Thirty-six aspiring netminders between the ages of 7 and 13 attended a USA Hockey American Development Model goaltending clinic Monday at Jersey Shore Arena in Wall Township, New Jersey, where they experienced a station-based on-ice training session under the watchful eyes of 20 coaches, including former USHL Goaltender of the Year Terry Jarkowsky and USA Hockey ADM Goaltending Manager Phil Osaer.
 
The event also included an off-ice classroom session for the coaches, filling them with fresh goaltending ideas they’ll bring back to their teams and associations.
 
“The highlight for me was working with the kids and collaborating with the coaches while they worked on the ice, creating ways to improve learning environments for goalies,” said Osaer, who patrolled the pipes for 12 professional seasons after three campaigns with Ferris State University.
 
“It was great to see such a wide variety of hockey people attend the clinic. We had goalie coaches, hockey directors and team coaches there, all with the same goal of helping develop their goaltenders.”
 
The clinic came one week after USA Hockey launched its Intro-to-Goaltending series with three one-hour sessions in Connecticut. The events attracted more than 60 first-time youth goaltenders who discovered the fun of puck-stopping free of charge.
 
“It was awesome,” said Osaer. “It’s always great to see young kids learn something new and make saves for the first time. A little guy at Avon told one of our teaching goalies that it was the best day of his life. When you hear something like that from a 5-year-old, it’s gratifying, and that type of experience is exactly what we’re hoping to provide with these youth goaltending events.”