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Goalie Stance Key 2

Last week I started discussing the Goalie Stance and Key 1, which was focused on the Glove Side. In this post I’ll be talking about the Blocker Side.

Goalie Ready Stance with Keys Highlighted
Goalie Ready Stance with Keys Highlighted

If you’ve read the post about Key 1, you’re going to find the principals of Key 2 very similar. First off take a look at the picture where all of the Key areas have been marked.  First thing to be aware of is that since this picture was taken in an actual game situation, with the goalie squared up to the puck carrier and not the camera, the triangle areas are a little off from where you think they should be.

Key 2

Key 2 is another triangular area that the goalie needs to properly position themselves to effectively cover. But this positioning is complicated by the need to hold onto and properly position your stick.  If only you could just follow the recommendations discussed for covering this area with the exact same ones presented with for the Glove Side. A Goalie could just use a kind of “Wax On, Wax Off” hand positioning for both sides. But like most all sports, there is a dominant side that has to work to a different set of rules.

So you’ve got this thing that looks like a small shield attached to the back of your hand. And you’ve got a stick to hold too. You’re going to need to use that Blocker to stop or redirect any pucks that are trying to make their way into the net through that large area from your shoulder to the post.

Assuming that your like most goalies this Blocker will be on your dominant hand. This means that this hand should be a little faster and more responsive than your Glove hand. All this means is that you can afford to let this drop down a little closer to your knee. But as with Ke1 1, you need to keep this out in front of you, so you can see it and so it doesn’t get tangled in your pads.

If the puck is headed toward the lower half of the triangle, your movements to address it with the Blocker are going to be really small.  Fortunately if your positioning is proper the Blocker takes up a whole lot of room with just minor movements side to side.

If a puck is headed up toward the top corner, your movement should simply be to rotate your shoulder up to cover the top of that area with your upper arm and the Blocker will cover the rest of the area automatically. As with Key 1, you’ve got to focus on that puck and know where it is going and what you can put in front of it. If at all possible, you need to “look” the puck into what your going to make the save with.

Another consideration when using the Blocker, is deciding how to handle the puck with it. If your teammates are playing good defense and you don’t need to slow down the game, simply redirecting the puck by angling the face Blocker to the corner is your best bet. But if your teammates aren’t handling the offense very good, you might want to use that Blocker to add some momentum to the puck by punching it in the direction your want to redirect it to.  Just make sure that you’re not redirecting right back into the middle of the crease (center area between the face off circles).  If you redirect anything there, you’re asking for another quick shot to be sent your way. The other method of redirection is to absorb the energy from the puck by being soft when it hits. This will usually result in the puck dropping to the ice at your feet where you can cover it with the Glove. This is best used to slow down the game by having a face off.

The next post will be about how to properly position the Stick, so keep the previous point in mind.

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Goalie Stance

We are going to delve into the strange and weird world of the last line of defense on the ice. Goalies to start with have to be a little strange to actually be willing to get hit with these little rubber biscuits moving at upwards of 80 mph in a good recreational league. In this post we are going to discuss the basic Goalie Stance (or ready stance).

Goalie Ready Stance
Goalie Ready Stance
Here you can see a goalie that is in a pretty good goalie stance. And most importantly, he got into this position just as the opposing teams lead Fowards approached the Blue Line. This stance is the foundation for good goal tending. If the goalie doesn’t get set up right from the start, the entire offensive push has a greater chance of success. From this position, all movement, positioning and saves are a follow on activity. If this stance isn’t strong and well practiced, the time to change position or make a save is increased. If you’re slower, then you are just relying on luck to make a good save.

Key Items to Notice

  1. Catcher up high, in front of knee pads and open, facing where the shot may come from
  2. Blocker out in front of the knee pad and taking up as much room as possible
  3. Stick on the ice and at a angle
  4. Knees bent and ready to move
  5. Weight on the inside edges of the skates

Key 1

Look at the picture and you’ll see a triangle created with the corners being the goalies head, catcher side knee and the top corner of the goal. This area is the main region that the catcher has to cover. Keeping the catcher up, open and facing the puck at all times is one of the hardest things to get across to young goalies. Your catcher hand tends to get lazy as the game goes on. The catcher hand drops and the glove closes a bit. This all adds to reaction time. When the catcher is in the proper position, the time you have to react to make a good glove save is maximized. Additionally the amount of effort required to make the save is reduced, by lessening the distance you’ve got to move the glove.  And dropping the glove to make a lower save is easier than having to lift it from a low position.  Keeping it open and facing the puck also reduces the effort and time required to make a great glove save.  I can also say that keeping that catcher out in front of everything also helps with game vision.  This allows the goalie to see the puck and the catcher together.  It’s a lot easier to make a good save if you know visuall,y where both the catcher and the puck are in relation to each other.  The only way to do this is to keep that catcher up, open and facing the puck.

I’ll cover the other keys in future posts, so come back for more soon.

