gear gets there soon, Can't wait to see pictures mate!

[Trap29]

Well guys,

My first game back and...

It was a bust, we lost 8-4. :mad:

No worries though it wasn't a total loss on my part. I learned a few things.

Here's the rundown:
I showed up at the rink good and early and remembered how to put my gear on :D All in all I was feeling pretty loose and fairly comfortable. I decided (maybe against my better judgement) to use the new to me Battram Fury's w/ out skating in them prior to the game.

Warmups: While stretching a little bit and dropping to do some b-flys I noticed that the pads (34 +2) fit my natural butterfly perfect. So at that point I was feeling pretty good about my decision to wear the fury's then it happened. I went to B-Fly slide after taking a round of shots and I damn near ended up in the corner :eek:. So I thought this might take a minute to get used to.

1st Period: I face a few decent shots in the opening minutes and my team manages to score the first goal on the first shot about 5 minutes in. I was like alright, we might have a shot. I was wrong... We went short handed for 4 straight minutes due to a few cheap penalties. The other team scored on a good one-timer from the hash marks up over my left shoulder, I managed to whip my glove up and get a piece of it w/ the cuff of my glove. The puck went off of the crossbar dropped right behind my right pad, I had no idea where it went and ended up nocking it in looking for it :( They ended up scoring again before the end of the 1st, a perfect pass to a wide open guy on the backdoor that I thought my D had (wouldn't have mattered anyway). Come to find out this was a taste of things to come :(. Score 2-1 still in it, getting tired but feeling pretty good.

2nd Period: The other team picked up a powerplay about 2 minutes into the second and scored another goal a carbon copy of the back door goal from the first. My team answered back pulling us back to 3-2 one goal down not too bad. I remember looking up at the board about 3 minutes into the 2nd and shots were 27-12. The 4th goal the "bad guys" picked up was 100% my fault (I didn't seal up the post w/ my skate on a goal line shot that got shoved home after 2-3 tries). Goal 5 was scored from the edge of the crease on a shot from the point that my D nocked down and lost in his skates.

3rd Period: The third went by in a blur mostly due to extreme exhaustion and utter frustration. My team managed to put up two goals (I'm not sure when) and the bad guys put 3 in one on a 3 on 1, one on another blocked shot in the slot that I got impatient and tried to poke check after yelling feet 4 or 5 times, and one on a break away where the guy knifed accross the crease and shot back against the grain (it was a great shot).

Final score was 8-4
Shots were 44-25
My starting GAA 8 :o

All in all a great learning experience (damn I hate loosing). I managed to keep two of the 3 "shooters" on thier team to 1 goal combined (something they hated). My team said I played well and it was thier fault :rolleyes:. I know I had my head up my @$$ a few times and have plenty to work on... I guess all I can say is I can only go up from here.

P.S.
Scott,
If you've managed to actually read this far, I wanted to say that you make some great pads. I love them a hundred times more than my 9980's although I may have to put some sandpaper on the calf and knee wings to keep me from shooting myself into the corner on slides :D

[Scott Battram]

Sounds like you had some fun getting back into the net!

Again, I cant remember all the real names that go with the handles on here... what pads were your pads Trap?? We have done so many in the last couple months even I am having a hard time remembering what we did in the last week!

[Trap29]

Sounds like you had some fun getting back into the net!

Again, I cant remember all the real names that go with the handles on here... what pads were your pads Trap?? We have done so many in the last couple months even I am having a hard time remembering what we did in the last week!


Scott the name is Ty, however, I picked the pads up used from T.J. McPhearson. They are Black, Silver, Silver weave. 34 +2's. You'll most likely have an order form w/ my name on it in a few months for a set of gloves to fit my hands... Until then... I'll be enjoying my "new to me" Fury's.

[Frozendisc]

Trap29.....sounds like you had your hands full as your team tired. Giving up eight goals always feels bad, but it is a TEAM sport, and blame can be shared, or is it should be shared?
The more you play, the better you will get with the slide, and I suspect sandpaper will not be needed....LOL