goal covers

[nick]

I play 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 hockey w/my friends and it is too easy to score. We were planning on puting some plywood with some holes cut out in front of the goals. Has anybody done this before? If so, does it work well? what kind of wood is the best?

-Nick

[PUMC_TomG]

Yeah, it works well. They sell shooting screens, but they are fabric and rip. I recommend a sheet of plywood. Particle board also works, but it will not hold up as well. We cut a piece of .5 in plywood so that it matched the dimensions of the goal front. Then with a jigsaw we cut out corners with I think about a 8 in or a 10 in radius. We also cut a small hole center and about a third way up where the goalie would have his legs apart. Then we drilled holes equidistant 2 at each side and two at the top. We threaded some nylon rope through these to tie the board to the post. If you want you can even paint a goalie on the board. It works real well and makes sure you don't accept anything but reasonable shots during pickup or practices. Hope this helps!!!

[xport_urself]

Yeah plywood is good. I also play hockey on the street with my friends and we usually use those large orange cones which work just as good.
laterz

[straybullet007]

I've made numerous devises like this (from chicken wire covers to plywood goalies). From experience I do not recommend using plywood. The instant you rip a shot off the edge of the plywood it starts to splinter and break apart. Also, unless you keep the thing indoors, it will warp and deteriorate. If you do end up using a plywood cut out, I suggest re-enforcing the edges with stuff like two-by-fours, etc.
Another technique for spicing things up, would be to say 'screw the cover' and just hang cans, balls, milk jugs, etc. from the crossbar at various heights. Then you play by saying the only way a goal counts is if you nail one of the targets. We've found this method to be the easiest and most satisfying.

[nick]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll get some plywood this weekend.


-Nick

[89inRed]

You could play post/crossbar. This is where a goal only counts if you hit the post or the crossbar. It isn't much fun unless you are shooting on a steel goal and you get the "ping" when you score. You can actually train your brain to like that sound (but you might end up always hitting the posts, even when a goalie is in net).