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Mexiterranean Quiche

Mexiterranean Quiche
Mexiterranean Quiche

This quiche was inspired by some recent searches for ways to add extra fiber to our diets.  We stumbled across some well seasoned and fried to a crisp chickpeas and decided to combine this with some old school pan fried chicken.  Might as well add some green chile prepared using the same frying method.  Brings a little extra heat to the game.  The name for this quiche was provided by one of the boys as I was describing what was in it.  Mexiterranean quiche taking some of the goodness of the Mediterranean dishes that use the chickpeas (otherwise served as Hummus) combined with the medium heat of the Green Chile Peppers.  And it was all charred in a cast iron skillet to get a nice crispness to the bite.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tblspn Olive Oil (Avacado Oil is a good substitute)
  • 2 – 15 oz can of Chickpeas
  • 1/2 tspn Cayenne
  • 1 tspn Paprika
  • 1 tspn Cumin
  • 2 tspn fresh Parsley, chopped and divided
  • 1 tspn Salt, divided
  • 2 tspn Pepper, divided
  • 2 Chicken Breasts
  • 1/2 cup Chicken Broth or Stock
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 3 Anaheim Green Chile Peppers, seeded and chopped in 1/2 inch chunks
  • 16 oz Queso Fresco or Fetta Cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 15 oz Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 pt Half and Half
  • 9 large Eggs
  • 2 prepared pie crusts

Preparation

First, drain and rinse the chickpeas in a strainer and pat dry with paper towels.  Chop up the chile peppers.  Slice the chicken breasts in half or, my preference, hammer the chicken until about 1/4 inch thick.  Spread a coating of oil over the chicken and lightly coat both sides with 1 teaspoon of Parsley, salt and pepper and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rinsed and dried chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add in 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne, 1 teaspoon each of Paprika and Cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt.  Mix thoroughly until all of the chickpeas are well coated with the spices.  Get out your well seasoned cast iron skillet and heat it up using the highest heat possible and carefully put 1 teaspoon of oil into the skillet and wait until it starts to smoke.  Then put in the seasoned chickpeas and cook until they are browned on at least 2 sides.  Be careful as some of them may pop and spray a little oil at you.  Cooking these should take about 7 – 15 minutes, depending on your heating surface.  When done, remove from the skillet and store separately until ready for final assembly.

Carefully wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.  Continue heating the skillet over high heat.  Add another tablespoon of oil and when it starts to smoke, add in the chopped chile peppers with a dash of salt and fry until the peppers start to char, about 5 minutes.  Stir a bit and fry for another couple of minutes.  Remove the peppers from the skillet and store separately until final assembly.

Reduce your heat to medium-high.  Again, carefully wipe the skillet clean and add 1 tablespoon of oil.  When the oil starts to smoke again, fry the Chicken Breasts for about 5 – 7 minutes per side.  You want the meat to have a good light browning.  Then slice up the chicken into no larger than 1/2 inch chunks.  Continue to fry for another couple of minutes.  Remove the chicken chunks from the skillet and place in a container.  Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir in the flour slowly until you’ve completely deglazed the skillet.  Boil this down to form some gravy.  Pour the gravy over the chicken chunks and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes or store until ready for final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat the oven to 385 F.  Combine the chickpeas and chicken in a large mixing bowl.  Half this mixture and spread each half into each pie crust.  Halve the green chile chunks and spread each half across the top of the filling in each crust.  Now spread across the top half of the crumpled Queso Fresco or Fetta cheese.  Mix together the Yogurt, Eggs and Half and Half, if you want add some salt and pepper to taste and whisk for at least 5 minutes.  Carefully pour the eggs mixture over the pie fillings until fully covered.  Then sprinkle the remaining Queso Fresco or Havarti over the top.  Top this with an even coating of the Mozzarella and sprinkle each with a 1/2 teaspoon of Parsley.  Place the pies into the oven and cook for 35 – 45 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown and the center of each pie is firm.  Remove and serve or pack it up for the rink.

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Shakshouka Pashtida

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Shakshouka Quiche
Shakshouka Quiche

Shakshouka, from the Hebrew word leshakshek meaning “to shake”, is a spiced, egg and tomato dish that is part of the popular Israeli Breakfast, that is served at nearly every hotel in Israel and also a few hotels across the world that cater to Israeli tourists.  This takes the traditional method of preparation and turns it into a Pashtida (quiche in Hebrew) or frittata.  And as an extra bonus this one is vegetarian, or at least as vegetarian as we will ever get here.  The guys don’t usually like vegetarian, other than donuts, but this one seemed to popular.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 quiches)

 Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 – 15 oz can of Roasted Tomatoes
  • 2 Bell Peppers
  • 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
  • 6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Paprika
  • 1/4 cup Parsley or Cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 pie crusts
  • 8 eggs
  • 12 oz Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded
  • 1/2 cup Havarti Cheese, shredded

