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New Year, new coach...what do you think?

BENDERS!! thats what i think

Here's an example I can give. This may be more the exception than the rule.

Travis Neubeck is a freshman goalie that lives in Shakopee.

Travis moved to Shakopee 3-4 years ago. After a couple years of facing 60 shots a game and losing 7-0 consistently, he waivered out, and I THINK he played for Apple Valley A Bantam a year ago, and had the option to return to whatever A Bantam team this year.

When reviewing his options, although academics and the religious format was very important to the parents, Travis enrolled at Holy Angels, as the hockey program tipped the scale ,versus going to Shakopee HS. Heck, for all I know Travis may have made varsity at Shakopee as a frosh, but it was the fact that Shakopee HS did not have a strong hockey program that made the decision not to go there easier. Not that it is bad to go to Shakopee, but for this indivdual, it wasn't the best fit.

And the biggest aspect of that, when you're a goalie, is that the only way to improve is to go against better players in practice, and rather than play A Bantam, he is a JV goalie at AHA.

I don't know if this is common place, but just about every community has someone leave for a private school based on the overall best fit. The unfortunate aspect is that the stigma a smaller program offers creates an increased chance that the better youth players will opt to go to private schools for better programs, and therefore, schools like Shakopee never have a chance to bloom.

What needs to happen to Shakopee is that a couple stud players need to go there, have some success, and show it's ok to play there, and that will keep some of the players home.

I believe Shakopee is 6-5 now, compared to like 4-22 a year ago, so, the improvement in terms of victories is there. You have to give a pat on the back to Coach Jeff Vizenor in creating a winning environment.

If he hasn't done so yet, his next step will be to MAKE the time to get involved with the bantam program, which means he's watching games, communicating with the coaches, and making every effort to basically recruit his own kids to stay in Shakopee versus having players like Neubeck leave.

What about the fact that there are currently three Junior goalies that share duties playing JV/Varsity? Maybe Neubeck did the math and figured he had a better chance playing at a private. The coaches need to get behind a goaltender and have the team ride him throughout the season....the goalie situation is SHADY!

That's entirely possible about the math aspect, but if three juniors are in place, chances are only two will be around next year (I doubt they will give a Sr a spot on JV), meaning Neubeck may have played JV at Shakopee this year, and maybe even next, but then he would have held the reigns, most likely, his junior year, if not making the jump to varsity as a soph.

The x-factor is we just don't know what development kids will have. - even with your three JRs..

On the other side, I am trying to be politically correct here in saying there MIGHT be a bit of a difference in programs between Shakopee and AHA. With all due respect, I think Travis would have thought that Shakopee, being at 4-22, would have been an easier team to make than a potential strong candidate for a state tourney team.

Travis had to beat out goalies at AHA... I doubt a program like AHA had only had 4 goalies try out, and . He wasn't guaranteed a spot, he earned it, and his goalie partner on JV is like 8-feet tall and very good, and he's a sophomore. Travis may very well play JV at AHA two more years, but their point was to be playing with/against better players... BUT, again, the academic aspect played a significant role.

What usually happens in your school's case.... with a new coach, and three goalies in the mix, we are just reaching the half-way point of the season, and about two weeks before sections, he will make his decision and roll with one guy.

I looked at your stats, and unfortunately, it doesn't tell the whole story about the situation. While, I generally base my opinions on stats, and kinda rationalize my opinions off that, I am not always accurate.

What I can hypothesize is this. These are just rhetorical questions that you need to ask yourself.

Although you have one goalie with a GAA average about 3.5, one 4.5 and one 5.5, the other telling statistic is save %. They are all relatively in the same boat.

What has to be critiqued is the quality of goals given up? Soft goals where the puck squirts 5-hole, or was it on a breakaway or 2 on 1 backdoor pass that would have required a phenominal save? Were any PP?

For the shutouts = the quality of the competition. Technical aspects of the goalies... Size strength.. Did the goalie with the 5.50 GAA play against the better opponents, because he also has the highest save %???

Which goalie is doing better on JV??

Do you even have someone handling the goalies that can make the corrections? 90% of the head coaches know squat about goaltenders and all they do is ask for is to not let the puck cross the red line, and he doesn't care how he stops it!!

But.. be patient and hopefully the right goalie gets selected.

I would have to agree that Shakopee is off to a much better start then they had a year ago but the program as a whole has taken a big step backwards. They have no A level teams at the Pee Wee or Bantam level, this is a must to successfully feed your High School program quality kids. The kids coming up through the youth program will not be prepared to play at the high school level coming from a B level team.

Most of the decent Bantam players are now playing JV. There are too many younger players that moved up including some small kids who should not be playing at that level.