Where to start? A lot of questions!

[TJordan522]

Hey guys,

When I was in high school, I played in 2 different roller hockey leagues as a goalie. They weren't a very big deal, but they were a lot of fun. Goalies didn't even have to wear skates, and we played with a ball, not a puck.

Anyway, I'm now going to be a junior in college and I really miss playing organized hockey, so I'm going to attempt to learn how to play some serious inline hockey and maybe get to play a game or two for my college.

It's not going to be easy, especially being I've never played goal on skates before, but I'm going to work really hard this summer to try to get myself to a somewhat respectable point. I used to be pretty good (at least in the little in town leagues I participated in), but now I'm starting at square one and I'm a little overwhelmed.

So, I have a lot of questions I need some help with!

First of all, equipment. I'm not looking for anything top of the line, just enough to get started with.

I just bought myself a pair of Tour Redline goalie skates online, and they're on their way in the mail. I made sure to try them on at a local store for size first.

The mask I used to play ball hockey surely won't stand up to repeated shots from a puck, but luckily I already have an Itech ice hockey mask. Unfortunately, I'm used to playing with the cat eye cage, which this doesn't have. Is the cat eye cage allowed on goalie masks in the NCRHA?

Leg pads are my biggest concern. Throughout my years of playing goalie, I've used those Franklin street pads with the plastic panels on them, so they slide really well on the outdoor rinks I used to play in. What type of pads should I be looking for that would work well on an inline rink? From the photos I've seen, it looks like a lot of the goalies use ice hockey pads, but I don't really know what kind to look for. Are there any that you would recommend? I doubt any of them slide very well, but are there any that "stick" to the surface less than others?

As for a blocker and glove, I think I'm good in that department, I'll just pick up a set that matches my leg pads.

As for the other equipment, what would you guys recommend? Chest protectors, goalie pants, etc. I used to use the Tour Lexur 304, but that doesn't provide too much protection. I'd have welts on my arms every now and then, and I know from the few times I've played around with a puck that they pack a lot more punch than the balls do. As for goalie pants, I just used some cheap Franklin player pants I found. Obviously, that won't cut it for puck hockey, will it? Is there any other equipment I should look into?

Thanks in advance for your help and for reading my ridiculously long post!!

[TJordan522]

So I've been doing some Googling and I came across the Mission Soldier goalie pads. Would you recommend these as good pads to start off with?

[imasieve30]

I think the Soldier line would be fine if you are just getting back into it and have a small budget. Its a relatively inexpensive way to get properly equipped for puck hockey and if you stick with it, you can upgrade easily because you didn't break the bank on gear you might not like in the first place.

I would highly recommend a pair of goalie pants and a goalie cup, pucks can find gaps in the pads of player pants.

I'd also recommend trying on some different chest protectors first to see what you like. For me, this is one of the most important pieces of equipment. Some are designed to be bulky and cover a lot of area (ie; very protective) and some are less bulky but more mobile (ie; less protective).

I'm not familiar with all the college teams and divisions out there but who would you be playing with? Skill level of the players can also be a factor when determining what equipment to buy.

Since you have the mask part covered, I'd start with a good, comfortable chest protector, pair of pants and cup and work my way out from there.

-Joe

[TJordan522]

Hey Joe,
Thanks for your help! Are there any other brands of leg pads you would recommend?
Thanks again,
Jordan

[TJordan522]

Also, I've been seeing goalie knee pads...what are these used for, do you wear them under your pads? Should I consider getting them?

[Tekkaman]

Go check out hockeygiant.com they have great sales on goalie equipment all the time. If your looking for a set of leg pads the aren't too much and won't fall apart, i'd go with a pair of mission helium elite pads. I think they run for $190 and the glove($80) and blocker($40) are on sale too if you want the full set.

[imasieve30]

Also, I've been seeing goalie knee pads...what are these used for, do you wear them under your pads? Should I consider getting them?

The knee pads are used to protect the areas of your knees that might get exposed to the puck when you are down and moving around the crease.

In Pro ice, goalies aren't allowed to use thigh boards (flat boards that come attached or can be added to the inside of the leg pad near the top of the knee cradle to protect the gap between the inside of your pads and the bottom of your pants) so instead they wear knee pads.
I personally don't wear knee guards but have gotten hit there on occasion and wish I was when it happened!

As far as a brand of pad, I have personally been wearing Mission for a very long time now and hold these pads in pretty high regard. They aren't built with the same quality that a true pro ice pad might be, but they hold up fine for roller and ice nonetheless. The model and price of the pad should give you a good idea of what level they are created for. At their price point if you get several seasons out of them before they break down, I would consider that a pretty reasonable deal. What kinda budget are you working with?

-Joe

[TJordan522]

The knee pads are used to protect the areas of your knees that might get exposed to the puck when you are down and moving around the crease.

In Pro ice, goalies aren't allowed to use thigh boards (flat boards that come attached or can be added to the inside of the leg pad near the top of the knee cradle to protect the gap between the inside of your pads and the bottom of your pants) so instead they wear knee pads.
I personally don't wear knee guards but have gotten hit there on occasion and wish I was when it happened!

As far as a brand of pad, I have personally been wearing Mission for a very long time now and hold these pads in pretty high regard. They aren't built with the same quality that a true pro ice pad might be, but they hold up fine for roller and ice nonetheless. The model and price of the pad should give you a good idea of what level they are created for. At their price point if you get several seasons out of them before they break down, I would consider that a pretty reasonable deal. What kinda budget are you working with?

-Joe

I'd like to spend as little as possible...as a college student, you can imagine how small my budget it!

But with that said, I don't want to buy complete crap. I'd be willing to spend a bit more for better quality. Should I look into the Mission Heliums over the Mission Soldiers?

[imasieve30]

The Heliums are last years model so you may be able to get a great pad at a discounted price since it has been replaced by this years model (Soldier/Lieutenant/Boss).

Aside from that, the Helium line is a 12 inch wide pad and I believe the Soldier, Lieutenant and Boss are 11 inches wide (NHL Spec).

I'm not sure if colleges require you to follow strict equipment specs but I don't believe that currently they do.

If you can get the Heliums at a cheaper price then the Soldier/Lieutenant/Boss pads I would pick them up because your getting a slightly wider pad as well.

Looks like hockeygiant.com offers the Helium Elite seniors for $10 less then the Soldier.

-Joe

[whalercane]

For what it's worth, you can often times find a really good quality senior level or even pro level set of pads on Ebay or the classified section on goaliestore.com for the same price range as a new set you might find on goaliemonkey or hockeygiant.


If you're just getting started in puck hockey, Joe's mostly right that you may as well go with a relatively inexpensive Mission set because if you wind up not liking them, no biggy- just replace them with a higher quality set down the line. However, I'm saying that you might be able to find a used set of Rbk 8ks or Vaughn Velo's (just for instance) on Ebay in the same price range as the Missions are new. Matter of fact, you can often find a steal on pro-return, Div1 college or JrA pads on the 'bay or the classified section of the site I mentioned above.

The main benefits to going with used equipment are that you don't have to worry about break-in time and you are also getting a REALLY good quality piece/set for as low a cost as possible.

-Ryan