So you've ended up a goalie, or perhaps you're dabbling in playing flex. Welcome to the club and let's go down the rabbit-hole! This is intended to just be a dump for what I’ve learned so far from playing goalie so that it can be a reference point for players trying to learn. Updates to the game are likely to make some of this information obsolete and I’m not the greatest goalie out there so take all of this with a grain of salt :)

Goalie is playable on standard controls, but the addition of customizable keybinds and single-tap dashes means there’s some improvements you can make.

Here are the standard controls:

• WASD for normal movement
  
• Q and E to stick out pads
  
• Double-tap A or D for dashes
  
• LMB for puck cam
  
• Alt to stop
  
• Space to jump
  
• RMB for free look

My personal setup is the following:

• WASD for normal movement
  
• Q and E to stick out pads
  
• LMB/RMB single press for dashes
  
• Space for puck cam
  
• Side mouse buttons bound to stop and jump (stop is used MUCH more so i have that on the easier to press button)
  
• Alt for free look

Other tenders have tried Z and C for dashes or side mouse buttons for dashes, you can try out some different options and see what works for you!


Goalies will typically want to have a higher FOV than the average skater. I personally like having mine around 120 because I have good peripheral vision and can see the bottom of my pads - any higher would be too disorienting for me though.

Here's a screenshot of a goalie with 100 fov.



Here is a screenshot of a goalie in butterfly in 120 fov instead.




Another setting I really recommend adjusting is your UI scale. I set mine to 1.25 so that I can get a much better view of the minimap, which is essential to keeping up with the play.



There is a pretty robust modding community for Puck and a lot of personalization options for retexturing your game. Premade texture packs like Lurker’s dark mode or Mini’s packs are a nice and easy way to start. Here are a few common quality of life changes people will make for goalie, some of which can be seen in the screenshots above:

• Grey/dark ice
  This is a lot easier on your eyes and is very good for tracking with a few tweaks to other textures
  
• Colored puck/hash marks
  Use alongside dark ice to make the puck stand out from everything else. I like orange as a color because it stands out from most sticks/tapes that skaters have
  
• Disabling reflections on ice
  Light reflections from the ceiling can be very distracting (especially on dark ice) so dark mode packs will typically remove the lights
  
• White pads
  Only applies to dark ice, makes it much easier to passively keep track of where your pads are at so they don’t blend in with your crease
  
• Removed ceiling
  Incredibly helpful for keeping track of the puck in the air - also just less distracting overall
  
• Ice lines
  Experiment with trying out different visual guides to align yourself when moving around your crease!
  
• Net retexture
  [extra clarity seeing behind net]

A lot of this is personal preference, I recommend starting with an unedited pack from the modding server and making tweaks when you want some personalized changes. The main goal of this all is to not lose sight of the puck and to always know where you’re at on the ice.


Puck goaltending has shaped up to be a bit different than it is in real life. You don’t have a blocker or trapper so it’s gonna be your body, your pads, and your stick against the world. Positioning is going to get you 90% of the way there and then you can work on your stick skills for the rest.


Try things out! Everyone has a slightly different playstyle and is better in different areas. My positioning isn't perfect so I try to make up for it with stickwork and hope my reaction time is good enough. See what works for you :)
Like I said, all of the information here is just a starting/reference point for your own findings.

When standing, goalies move around like skaters (albeit slightly slower). The real magic happens when you crouch into butterfly!!! Then it’s time to start dashing and sliding as much as your heart desires and your stamina allows. When crouched, you’re able to pivot left and right, dash left and right, as well as stick your pads out left and right. Goalies use a mix of dashing and skating while standing to keep themselves properly positioned in net.



It’s typically much easier to make saves with the stick when it’s on your forehand side. Because of this, your positioning can (SOMETIMES) shift slightly over to your handle side in order to cover more of those hard-to-reach angles.


No, we’re not pulling the bulletin board out and diving into conspiracy theories. This is a way of visualizing your positioning depending on where the puck is, and thanks to Crowbar for bringing it up to me!


