As the last line of defense, the goaltender is arguably one of the most important positions in hockey. At the professional level, goalie coaches are highly sought after and are paid the big bucks to keep those goalies ready to defend.
Brian O’Connor, in a 2011 article for ESPN, wrote that goalie coaches are “part instructor, part video analyst, part psychologist, part cheerleader and part confidante.”
Penn State didn’t have a goalie coach for the first two years of its existence.
Nicole Paniccia, who was a junior when the program became a varsity sport, tended the net for the Nittany Lions, who finished dead last in the College Hockey America conference.