Preparation

Chop up the peppers, onion and garlic.  In a large skillet or pot (cast iron skillet is best) over high heat, heat up the olive oil until it starts to shimmer.  Then add the Onions and Garlic and cook until turning translucent and getting about to char, about 7 minutes.  Add in Peppers and continue cooking until the peppers are starting show some char on them as well, another 5 minutes.  Then reduce the heat to medium and add in the Roasted Tomatoes, drain them first to save cooking time.  Also add in half of the Salt and Pepper and all of the Cumin.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the mixture is very dry.  Remove from heat and allow to cool or refrigerate until ready for final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Prepare the pie pans, coating the bottom with a little olive oil then placing the crust dough into the pans.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the Eggs and Ricotta Cheese and the remainder of the Salt and Pepper and about 3/4 of the Paprika,until frothy, about 5 minutes.  Move the vegetables prepared before into the pie pans and spread about evenly.  Top this with an even layer of the Havarti Cheese.  Then Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables in the pie pans and poke and agitate a little bit with a fork to make sure the eggs and the vegetables mix a little bit.  Then top this with the Mozzarella Cheese and the Parsley, I prefer using Cilantro.  Sprinkle the remaining Paprika on top as well.  Place in pies the oven and cook for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the center is firm and the cheese is a little browned.  Remove from the oven and serve or pack them up for the rink.

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Crispy Street Taco Frittata

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Crispy Potato and Chorizo Frittata
Crispy Potato and Chorizo Street Taco Frittata

Trying to get a little more crunch into the meats and fillings of the frittata, we found this method works fairly good.  It’s normally used to make street tacos, but it serves the purpose here of making the taco style filling a little crisper and the bonus is that it also adds a little extra flavor too, at least that is what the Heathens that finished it off so quickly said.  Maybe they were just hungry after a 2 hour skate.

This works because par-cooking potatoes in water with a little vinegar helps them crisp more when fried in hot oil or fat.  This also works best if prepared in a cast iron skillet.

Also cooking Chorizo past where you think it’s ready makes it crisper, better browned, tastier end results.

You could also top with a few corn chips or slices of avocado to dress this up even more.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 frittatas)

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb Russet Potatoes, cubed to 1/2-inch (2 large potatoes)
  • 3 Tbsp Kosher Salt, divided
  • 2 Tbsp Peruvian Chile Lime Seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp White Vinegar
  • 8 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, divided (I recommend Avocado Oil)
  • 2 lb fresh Chorizo
  • 1 White Onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 cup favorite Green Chile Salsa
  • 1/4 cup Lime juice
  • 1 cup Cheese, either Queso Freso, Cojito or a “Mexican Blend”, shredded
  • Base Quiche Mix with the addition of 2 Eggs and 1/4 pt Half and Half
  • 2 pie pans

Preparation

First thing to do is clean and cube the potatoes.  Add them into a large pot and cover with water until all of the potatoes are underwater by 1/2 inch.  Heat on High heat until boiling, then add 2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt, and the White Vinegar.  Set a timer for 5 minutes.  When that is done, drain and strain the Potatoes in the sink, allowing them to dry out a bit.  When they are almost dry, sprinkle liberally with 2 tablespoons Chile Lime Seasoning and 1 tablespoon of Ground Pepper, shaking to make sure all sides get a little of the coating.

In a large skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet, over high heat add 4 tablespoons of Oil and heat until it starts to smoke.  Then carefully add in the seasoned potatoes and shake to distribute evenly in the skillet.  Continue cooking, tossing and stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy on all sides.  This should take about 15 minutes.  Remove and set aside, drying on a paper towel until final assembly, refrigerating if that is more than 1 hour away.

Again in a large skillet, cast iron is better, over high heat add the remaining Oil and heat until it starts to smoke.  Then carefully add in the Chorizo, breaking it up into about 1/2 inch sized chunks.  Cook this until you think it is fully cooked.  Then continue cooking, stirring and tossing frequently, until all the liquid, except the fat the breaks out, has has boiled off.  The Chorizo is sizzling and well-browned, about 15 minutes.  Remove and allow the remaining grease to drain off on to a paper towel.  Set aside until final assembly, following the refrigeration rule above.

Whenever you have time during the above process, you should chop up the remaining Onion and Cilantro and reserve until final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Add a thin coating of Oil to the pans.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Chorizo, Potatoes and Onion.  Spread this mixture evenly into the pie pans.  Prepare the Base Quiche Mix, and add the 2 extra Eggs and 1/4 pint of Half and Half to the Mix.  Then add in the Salsa and Lime Juice and continue whisking until fully mixed and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Slowly pour this equally over each filling making sure to fully coat all the filling.  Top with the Cheese equally to each and then sprinkle with the Cilantro.  Place in the oven and cook for 35 – 40 minutes, until the Cheese is turning golden brown.  Remove and serve, or pack up to take to the rink.