Breakaways and Penalty Shots: Staying Calm When It's One-on-One

By Eldon 'Pokey' Reddick | Hockey Horizons Mentor & Former NHL Goaltender

There are few moments in hockey as electric — and as pressure-filled — as a breakaway. For the goalie, it's you and the shooter, the whole rink watching, and a decision tree that has to play out in about three seconds. How you handle those moments has a lot to do with your preparation and a little to do with your composure under pressure. Both of those things are trainable.

The first principle of breakaway goaltending is patience. Your instinct will be to commit early — to guess, to dive, to do something. Resist that instinct. The longer you can stay upright, on your feet, challenging the shooter without committing, the more you force the shooter to make a decision. Shooters on breakaways want you to move first. They want to read your commitment and go the other way. If you stay patient and give them nothing to read, you put the pressure back on them.

The second principle is tracking the puck, not the body. Dekes are designed to move your eyes to the shooter's shoulders, hips, or stick blade. When you follow the body, you get faked. When you track the puck, you see the actual shot or pass that comes off it. Stay on the puck. Stay patient. Let the shooter show you what they're doing rather than reacting to what you think they're doing.

Penalty Shots Are Different

A penalty shot adds an extra layer of pressure because play has stopped, the whole building is watching, and you have time to think about it. Use that time productively — remind yourself of your fundamentals, take a breath, and trust your preparation. The best thing you can do on a penalty shot is the same thing you do on every breakaway: stay patient, track the puck, and let the shooter commit first. Don't try to be a hero. Execute your process.

At Hockey Horizons, we understand that goaltending is its own world — technically, mentally, and strategically. Pokey Reddick works directly with goaltenders and their families to navigate development, team selection, and the junior and college recruiting process. If you're serious about your goalie's future, reach out to us at hockeyhorizons.com.

For guidance on the complete development picture, visit us at hockeyhorizons.com.