Essentially, you start by looking at wherever the puck is and drawing a straight line from the center of your puck to the center of your goal line. To have the best chance at your body blocking the puck, you want to position yourself directly on this red line. There are a few exceptions of course, as you don’t want to be too out wide of your net if the puck is wide and you also want to be able to cover pass options. Once you start visualizing this in your games, it should help prevent some of those “oh god why was I standing so far off to the side” moments when you look at the goal replay.




Enjoy it and pray it doesn’t get patched out! If you start a dash and then quickly stand up and crouch again, you can slide much farther while remaining in butterfly. You can even chain these to go even faster!

Here is a video from Begrip explaining the tech.[medal.tv]





The more time you spend in the crease the more in-tune you will get with where to position yourself inside of it. When the puck is being played to the side of your net it’s time to hug that post! Standing is a common approach, making sure you’re closing off the gap between your body and the post.

Going into butterfly is also a good call in some situations but make sure you don’t hang your pads!!!!!!!!! image An attentive skater will see an opening like this and bounce the puck right into the net. Below is a diagram explaining what will happen:



When hugging the post, you’re there to block immediate shots and prepared to cover a pass out front or watch for a wrap behind your net. Listen to your teammates and use your puck cam if necessary to see where the puck is gonna end up!



If you get scored on, look at / clip the replay to see where the openings were and what went wrong. Playing as a skater and shooting at a goalie can also help contextualize what shooters are seeing when they skate up to you. There will be plenty of times where you get scored on in a position you thought was totally safe.

Common offenders for this are leaving your short side (handle side), being too far to either side in general, or leaving too much of a gap between your body and the post when you're hugging the post.

Below is a screenshot of a goal replay where the goalie shifted too far over towards their right and left a big opening on their left for the shooter:




On the topic of closing out gaps, one very easy and effective improvement you can make to your goalie gameplay is to make sure you’re not too far back in your crease. Hugging the post is fine, and you want to avoid being caught too far out, but there’s a wonderfully happy medium for positioning. Being a bit more forward towards the edge of your crease cuts out a lot of angles and makes it more likely for a shot to go into your body as opposed to going straight past it. Your job is to make it hard for the opposing team to score on you so make sure you’re in the way and not playing too scared!

Essentially, make sure you're not too far back in your crease so that you can take up more space and challenge skaters earlier.

Don't push too far out though - always be ready for a pass so you don't end up in a situation like below:

(credit: Jabba)



You can’t push up the slot or dash for a wide shot if you’re out of stamina. As much as you can, refrain from sprinting or dashing if it’s not all that necessary at the moment. For longer attacks on your net you’re likely to use up a few dashes so you want all of the stamina you can get!



(credit: Maus)

When dashing, your five hole is going to open up - how scary! Most of this time this isn’t much of an issue but it can lead to some big mishaps if you forget about this mechanic. Up-close battles as well as deceptively slow ground shots are common ways to see a five hole goal scored.

Getting your pads or your body in the way of shots will get you pretty far, but eventually you’re gonna have to roll up your sleeves and get the stick involved. The way you incorporate stickwork into your gameplay is how you can really get involved in controlling the flow of the game and making plays. Remember that stickwork isn’t all flashy plays! There’s a lot of simple ways to be in charge of where the puck is going when it’s comin’ at you.



One of the first things you’ll notice when looking at the clips of a newer vs a more experienced goalie is what their stick is doing before a save is made. Where you have your stick resting is just as important as where you flick your stick around to - you’re trying to guide the puck and make scoring as difficult as possible.

An important factor to note is your passive stick angle. You want to make sure your blade is either flat or has the top tilted slightly forward when it’s resting - you don’t want to create a ramp for the puck to launch into your net.



It's time to get that stick in motion! While sometimes shots will be sent straight at your chest and bounce away safely, there's usually some extra steps. There's a lot of range you can cover with your stick and over time you will get a better sense for what you are and aren't able to do.

