With 90% of all goals being scored in the bottom third of the net it should go without saying that every goaltender should focus on this part of the net. A simple review of statistics proves that covering the bottom part of the net makes strategic sense.
There are four factors why it is advantageous for the goaltender to force the shooter to go high.
1) Pucks can be shot over or wide of the net but not under. Think about it the nets have sides and a top that have no structure that will force the puck to stay within the confines of the net’s 6 foot x 4 foot opening. However the bottom of the net is in constant contact with the ice surface. The percentage of higher shots missing the net is greater than the number of low shots that miss the net.
2) The shooter’s illusion. There is less room upstairs than the shooter thinks.
A picture speaks a thousand words. In the pictures below the puck is placed center of the ice between the hash marks. The goaltender is out at the top of the crease. Picture one is at eye level and is what the shooter, approximately 6 feet tall, sees. Picture two is from the ice and what the puck actually sees.
 Picture #1 Shooter View |
 Picture #2 Puck View |
3) Hands move quicker than feet. The goaltenders gloves are pieces of equipment that are the easiest and quickest to move.
4) High shots taker longer to get to the net. While it may only be fractions of a second it is a geometric fact higher shots travel a longer distance to the net than the puck shot along the ice.
Remember: