Shooting: EZ Goal Review

The EZ Goal and Backstop combo is a durable, versatile, and inexpensive way work on your shot from home!

One of the highest priorities in my Home Hockey Training Center was to have a solid shooting station. The first step is to have a good goal that you can shoot real pucks at. I chose the EZ Goal and Backstop because it is a full sized, durable, and portable piece of equipment. The design is very cool, and it can actually fold up for easy storage.

Assembling the EZ Goal frame was very simple. It took me about 35 minutes to build both the net and backstop. Most of it snaps together with spring-loaded pins. The few tools that were needed actually came with the net (other than a phillips screwdriver).

The hardest part about putting it all together was lacing the netting on. I’d never done it before, and had to undo and redo a couple of times. The biggest thing I can recommend is fitting it in and tying in the corners and other key spots before you begin. This will help make sure you don’t “run out of net” after you’ve laced 3/4 of the way around (yes, that happened to me!)

In all fairness, the lacing wasn’t hard, just time-consuming… and if you take my advice on “tacking it in” before you begin, you’ll have a much easier go of it!

Part-way through setting it all up, we had a rain storm. The EZ Goal is weather resistant, but I wanted to bring it into the garage anyways. So I had a chance put the folding feature to use. It was super easy to collapse, and it fit in my garage like a glove!

So, after the rain quit, I was able to finish the rest of the assembly and try it out. I’m REALLY impressed with the design! I’ve used nets in the past that don’t hold up to real shots from real pucks. This does.

I’ve also used set-ups where the backstop sits behind the net. They don’t work nearly as well as this design, because if you hit the post or cross bar just right the puck will still ricochet up and over the top of the backstop. With the EZ Goal’s design, the backstop is actually integrated into the net, so unless you just outright miss the net AND backstop, you’re very unlikely have anything get away from you.

Another thing I love about the design is that the side panels can swivel. This feature makes for a really cool set-up when working on shooting from an angle.

All in all, the EZ Goal is a fantastic piece of equipment at a great price point, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their shot this summer!