My Experience as a Ringette Goalie

After a couple of years of bugging my contacts in the ringette world of Nova Scotia, I was finally able to get an opportunity to play goal in an “unofficial” fathers versus mothers’ ringette game.  My wife has played both ringette and hockey for many years and has many great insights in both the similarities and differences in the goaltending game of each respective sport.  I, up until now, have never had the privilege.  Lately, I have been feeling more need and pressure to try it, as many of my goalie development sessions have had an increasing number of ringette goalies attend.  While I think I can speak to many technical elements of goaltending on the ice in terms for moving, positioning, and save selection, I had a very large hole in my knowledge base when working with these young goalies on the tactical side.

I’m very grateful that I experienced my first game against a group of experienced ringette players, and while the result was a little lopsided (a 10-4 spanking), the lessons were invaluable and now all I am hoping for is a chance to play the game again real soon!! 

Points

1.        Point of commitment is much higher 

One of the most glaring differences between the games (hockey and ringette goaltending) is the size and sanctity of the crease.  The crease is an 8” radius compared to a 6” radius of a hockey crease.  In addition, players cannot enter the crease or carry the ring into the crease.  This leads the goalie to position themselves higher or further out of the net.  This is a challenge for a hockey goalie, but if one could adapt to it, the size of the crease should give the goaltender a better advantage to make the stop.  The ringette goalie doesn’t really need to worry about the play or the deke to the farside post.  The danger of being too deep,  too soon is a real problem and I quite often made that mistake that resulted in goals.

2.       Holes through the body don’t have to be as tight

The ring is much wider than a puck, but not quite as tall.  This allows the ringette goalie to have their arm a little looser or further from their body.  With good stick discipline, ringette shots to the five-hole should be less successful.  Hard butterfly are still a necessity since the ring is thinner when it is moving flat along the ice.

3.       Range of stick handling motion is equivalent to a very high-level offensive player in hockey

The players have much greater control over the movement of the ring while handling it with their sticks.  An elite ringette player’s stick work could be the equivalent of a high-level professional hockey player.

4.       Momentum reverses and edgework

While one-timers and quick releases are very possible, I would look to many momentum reverses and quick changes of flow or direction of the ring-carrier as a greater threat.  It is much more difficult for the defense to knock the ring off a player’s stick and with little body contact allowed, there is a great advantage to the ringette player who can cut, stop, or reverse direction back to the center lane.  This constant threat is a real challenge for the goalie who must try and make many saves from shots in the center lane or slot rather than the perimeter or off to the side of the net.

5.       Patience

Of course, patience of any goaltender is a must, but in particular it is a virtue to the ringette goalie.    Players feel less need to release the ring right away and will constantly be carrying the ring to better and better positions on the ice.  A goalie that commits to a down or lateral movement too soon will shortly be pulling the ring out of the back of the net.

6.       Larger arc of movement, need to be very fast with lateral movements especially shuffles

In conjunction with the larger crease and the fact that players cannot play the ring into the crease, the ringette goalie can afford to play further out.  However, the cost of playing further out of the net requires the goalie move quickly around the crease.  Since the ring gets handled in the zone more frequently than being passed (compared to hockey), forces the goalie to utilize shuffles more so than t-pushes.  Passes may not be as utilized as much as hockey since ring possession is more secure when it is on a player's stick, as a result a ringette goalie will use more shuffles than t-pushes to track plays in the zone.  The game is a great way to perfect your shuffles!!

7.       Rebound control

With the crease being a no-fly zone for opposition and its large size, rebound control can be a little more lax than hockey goaltending.  The crease gives the goalies an opportunity to be a bit more leisurely in handling the ring and post-save responses, while they should be quick, may not need be as precise.  This change would definitely affect the ringette goalie making the switch to ice hockey.

8.       Change of hand positioning

Since the initial arm position can change due to the size of the ring, I had some difficulty in finding a strong or effective arm position.  I found myself trying the old arm/glove positioning of Eddy Belfour from the 1980’s where his elbow were high up and almost parallel to the crossbar.  My gloves then were positioned in the six- and seven-holes (the holes between the arms and the body).  I had a little bit of trouble moving and maintaining my glove discipline, as it has been a long time since I tried that hand positioning.  I would hold judgment on the best hand positions until I had more data (games and practices under my belt).          

One thing though, in conclusion, I found myself moving like one of my young protégés who has recently made the switch fulltime from ringette to hockey.  I had to chuckle at myself for learning so much about the position from her.  Thanks, Carly!!