Goalie guide
You can play goalie in any game against the computer. Open ⚙️ and turn on Play as goalie. It switches right away: you take your goalie and the computer takes your skaters. Goalie controls are four moves: butterfly, kick left, kick right and poke check. In a Goalie cup you're in net for the whole tournament.
The controls
| Move | Phone / gamepad | Keyboard and mouse | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stick | Left stick | WASD | Push out to cut the angle, back in, slide side to side |
| Butterfly | ✕ (hold) | Right click or E | Drop to your knees and cover the bottom of the net |
| Kick left | □ | Left click or K | A pad save to the left. With the stick pushed hard left, a pad stack. |
| Kick right | ○ | Space or F | The same, to the right |
| Poke check | △ | Q | Jab the stick at a puck carrier who gets too close |
The phone buttons relabel themselves BUTTERFLY, KICK L, KICK R and POKE while you're in net. Keys can be changed in ⚙️ > Controls > Set controls, and goalie keys are set separately from skater keys.
Angles: where to stand
A goalie's job is mostly geometry. Stay on the line between the puck and the middle of your net. Push out toward the shooter and the net behind you gets smaller from where he stands. Push out too far and a pass across leaves you stranded. When the puck goes wide or behind the net, come back in.
Butterfly, pad stack, poke
- Butterfly is for shots from in close and anything low. Hold it as the shot comes, not a second early, or you're on your knees while he walks around you.
- Kicks and pad stacks are for the pass across and the deke to one side. Read the direction and commit. Half a kick is a goal.
- Poke check works when a carrier skates right at you. Miss it and you're out of position, so pick your moments.
Rebounds and one-timers
The goals that hurt come off rebounds and passes across the crease. A puck sitting in front of you after a save is a second shot waiting to happen. One-timers beat goalies because the goalie has to move across first. Watch the passer, not just the shooter.
Practice in net
Choose Practice on the main menu and tap Be the goalie. A shooter fires ten pucks at you, no opponents, no clock. Tap Shoot to switch back to shooting at a goalie yourself.
The Goalie cup
In a Goalie cup you're locked in your net for every game of the Challenge Cup. You can play the puck, but you can't skate it up the ice. Your career page tracks games, wins, losses, shots against, saves, save percentage, goals against, goals-against average and shutouts, separately from any skater stats.
Online
In an online game, a player who is alone on a side can turn on Play as goalie too. With two or three players on a side, everyone plays a skater and the computer stays in net.
What real goalies do
Real goaltenders wear about 20 kilograms of gear and face shots well over 150 km/h. Most play the butterfly style, which Glenn Hall used in the 1950s and 60s and Patrick Roy made standard in the 1980s and 90s. The basics are the same ones above: square up to the shooter, control rebounds, track the puck through traffic, and know where the posts are without looking. Goalie stats are save percentage (saves divided by shots), goals-against average (goals allowed per 60 minutes) and shutouts.
Questions
How do I play goalie in Brudvig Hockey?
Open the settings (⚙️) in a game and turn on Play as goalie. The computer plays your skaters. Or start a Goalie cup in the Challenge Cup.
What are the goalie controls?
Move with the stick or WASD. ✕ (right click, E) holds the butterfly. □ (left click, K) kicks left and ○ (Space, F) kicks right; push the stick hard that way for a pad stack. △ (Q) is a poke check.
Can I practice as a goalie?
Yes. Practice, then Be the goalie. A shooter fires ten pucks at you.
Can I skate out of the net in a Goalie cup?
You can play the puck, but you stay in your net. You cannot skate it up the ice.
What goalie stats does the game keep?
Shots against, saves, save percentage and goals against in every box score. The Challenge Cup career page adds wins, losses, goals-against average and shutouts.