Richfield Resident Gives Back to Sport of Hockey Through Training Goalies

Richfield resident Steve Carroll has had his life enriched by being a hockey goaltender and his mission is to help children have the same opportunity.

"I've had so many good memories being a goalie," he said. "I wanted to give back and help kids learn the art."

Carroll, who has lived in Richfield since 1984, began goaltending as a boy after an Edina PeeWee hockey coach saw his skills in a floor hockey tournament and asked if he wanted to give goaltending for an ice hockey team a try.

"Not sure if he was trying to tell me I wouldn't be any good at forward, or what," he joked. "But I made the team."

From there, he helped his team win the state PeeWee championship.

"What interested me in playing goalie was the challenge of keeping the puck out of the net and doing whatever it took to help the team win," Carroll said.

He moved on to play and earn honors in goal for Edina East High School in the mid-1970's and collegiately for Mankato State University.

"I enjoy working with kids and seeing the excitement in their eyes when they 'get it,'" Carroll said. "Often [the school] is the first formal goaltender training they get—we can offer that foundation."

Before his playing days were done, Carroll compiled a distinguished career as a goaltender, with a background that includes a state PeeWee "A" championship with Edina, a state runner-up finish with Edina East in 1977 and a Division II national title with Mankato State in 1980.

He is a member of both the Edina and Minnesota State University, Mankato Hall-Of-Fame and was named the Mavericks' Male Athlete of the 20th Century.

"I've had some really wonderful experiences," he said. "Playing for [legendary Edina hockey coach] Willard Ikola was great, he was a goalie himself and understood where we came from; playing in the state tournament against Neal Broten from Roseau and Don Lucia from Grand Rapids was tremendous, as was being part of the 'Miracle in Mankato.'"

Since opening the first goalie school in 1995, Carroll and his staff of coaches have looked to impart their wisdom on the next generation of netminders.

"We teach, demonstrate and reinforce proper techniques and we do it in an upbeat atmosphere," he said. "We've established ourselves as an excellent place to learn the fundamentals, which is the key to the whole deal."

The school's Summer 2011 session is coming up July 22-24 at , and it's booked with 20 aspiring goaltenders from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Another session will be held at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine in August 2011.

Stay tuned for a photo gallery from the summer session on Richfield Patch. For more details, go to carrollgs.com.