Blog

We just finished up our second camp of the season. We were in Eagan for a three-day, six-hour session. This session was a sell-out with goalies coming to town from 5 different states. (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri).

The goalies worked hard and we could see major improvements in their game by the time they went home on Sunday. And they had a lot of fun too!

We have limited number of spaces remaining in our August and September sessions. Register today for best selection at www.carrollgs.com.

This weekend, we opened our 2012 schedule of goalie camps. It marks the 18th straight summer we have offered programs like this.

I was on the ice all weekend as was my son David and Kevin Galbraith.

I believe if we were not providing high-quality programs, we would not be attracting goalies year after year. Goalies came from as far away as Missouri to be part of our program!

We worked with the goalies
on their skating and movement skills as well as variety of crease movements. We did some drills that focused on gloves and rebound control. We also touched on angles, the butterfly technique and breakaways. We had a lot of fun working with the kids.

Six hours of training over a three-day period is a lot for most of these goalies. But they worked hard and had fun!  We saw noticable improvements in their skills and self-confidence.

Each goalie received a jersey, water bottle, Discount Card to Hockey Giant in Bloomington and souvenir poster from Brian’s goalie equipment.

Our next camp is scheduled for July 13-15 at Eagan.

Learn more by visiting www.carrollgs.com.

 

On Saturday, May 19, I was invited to make a presentation at the USA Hockey Level 4 Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The topic was goaltending.

While I usually present to groups like this in a classroom setting, this clinic was different. Organizers decided to have the goaltending segment part of a 90-minute on-ice clinic. It was pretty slick.

There were more than 100 youth hockey coaches on the ice during this time. They were divided into three groups. One group was taught checking techniques, one group was taught skating skills and one group was taught goaltending concepts. We rotated every 30 minutes.

I had the help of two goalies from the Rochester John Marshall High School boys team who served as demonstrators.  We showed the coaches the basic stance, including catch glove and stick position. We also talked about the butterfly technique and the high school goalies demonstrated some of the lateral movements used by today’s goalies.

After that, we worked on various skating and movement skills. The session also included an opportunity for the coaches to try some of the goalie specific skills.  They worked on forward and backward C-cuts across the ice and also tried doing shuffles and t-pushes. It think it was an eye-opener experience for the coaches who hopefully gained a better understanding of what it takes to be a successful goalie.

Following that workout, we discussed angle play and breakaway tactics. It was an action-packed half-hour…but it think the coaches got a lot out of the session.

I enjoy teaching coaches techniques they can use to help their goalies improve their individual skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gustavus women’s hockey team advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament held March 15-17 in Rochester, New York.  They were one of four teams competing for the national championship. This marked the third straight year the Gusties qualified for the final four.

I am in my 12th year as the goalie coach for this team and had the opportunity to make the trip east.

We played the defending champions from Norwich University in the semifinals and lost a heartbreaker 4-3 in overtime.

The next day we faced off against Plattsburgh State for third place. After trailing most of the game, we rallied to take a 3-2 lead with just over a minute to play. Unfortunately, they pulled their goalie and scored the equalizer with ten seconds left and then won the game early in overtime.

Our team played well all weekend but lost two heartbreakers.

All in all it was a great year for the girls! They won their 9th straight MIAC playoff championship and finished the season with an impressive 24-4-2 record.

 

 

 

 

The Gustavus women’s hockey team will face UW-River Falls on Saturday, March 10 at 2 p.m. in St. Peter in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 NCAA Division III National Tournament.

The Gusties beat Concordia College last Saturday 4-2 to capture their ninth straight MIAC playoff championship. They are now 23-2-2 on the season.

Gustavus defeated the Falcons in the 2011 NCAA Division III quarterfinals to advance to the NCAA Final Four in Rochester, N.Y.

I am in my 12th year as the goalie coach for the team.

 

Carroll Goalie School one of sponsors of this year’s award

MINNEAPOLIS ­­— Let’s Play Hockey newspaper has named the five finalists for the 2012 Let’s Play Hockey Senior Goalie of the Year Award, presented to the top senior girls’ high school hockey goaltender in Minnesota.

The finalists combine for a 1.32 goals-against average, a .941 save and a grade-point average of 3.61. The five finalists for the Let’s Play Hockey Senior Goalie of the Year Award are as follows, in alphabetical order (statistics through the end of the regular season):

Semifinalist                 School                       W-L-T         GAA         SV%         SO         College

Erika Allen                  Roseville Area         16-2-1         0.91         .956         9         Bethel

Madeleine Dahl         Edina                         15-4-6         1.57         .925         4         Union

Madison Denny         Andover                    15-8-0         1.27         .945         5         TBD

Gillian McDonald      Irondale                    18-4-2       1.29           .933        7         UW-River Falls

Taylor Neisen             Breck                         18-2-1       1.56           .945        5               TBD

The winner will be announced at the Ms. Hockey Awards Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 11:30 a.m., at the St. Paul RiverCentre. The Senior Goalie of the Year Award is sponsored by The Carroll Goalie School, Let’s Play Hockey, the Minnesota Wild, Shock Doctor and DCS Image.