How to react when the puck is behind the net....

So leagues here are done until fall, but there's been a group of guys from several of the teams that have been renting ice on a near weekly basis, which is great since it means I can play all summer.

Anyway - it has proven to be an excellent time to work on things I might be more reluctant to try in a game situation.

In our most recent game, there were several situations where a player from the opposing team was able to take the puck behind my net and had a lot of time to plan what he was going to do next. I know this isn't an uncommon occurence, but surprisingly I haven't had to deal with it in games too frequently.

I didn't get caught, fortunately, but it got me wondering - what is the best approach to handling this? As I see it, the player has maybe two options - they can either try to handle the puck and try to wrap around on either side or they can look for an open pass up ice and try to set something up that way (also to either side.)

So I'm curious how you track all those situations effectively, because the former seems to require looking back and being prepared to slide left or right, while the latter requires seeing who might be a potential recipient of a pass. Since these require looking in opposite directions and maybe different kinds of responses, I'm wondering what the right thing to do is. Also - what kind of communication might I be able to give my defenders and what kind of information should I be listening for in addition to watching what is happening so as to be as useful as possible?

Since I'm still a novice here, I will concede my analysis of the situation might be completely wrong, so I'm eager to hear ht perspectives from some of my more experienced goalie colleagues. :D

well theres a couple approaches you can take to this. you can take the tim thomas approach and stay butterfly when the pucks behind the net. it works for me too and i like it. you can just stand on the goalline and look behind your head but the secret to this is that you have to see what handines the player is. if the player is a righty then you should be cheating alitle bit to your rite because that would be that players fastest wraparound side so itl ive u alitle edge when he makes his move and you slide into position. when theres a player behind the net always watch whats happening infront of your net too. if a player is breaking towards the net looking like hes making a play to recieve a pass from behind the net make sure your defensemen sees that ie yell at him if he hasnt picked up on it yet. on a one timer from behind the net all you can be asked of is to cut off the angle as best as you can from after the pass is made and make yourself big. butterfly keep your arms flush on your body to plug up holes and if its a shot coming from really close i like to touch my chin to my chest. not sure if it does alot in safety but it makes me feel safer. also remember to keep an active stick. ive had too many goals scored on my from passes i could have poke checked that i didnt. if you want more info on the tim thomas approach check this article out i loved it. Tim Thomas Demonstrates Stay Down Technique Behind Net - The Goalie Magazine - InGoalMag.com hope i helped you out.
(:

It's really situational, and depends on your teammates and how they go. I know my defensemen are generally good skaters and can keep pace. I also know my puckhandling leaves a lot to be desired, so I typically just slow the puck and stop it for them, pulling it off the boards so that they can retrieve it at a reasonable distance off the boards to keep moving.

Originally Posted by chuchu33

It's really situational, and depends on your teammates and how they go. I know my defensemen are generally good skaters and can keep pace. I also know my puckhandling leaves a lot to be desired, so I typically just slow the puck and stop it for them, pulling it off the boards so that they can retrieve it at a reasonable distance off the boards to keep moving.

I don't think that was the question. Opposing player with puck behind the net, was.

Originally Posted by Victor Sussman

...I didn't get caught, fortunately, but it got me wondering - what is the best approach to handling this? As I see it, the player has maybe two options - they can either try to handle the puck and try to wrap around on either side or they can look for an open pass up ice and try to set something up that way (also to either side...

Yes, those are the two options.
I always go into the net, turn my body sideways (perpendicular to the front), my neck almost 180 to the front, and have my eyes on the puck holder. With my body in the middle, it gives me the option to go left or right. My right leg is back ready to push me where I need to go.

Option 3, which is a small difference from option 1, is to deke pass it off the base of the goal, pick up the puck off the ricochet and skate in the opposite direction. So, it looks like the pass is going to the right and then he does a wraparound to the left.

Thanks for the input, guys! I always appreciate the advice. :)

Originally Posted by dragon4

I don't think that was the question. Opposing player with puck behind the net, was.

Whoops. I was never very good at reading comprehension.

Lol - don't sweat it chuchu.