The Streatham Wall

LONDON, UK – What happens when you stick three British net minders in a room and ask them to talk hockey? Pro Hockey News catches up with three highly rated English National League goalies for their thoughts on hockey, memories and getting hit in tender places.

 
It is nearly 11pm and three figures are stood sweating inside London’s oldest ice rink. Minus their helmets and shoulder pads they appear distorted in shape thanks to large leg pads and shorts that are still to be taken off and have faced hundreds of shots over the past hour and a half.
 
Welcome to the world of a British goalie, or more specifically the world of a Streatham Redskins goalie. Streatham are one of the oldest hockey clubs in the UK however despite a season where the team have struggled in the English National League, their three goalies by contrast have been in fine form.
 
Introducing…
 
Will Sanderson is a 24 year old stopper who started his junior hockey in Streatham before eventually making his senior debut for Slough. After six seasons with the Berkshire club where he iced mainly for the ENL side whilst also backing up for the Jets, Sanderson moved back to South London and had a standout year for the Redskins in 2009/10 before suffering an injury from which he is only now recovering fully from. Highly rated by many, Sanderson turned down other offers to stay at Streatham this summer.
 
Stefan Nubert is a 27 year old who was a junior at the famous Cardiff club in Wales before leaving the game, only to return in 2004 to make his senior bow with Haringey Greyhounds. After a spell at Lee Valley where he also got the chance to guest for Edinburgh Capitals in the Elite League, Nubert moved to Streatham in 2007, but it was not until 2010 that he began to put in the match winning performances to earn a starter position and is Streatham’s most physical goalie.

Shane Kemp is a 20 year old who started his hockey as a junior at Romford. In 2007 he made his senior debut for Slough in the English National League before quickly moving to Streatham where he impressed enough to be snapped up by Invicta Dynamos. Now back at Streatham, Kemp was a big signing for the Redskins in 2010 and is now in his second season with the team and is a big favourite with the fans.
 
Now that the introductions are over, let’s hear what they have to say:
 
It takes a certain character to want to become a goalie. Why would anyone want to stand in front of people shooting pucks?
 
Will – I started as a player and was standing on practice one day watching a kid called Tommy Sliz making saves down one end, not sure if any of these guys know him?
 
Shane – Yeah he played conference in juniors didn’t he?
 
Will – Yeah, well I just watched him and I thought that’s what I want to do. I played for a bit longer then switched.
 
Stefan – I played as a goalkeeper in football so it was a natural progression. I watched a hockey game in Cardiff and decided to take to the ice.
 
Shane – I played as a player for two or three weeks and I found it boring. Like Will, I saw a goalie making saves and thought that looked like much more fun.
 
Possibly more than any other position on the ice, the equipment for goalies has advanced rapidly over the years. What differences have you noticed from the gear available when you started, to what it is like in 2011?
 
Stefan – Well you don’t get hurt as much, that’s a good thing.
 
Will – They look better for one thing and are not as ugly.
 
Shane – That’s true, and the pads don’t soak up all the water, you can now lift them up off the floor at the end of the session. Every aspect of our equipment is better now as it is lighter and you can get much better rebound control, it is a better all round experience as a goalie.
 
Stefan – I am old enough to remember brown pads with deer hair inside them; they were like sponges as Shane said. It is nice to have sticks with curves these days, which is a novelty.
 
Will – My last set of pads were custom made, they are really light and a world away from what we grew up with through junior hockey.
 
A lot of theories go around that goalies are frustrated players and are simply stuck in goal. Where do you get the enthusiasm to play in goal and what is the best part of the role?
 
Shane – Sometimes you feel more important, not than the team but to the team. Players can score a goal or two but making a big save is just as important.
 
Stefan – I think you can be the hero or the villain and you are aside to the rest of the team in a way. There is no place to hide if you mess up and as Shane says, you can make big saves and keep your team in games that perhaps they otherwise would still not be in. It is an ego boost if I am honest.
 
Will – I think that’s what I loved about it when I first started. You get an adrenalin rush from a save and the pressure during games. I find I play much better when I am under pressure, otherwise…
 
Stefan – You get bored?
 
Will – Yeah well I thrive on the pressure and the shots so if I don’t get many, that’s when you have to concentrate more so you don’t lose focus.
 
Players can take up a variety of positions and there are more roster opportunities whereas goalies are forced to compete for one single spot. How hard is it to progress in hockey as a goalie and what are the prospects for goalies in this country?
 
Shane – I think that’s true. You always want to be number one starter and no one likes being back-up, but I truly believe that if you have the skills and attributes and put in the hard work, people are watching and sooner or later you will get an opportunity or an offer. It is just a case of grabbing the right opportunity, not rushing yourself and making good decisions.
 
Stefan – The bad thing about British hockey in my opinion is that teams bring in import goalies without having seen them play at EPL or Elite league level. You can count on one hand the number of top level British goalies at this moment in time. As Shane mentioned, it’s a growing process from ENL to EPL, learn from better goalies and players and hope a coach comes along and gives you a shot.
 
Will – The problem I always found at Slough playing for the Jets is that I backed up for so long I felt I wasn’t even considered to start and you get stuck. The lack of opportunities just made me get gradually worse over time as game experience is so important. There are goalies that have backed up higher level teams and dropped down into the ENL as highly rated through association with their former club, but when they get to start they can sometimes struggle
 
Stefan – When you have sat on the bench for so long it doesn’t help. Training with higher level players is all well and good, but when it comes to game situations it is a different experience.
 
Most goalies will face an array of different players at varying standards. Who have been the players that have caused you the most problems with either a hard shot or simply good skills?
 
Will – The hardest guy to stop I have ever come up against was Nicky Chinn. It wasn’t that he had a hard shot but that he just knew where to put the puck. He would be looking in one direction whilst putting the puck in the top corner of the net in the other direction.
 
Shane – Jan Krajicek (Slough) almost concussed me when he shot one off my head. I have never seen so many stars and tweety pies above my head.
 
Stefan – Ian Cooper and Doug McEwan (Cardiff) would stand out for me as exceptional players. I guested for Edinburgh in the Elite league and Tony Hand was on another level, and that was just in warm up!
 
The English National League has improved over the last few years with a number of players receiving rave reviews and being called up to higher levels. Are there any goalies in the league that stand out?
 
Will – For me the stand out was Joe White of Invicta but he isn’t playing at the minute.
 
Stefan – I would say most of us are comparable in the league and on any given day we can all play to a similar high level.
 
Some people think goalies are crazy and have no fear but there are risks to guarding a goal from high speed pucks. What is the worst nightmare for goalies and have you been hit in the nuts (testicles) by a puck?
 
Shane – Many times! (All laughing)
 
Stefan – On a weekly basis, it‘s great (frowns)
 
Will – I was once physically sick because of a particular shot that hit me between the legs. I filled a whole bucket on the other side of the boards
 
Pro Hockey News would like to thank all three guys for their time and wish them all the best for the season ahead.
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com