Up High:

When expecting a shot above the pads, it’s time to get that stick up off the ice. Different goalies have different passive heights for their sticks and these situations so find what works for you and go from there. Fast shots will sometimes go right at you and hit your stick before you know it - much preferred over the puck ripping right by you! However, when you have time to react, there’s a few things to watch out for:

• Batting the puck vs letting it hit you

Swinging into the shot a bit helps redirect the puck (away from your net and not inside of it!) and also counteracts the force of the puck flying at you. Being too passive with this means the puck could hit your stick and still drop into a dangerous area for you rather than getting it away from net.

Example[i.imgur.com]

• Rebounds off the chest

Sometimes when the puck hits you either in your chest or the center of your stick, it will bounce out in front of you. It’s a good habit to swat these into a safe area before they fall onto the ground out of your reach - skaters love an easy rebound goal!
You don’t have to hit the puck just because you can!
While I love to flex just as much as the next person, pucks that are 100% flying above your net can usually be left alone.

Example[i.imgur.com]

Down Low:

Passive stickwork can close off some passing and shooting lanes, but sometimes you have to get active. Let’s get into it!

• Low shots out wide

If you tend to leave your stick side open more in positioning, you’re likely to face a few low shots out wide. These can be deceptively tricky! Leaving your stick too high means the puck can sneak under it, but if you push your blade too far down it will come closer to your body and reduce your range.

Example[i.imgur.com]

• Cross crease passes

Your crease is wide! A savvy skater will often look for a pass to someone parked at your backdoor to shovel a shot in. When you see that a pass is happening instead of a shot, turn and dash as fast as you can and get that stick in the way!

Example[i.imgur.com]

• Poke checks

It can be scary when a player is dekeing up to you, but don’t fret - you have some tricks up your own sleeve. Over time you will get a sense for your own stick’s range as well as that of other players. Keep your net guarded from shots as long as you can and when you find your opening ….. BANG! you smack the puck right out of their clutches.

Example[i.imgur.com]

• Stopping low passes/wraps from behind your net

If you’re a bit late to cover a wrap with your pads, the stick is your best friend. A well timed turn and smack to your opposite post will bail you out of a lot of wrap attempts or attempts to send a pass out front. This same kind of movement can be used to block a pass attempt to the slot from behind your net, like in the example below.

Example[i.imgur.com]

Too Slow:

Sometimes you’re just gonna get beat. Quick reaction saves aren’t super easy and you shouldn’t rely on them. A wise goalie once told me “show me a flashy save and I’ll show you a goalie out of position”. All of this is to say that, as much as you can, set yourself up to have easier reactions. Positioning your body well and tracking the puck with your stick will help to maximize the time you have to react to a play.

This was mentioned in the stickwork section earlier, but it’s worth a reminder that managing rebounds is a big part of what can make a decent goalie become a great one. Saving is just the first step in stopping an attack - use your awareness (and even your puck cam!) to see where the puck goes after your initial save to see if there is any cleanup work required. Pucks that bounce further away can be picked up by your teammates, but don’t let your guard down in case an enemy beats them to the puck.



While clears that require leaving your crease will be discussed a little bit later, there are some basics that can be laid out about most clears.

Send ‘em to the boards
The slot is a very dangerous place for the puck to be. If you are able, always prioritize clearing the puck to either side of the ice. It’s nice to try and pass to a teammate but your first priority is eliminating any immediate danger.

Scoops
These will take a little bit of practice, but a nice way to keep the puck off of the stick (or body) of a pushing attacker is to tilt your blade back and “scoop” the puck high enough to safely go over them.

Here's an example of a scoop in action! There's also some movement tech here that will be mentioned later in this chapter.[i.imgur.com]

Watch out for traffic!
I myself have own goaled before by clearing the puck directly into a skater’s chest - I would advise against ever doing this. Keep an eye on the minimap as well as down the ice towards where you want to clear the puck so that you can avoid any unpleasant surprises.



