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"What a save!"..."I can't believe he let that one in"..."Is that your child, the goalie?!"..."Get out higher in the crease"..."Freeze the puck"..."Ref, it never went in!"..."Gee, Dad, I failed"..."Losing 1-0 isn't bad, kid"..."My teammates are making fun of me"..."I won a gold medal!"..."I can't believe we didn't make the playoffs"..."I can't believe coach stopped talking to me"..."When do we play again?"..."I hear there are tryouts next week"..."Mom, I can't find my baseball glove"..."Thank God, the season's over"..."What time are the playoffs on TV?"..."Boy, is Bill Ranford great!"

It's been a long season for a few and not so long for many. It's finally spring and yes, hockey never ends, but the real season is over. As a father, college coach, and mentor of goaltenders, I would like to advise you on how to "build upon" the experiences you encountered this season. The following ten suggestions will help you take this year's play and continue to build upon it. The ten reflections are:

1.     Look for the positive of the season, remember the good, learn from the mistakes.

2.     Review films of all games or review mentally and write notes about your stance, positioning, execution, and decision making.

3.     Think of the games you played well and remember how you prepared for those games.

4.     Talk to your coaches, parents, teammates, and evaluate what you have to improve on.

5.     Take time to heal all bruises in the first few weeks of the off season.

6.     Look at your physical appearance, have you grown, put on or lost weight? Know your playing weight and your balance for your new body.

7.     Evaluate your concentration ability. Does it improve, read books, study more to improve "concentration".

8.     Review your equipment and purchase what you need to break in over the off season.

9.     Write down all areas you need to improve in and bring the list to your off season goalie coaches.

10.   Stay in shape, get a dry land program. Learn to relax and have fun in the off season.

This article was contributed by Mike Geragosian of Mike Geragosian's All American Goalie Camps.

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