Goalie: Roller to Ice

[number55]

I am a roller goalie who is looking to transition to ice. I am wondering if there are others who have done the same who can give me any pointers/advice to help smooth the transition.

Any advice at all is appreciated.

[whalercane]

I am a roller goalie who is looking to transition to ice. I am wondering if there are others who have done the same who can give me any pointers/advice to help smooth the transition.

Any advice at all is appreciated.

I'm one of the group of people who you'll find on this forum that went in the other direction (ice to inline). I transitioned to inline because, while I still get on the ice from time to time, inline's way less expensive to play in general (pads cost less and last longer, pay-to-play fees are less, etc) and it's easier to find a high-ish level of competition playing inline at the adult level than it is on the ice.

Now, with all that mumbo jumbo under the bridge, here's what I would say to expect moving from the sport-court to the frozen rink:

1) Balance is significantly different because the contact area of inline wheels is exponentially wider than a skate blade- if you're not used to being on the ice, you will want to skate out for a bit to sort of get your barings before hopping right in net because balance is so key in goal (as you know).

2) Lateral movement- this is difficult to do inline because of how much friction is caused between your pads/skates and the surface you play on. When you're on the ice, friction is basically non-existent and therefore makes lateral movement much easier and cleaner. I actually feel that this aspect of ice hockey makes playing goal on the ice EASIER than inline.

*Also, I'd recommend getting your skates sharpened at a 3/4 inch cut- some goalies have been known to use a 5/8 but I think that's too deep a cut because while it gives you a better push off, it makes it harder to slide through the edge of the blade you're not pushing off with.

Another reason why goaltending on the ice can be easier than inline is because of the rule differences. Playing inline in most leagues forces you to deal with no-offside/no-icing/4-on-4 and all this on a rink that's typically about 140 or so x 60 (most ice rinks I believe are a standard 200 x 80). On the ice, there's always offside, icings (usually non-touch-up) and it's 5-on-5 play. In other words, when you're playing inline, you'll face an avg of 1 shot roughly per minute, and the shot's will almost invariably be high-percentage scoring chances whereas on the ice, you'll rarely see more than one shot every two or three minutes and they'll typically be of the "routine" variety.

Sorry for the disertation!! Just wanted to offer some advice...

[missionhockey19]

also try not to studder step when shuffling from side to side....lots of roller hockey goalies transitioning to ice tend to pick up that problem of not keeping their feet on the ice....i think once you get used to it you'll love it...also because you dont heat up to 3000 degrees while getting dressed alone!!! haha ice is def a good choice...GOOD LUCK

[number55]

Everything you said was helpfull. I figured increased mobility would help but I never even thought about rink size and offsides. Ice just got more appealing.

[mckay]

I just played net for an ice pick-up game. It was my first. I have played many years of indoor competitive roller hockey and finally took the plunge into ice.

Mind you, I have only the 1 hour of ice experience, but here's what I think you can expect:

1. Its really slippery. I'm a decent ice skater, but it is very different to be between the pipes on ice vs. sportcourt. For the first 20 minutes I felt like a baby giraffe. But it wore off. I started to stay over my feet and keep my balance more as the game went on.

2. I kept throwing myself way out of position, or coasting back all the way into (literally-- butt against the netting) the goal. The lack of friction kept me sliding like a curling weight away from the play, and me looking hopeless as the net became smaller and smaller. Okay that's a bit much, but be warned: In roller you really have to throw your weight to catch a 2 on 1 pass, or a quick deke; but on the ice, a little throw of the body goes a long way. Again, not much you can learn by reading, but it might help to expect it.

3. The game is much faster, but it is much bigger too. Another post mentioned this I think. Its a very different game than on a smaller roller rink. To me, I feel more comfortable because you can really look down the barrel of shot. Its like the point shots were coming from the opposite face off targets on a roller rink.

Good luck to you (and me both). I'll be back on the ice next week. I'd be curious to hear your reaction to your first ice experience.