multiple goalies

[basil]

How do you coaches handle the situations in which you have say 3 really good goalies playing varsity? They are all in the same class and they are all hoping to play college ball. Which one do you play? Do you alternate or split time? What is the criteria in your decision?

[TheKOB]

Alternate or split time. It all depends on how many games you play. Also if one or two are younger or something you can see if they're interested in different positions. I've got a possibilty of 9 goalies coming out for the club team I coach, and I'm a bit concerned about it to say the least.

[bpercival]

play the best and in fourth quarter leads let the other goalies make some saves. The best is going ot be the one with the biggest chance. Unless there alll extremely good.

[sidewinder19]

we had three goalies on my team at nationals.The one that was the worst got the most playing time cuz he was on my team for club and our club coach was the provincial coach. i think we woulda done better if one of the other goalies got more playing time. the other goalie got no where near as much playing time and that was for good reason he *cough* sucked *cough*.

[Pagan30]

Split time is an option. If they are all good but bring different strengths to the table you have to scout the opponent and determine which goalie is the best match. I always tell me goalies ( I have two that are very good) if you are holding a shutout you will not get pulled for split time. It is a little incentive to strive for.

[Pagan30]

Oh by the way welcome to coaching and the hard decision that go along with it.

[afrolaxman]

I had a senior goalie (HS) that was one of the top in the division, but he had to split time with a freshman who was undeniably better (just shear talent and athletism), mainly because in tight games, the frosh would come up big (I mean HUGE) time and time again. the senior recognized it and became more of a respected leader for letting the freshman take the reins in our bigger games at the end of the season. It was a tough decision, but the team was so much stronger after making this decision. not a good spot to be in as a coach, but then, it is better than having no goalie and forcing a new position on a kid who is a bit reluctant.

[Farley6]

I would like to throw my two cents in here, because I started as a goalie coach and have worked my way up to head. With three goalies, the honest answer is that none of them will get a good amount of playing time, because no matter how much you try and split it up evenly, one of the three will get screwed every game. The biggest problem is that you are going to put a cold goalie into the net every 20 min or so, that will effect the D and the kid who is worse out of the three is going to get crap from his teammates. The best you can hope for when splitting time up is to use 2 kids and sub them at the half. So what you need to do is sit down and evaluate your three, decide which two are going to stay at keeper and find a role for the third best keeper. Think about his skill set and try to find a place in the game where he can make a real impact. Is he a big kid who is slow but with quick hands and a good stick? Crease Attack. A fast kid with a strong def. mind set? LSM... and so on until you can figure out what he can do to help. Now for the hard part, convincing the kid to switch positions, we both know that it sucks, and most of the kids on these boards will agree, but if you lay it out for him and tell him that he is not going to see PT in the net and this is his oppurtunity to play, maybe he'll be ok with it. Now, when you convince a kid to switch, IT IS ALL ON YOU to teach him that position. When I was a Head Varsity coach, it took time after practice to do one on one instruction and that worked well. It says to the kid that you are concerned about his success and that you know you are asking a lot of him, but you are willing to invest your time in his progress, it usually will make the player feel special. You don't have to teach them every aspect of the game in your individual time, just what he needs to be successful at his new position. Then split your other two goalies at the half if you must. I say that because in all honesty, I hate switching keepers unless one is hurt or getting shelled. I like to have a starter and a back up, but i know that it is not always possible to do. I hope this helps, good luck with your dilemma

[bpercival]

This may sound really weird but anotherthing you can do, is tell the boys your going to evaluate who is going to start by having a scrimige within the team. The thing this does, is show who can handle the pressure, because if you have a tight game you dont want your goalie getting chocked up. Just a thought

[EHSLAX12]

my coach did that a lot, and i prospered. it didnt matter if you won or lost in the scrimmage, its who showed they could step up and save the hard shots, and make the clears. they would work with inconsistency later, after theyve decided you would be starting (i won everytime :nofear: ).

[YeaLudloweFalcs]

i would suggest starting whichever goalie has the best intangible qualities of the three, if they are all that equal in skill. things like attitude, composure, field leadership, and big-game potential can be the difference between winning and losing in a tight game. having three amazing goalies is never a bad thing. see which one plays the best in the beginning of the season and in scrimmages, or even the first two games if the decision is really that hard. in a situation like this, giving the starting spot to the one that plays the best in these opening phases of the season is the only fair thing to do, and the goalies will know which one has been performing the best. however, be sure to stress that the starting spot could change at any time throughout the season; make the goalies work to better themselves and each other. one may have an off day during a big game, and another may step up to take his place. competition like this on a team is healthy, and it will benefit the players greatly once they move up to play in college, where there are no garuntees on playing time.