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A save is a save and other goalie stuff

By Michael Trzinski, 12/29/13, 6:45PM CST

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Check the video, and who is really the best goalie?

At least once per week, WiPH gets an email or phone call from a coach asking to add an assist for a goal scored or to flip-flop assists and goals for a score in one of their games.

'We watched the video and Tommy Playmaker had an assist on the third goal,' or 'Billy Sniper had the goal, not the assist on the second goal in the third period.'

How often does a coach say 'We watched the video and Sally Sieve had 28 saves, not 26.'

Never.

So my question is: why is that? In a high school world where an extra assist on the season might mean the difference between getting a D1 ride or toiling in the backwaters of D3 hockey (tongue firmly in cheek), why do goalie saves not get the same level of scrutiny as goals and helpers?

Probably because there are an average of 50-60 saves made in games, while the number of goals scored is perhaps 10% of that.

Here's another question for you: have you ever been to a tournament where the scoresheet noted the team that scored goals but not the individual player? 

Once again, never. But I have been to tournaments (youth and high school) where no one tracks the saves and the coach gets the yellow or pink copy of the sheet after the game to find...nothing for goalie saves.

Seriously?

Why are goalies the 'red-headed stepchildren' of hockey players? They work longer hours than their skating counterparts because they are on the ice for 51 minutes, give or take, while defensemen log 25 minutes per game and forwards 15-20 minutes.

But goalie stats are seemingly so unimportant that coaches don't worry about them and sometimes the scorekeepers don't even count them.

I was at a HS tournament two years ago when my daughter was a freshman and just for grins, I tallied saves for both teams to see how I would compare with the scorekeepers.

Let me explain that Emily has been playing goalie since 2003, and I have become an expert on tracking shots/saves. I have put tally marks in my notepad for over 250 games at both levels. I think that makes me an expert.

If we were at trial, the opposing attorney would stipulate to my expertise in 'saveology.'

Anyway, in that game the goalies that I tracked had 27 and 21 saves, respectively. The guys sitting in the scoring booth--who seemed to be more concerned about playing music during dead time--showed 17 and 12.

Really?? What game were they watching?

A shot is a shot, a goal is a goal, and a save is a save.

What we need to do is to get volunteers who really understand the game to track shots/saves, not a mom or dad that has a vague idea of what a save is. 

I appreciate the fact the parents are willing to step up, but for the purpose of putting numbers on the scoresheet, we need to have people in place that will be accurate in their accounting of the goalie end of the game.

Stats are important, and they matter for goalies, too.


Who is the best goalie?

Part two of my column is to give a little insight and explanation into goalie stats.

How do we judge goalies? By their stats, of course.

But are the numbers really that straightforward?

Here are some observations:

  • For goalies in the Top 10 (based on save percentage), goalies with less than 20 shots faced per game have GAA (goals against average) of less than 1.00
  • There are only two goalies in the Top 10 who have faced 30 shots or more per game
  • Teams with top defensemen or good team defense allow fewer shots and fewer quality shots per game than their counterparts

I have compiled a table of the girl goalies who have played over 400 minutes and have a save percentage of .900 or better for your perusal.

(Updated, 1/25/14)


Name Team Year Save % GAA Shots/51 Min.
Kenzie Torpy Icebergs Junior .959 1.18 28.5
Jaime Hathaway USM Senior .949 1.06 20.9
Audrie Murphy Bay Area Junior .941 0.77 13.1
Lisa Fowle Storm Senior .941 0.69 11.6
Carlie Christensen Fusion Senior .939 1.66 27.0
Sarah Fuerstenberg Sun Prairie Senior .926 1.99 26.7
Emily Bubla Point-Rapids Junior .922 2.37 30.4
Jamie Dutton Thunder Junior .916 3.05 36.4
Erin Connolly Laksehsore Sophomore .916 3.10 36.7
Erin Sparks Tomahawk Freshman .915 3.20 37.4
Jenna Paez Northland Pines Sophomore .913 1.55 17.7
Molly Gross Rock County Sophomore .908 2.68 29.2
Lauren Tremblay Hayward/Spooner Freshman .907 2.58 27.6
Dani Deltgen Sun Prairie Junior .906 1.93 20.6
Hunter Kurbel Metro Lynx Senior .901 2.18 21.9
Jade Van Buren Fond du Lac Senior .901 3.26 32.8

Any questions?

How would the goalies that face less than 20 shots per game do if they had to face 30 or more? It is almost a certainty that their GAA would rise and their save percentage would drop. (I learned that in a Probabilities and Statistics class!)

What happens when a top defenseman graduates? Ask Marshfield's Alexis Straughn. She is a junior who has been an All-Great Northern Conference goalie, has played on Team Wisconsin, and is a very good goaltender.

Compare her numbers with and without All-State defenseman Paige Johnson, who graduated in 2013:

2012:
Sv%: .912
GAA: 1.97
Shots/51 min: 22.5

2013:
Sv%: .869
GAA: 3.83
Shots/51 min: 29.1

Straughan has been injured this season and is nowhere near 100%, so her numbers can't be expected to be as solid as last season's numbers. 

But notice that the shots/51 minutes increased by almost 30%. That makes a huge difference. When healthy, Alexis is one of the best goalies in the state, but the loss of Johnson has shown in the increase in shots and most likely, the quality of shots on goal.

There are many factors involved beyond the skill of a goalie, but when it comes right down to it, the goalie numbers are what the netminder is judged by.

It is up to us to look beyond the 'glamour number' of save percentage and look at all the stats and come up with who is the best goalie.