If you’ve played a few pick-up games, chances are you’ve heard the cacophony of teammates saying “WRAP WRAP WRAP WRAP” to let you know an opponent is aiming to wrap the puck around the back of your net and tuck a goal in. Unless a particularly aware defender on your team cuts off the attack, you’ll have to start making some decisions. Puck cam is essential here to keep track of the skater’s movements and seeing if the skater is in fact wrapping around your net or if something far more dubious is happening:

Wraps
A traditional wrap will get tucked in right inside of your post. Your goal here is to dash over and get either your stick or your pads in the way of the shot. Your Q and E buttons can make up some of the extra distance if you want to try for a pad kick save, and your stick is a pretty good band-aid solution as well. Mainly, though, it is best to get your whole body over without hanging your pads to block off the most space.

Fake wraps
Sometimes a conniving skater will try to make it seem like they’re going for a wrap, but will instead double back and either try to pass the puck out front or even tuck the puck in themselves. This is not always the case, but it is good to be disciplined about when you commit to covering a wrap so that you’re not letting a trickster pull one over on you.

Michigans
Ermmm…. you can try and get your stick or your body in the way. Don’t get clipped on!




There’s no “i” in goaltender (ignore the “i” in “goalie”). Everything works better when you communicate what you’re doing to your team and your team can let you know what they’re doing in return. If you’re dealing with too many breakways let your team know! If you see too many players on offense, ask for one of them to hang back on defense! Goalies are able to look at their minimap a bit more than skaters when your team is on the attack, so you can take advantage of that and take note of what’s working and isn’t working for the team’s rotations.



We’ve all been there. Whether it be a bad rebound or a shot catching you from behind, it’s good to have a few options for what to do when the puck is behind your pads.

First, don’t panic! It’s easy to freak out and end up own-goaling or letting in a free goal - let’s take a split second to collect ourselves and take action.

One option in these situations is to remain in butterfly and rotate around so that a teammate can scoop the puck out from behind you. Just make sure the puck isn’t behind your heel so that you accidentally kick it into your own net…
Here is an example from one of my goalie reels.
Another option if the puck is behind your pads a bit off to the side is to turn and get a hit in with your stick (hopefully before an opponent is able to tap the puck in)
Here is an example from one of Sleepi's goalie reels.
There are more approaches that can be done and a lot of it is situational - sometimes you gotta improvise and see what you can make happen.



Those nets are kinda tall! Sometimes you’ll need to either stand up or even jump in order to get a hit on a puck flying in from above. You should always be using a bit of puck cam when the puck is flying high towards your side of the ice, and if you see it ready to fall in an inopportune spot… use your head!

Here's an example of a head save in action - notice the puck cam usage.[i.imgur.com]


People are always exploring new mechanics in the game and new patches will change what tech is still relevant and what opportunities there are for new tech. Here's a few to get you started!

Tiger stance (jumping out of net)

Simple once you get the hang of it. Back straight into your net and crouch, then jump and stand up to get a quick push forwards to catch attackers off guard and gain some easy space! Props to Begrip for showcasing this.

Here's a visual example of backing into the net and jumping to accelerate forwards. This is the tech seen in one of the earlier examples![i.imgur.com]

Crane stance (slide dashes)

(Also mentioned before in this guide) Enjoy it and pray it doesn’t get patched out! If you start a dash and then quickly stand up and crouch again, you can slide much farther while remaining in butterfly. You can even chain these to go even faster!

Here is Begrip explaining the tech and props to HIjnx for pointing it out.[medal.tv]

Snake stance

This is a neat little trick to go from your backhand post to your forehand post to cover a wrap. You’re able to get your stick caught in your own net and control your rotation to flick/twirl yourself over to the other side of your net. Make sure you get this move down in training before you pull it out when it matters! Mishandling this move can send you flying out of your crease. Credit to Crowbar for pointing this tech out!

Here is a clip of Crowbar showcasing the tech.[medal.tv]

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