When the new lacrosse parent takes a look at the average goalie’s legs, they typically have one question. Where’s the padding? The truth is most goalies don’t wear much leg protection. Unless you count a 0.5 cm thick pair of sweatpants. There are many reasons why lacrosse goalie don’t wear leg protection but two of the most common are: I prefer to be super mobile It looks stupid, so I’ll get heckled As I set out to find the best goalie leg protection, remaining mobile and remaining cool were very important criteria. Awhile back on a Lacrosse Goalie Summit session I was talking about the ult ..read more

This Episode Is Brought To You By: Dev Sherman began playing goalie at age 6. He has asthma and his parents quickly realized that running so much during a game was going to be troublesome for his little body. But he loved the sport! So they decided to give goalie a try. Well, nobody else volunteered on his Greenwich Youth Lacrosse team and Dev stepped up! He loved it! His mom told me he’s always been a protective kid in nature, strong and passionate and got his dad’s hand-eye coordination, to boot! So Dev’s Mom reached out to Coach Bobby Lutz at Greenwich High and asked: what do I do with a 6 ..read more

This Episode Is Brought To You By: She was in 2nd grade playing PAL lacrosse on Long Island (Sayville, NY). The team’s goalie got hurt and Jessica Harclerode stepped up in the 2nd half. “I can’t run. So I’m going in that net I thought. And I tore it up. I had like 6 saves in the first game. I was hyped up and ever since that I was in love with the goalie position”, said Jessica. Even though Jessica had just received a custom field player stick right before that game, her initial dominance in the goal perhaps combined with the no running element of goalie was enough to hook her for life. Jessi ..read more

With the original CL 18 goalie head, Coach Richard Shassian from Deep South Lacrosse set out to make an extremely stiff goalie head for the athletic minded goalie who loves to handle the rock outside the crease. The triangle face shape creates a better channel in the goalie head and gives us keepers better handles when carrying the ball up the field. The crosse was also super reinforced and the scoop angled inwards to eliminate the worst case scenario where the head folds back to high velocity shot. Those are both awesome qualities but the head did come with some drawbacks like heavy weight an ..read more

This Episode Is Brought To You By: On today’s episode of the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast, I am thrilled to have NLL goalie Deacan Knott from the Philadelphia Wings join me. Deacan recently concluded an exceptional summer, securing a Minto Cup, the Canadian National U22 Box Lacrosse Championship, with the Burlington Blaze. The Blaze triumphed over the Coquitlam Adanacs in a thrilling best-of-three series, claiming one of Box Lacrosse’s most coveted trophies. "We worked so hard this year, and overcame so many things, it's just a dream come true!" –@burlyjralax G Deacan Knott on capturing their firs ..read more

In 2019 Maverik lacrosse released their Maverik Max EKG lacrosse goalie chest protector. While that chest pad had some promising features it also lacked in many areas as I discussed in the full review linked above. Recently, Maverik lacrosse released the latest version of their lacrosse goalie chest protector. An upgraded model called the Maverik Shift EKG. In this post we’ll do a full gear review of the Maverik Shift EKG chest pad so you can determine if this baby can have the honor of protecting your chest while in net. This Episode Is Brought To You By: Maverik Shift EKG – Protection The ..read more

This Episode Is Brought To You By: On this episode of the Lax Goalie Rat podcast, I’m thrilled to welcome Sports Psychologist and Mental Performance Coach, Dr. Nate Zinsser. I frequently receive messages from goalies of all ages seeking advice on enhancing their mental game. It’s a crucial aspect of our role as goalies that often goes unnoticed. That’s why I’m delighted to have Dr. Zinsser on the show today. With his extensive background in mental performance and over 30 years of helping athletes achieve peak performance, his insights are invaluable for goalies everywhere. My introduction to ..read more

This Episode Is Brought To You By: On today’s episode of the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast, I’m happy to be joined by PLL Waterdogs goalie and Air Force alum Jason Rose. Jason just finished his collegiate career at Air Force and signed with the Waterdogs as a free agent during the 2023 season. Interestingly, Rose’s journey to becoming a goalie began unexpectedly. Starting as a midfielder, he found himself thrown in the cage during a game when the designated goalie failed to show up. Rose’s exceptional performance in the first half solidified his role as a goalie, a position he never relinquished ..read more

This Episode Is Brought To You By: On today’s episode of the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Delaney Sweitzer, a standout senior goalie from the Syracuse Orange. Delaney is coming off an incredible season where she was named the IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year. Sweitzer finished in the top 12 in four categories in the final NCAA Division I statistics. She ranked seventh nationally in saves (185), eighth in save percentage (.505) and 12th in goals-against average (9.20). In addition, Sweitzer was third in ground balls per game (3.71). The Hatfield, PA native earned fi ..read more

On today’s episode of the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by Emily Markley, netminder from Washington College. Emily, currently entering her junior year at DIII Washington College, is set on securing the starting position for her team this upcoming season. After serving as the primary backup goaltender during her first two seasons with the Shorewomen, she’s eager to make her mark. In her initial two years at Washington College, Emily maintained an 11.69 GAA, a .412 save percentage, and showcased her skills with 33 saves and 5 caused turnovers. Her best performance occurred du ..read more