Goaltending Style
I of course like to think that I have my own goaltending style. I am small (but still growing), so I tend to stay on my feet more and get up more often then slide. (I have grown 1.5 inches in the past year). Goaltending is all about being in the right place at the right time, rebound control, and taking possession of the puck. I can accomplish these things best when I am on my feet, so I have transformed my game to skate in the crease (shuffle or T-push) rather than sliding too much, I can get up on my feet quickly and moving on my feet is faster than sliding on the ice. I am very quick and I have learned to use my quickness as my greatest advantage by challenging out and defending back to the post.
I use my stick more than most goaltenders out there today. If the puck is on the ice, my stick is my "A" plan and my pads are my "B" plan. I always try to have an "A" plan and a "B" plan with every save selection. Ice is a funny thing and pucks take weird bounces. So a save selection with a "B" plan is always best if possible.
I spend a great deal of off-ice activity working on my hand-eye coordination as you will see in my off-ice videos. To achieve my on-ice goals, I am simply going to have to have the fastest hands in Women's Hockey. I know that sounds a bit lofty, but I am 100% committed to continuous improvement and believe that I can achieve this goal if I am committed and work hard enough.
I live in Michigan, so I have been privileged enough
to work with Shawn Hunwick (UofM Wolverines)
I train at the same facility where Jeff Lerg
(Michigan State) has been Coaching so I have been
able to observe his style.
Both of these goaltenders are too small by today's standards, but they learned how to play big and experienced great success at the Collegiate level. That means come out and challenge and be quicker back to the post than the skaters. The puck is on the ice most of the time, so my smaller size actually allows me to be quicker to the puck on the ice than a taller goaltender.
I have an awesome on-ice training team. My Head Coach is Mike Vigilante and Matt Wierzba is our Belle Tire 19U Goalie Coach. They have a great deal of knowledge and led the Belle Tire 16U Team to win a National Championship.
My primary Goal Tending Trainer is Pete Gibb. He played College Hockey for Utah and is very knowledgeable. He is a very technical Coach. Coach Gibb pays a great deal of attention to all of the details and is always working on improving my game. We train at ice arenas throughout the metro Detroit area.
My brother Nelson plays for the Oakland University Grizzlies Hockey Team. He comes out as a shooter and usually brings one of his buddies, so I get some pretty tough shots during my training sessions.
I have an awesome goal tending partner named Frankie Sanchez. She is a birth year 2000
and is a great team mate. She is a wicked goalie herself and is a great friend. She is a
great athlete, and she pushes me to keep up. Frankie won the 16U National Championship
with three shutouts. She is committed to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey at Sacred Heart next
season. Frankie is like a big Sister to me and I am very lucky to have such a great partner.