How To Make A Pond Hockey Goal

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In playing pickup hockey, I've used plenty of things for a goal:  trashcan, coffee can, shoes, pvc pipe goal, an actual steel goal with a goaltender.  Ultimately, I keep coming back to the wooden pond hockey goal (pictured above).  It discourages slapshots or high shots, and it really levels the playing field while still providing enough difficulty to make you want to raise your arms when you deposit the puck.

I haven't built one since I was a kid, but after seeing what some people charge, I went to work.  And suspecting that maybe some of you have never built one, I thought I would tell you a bit about the process.  This won't be a full instructional or anything-- it honestly isn't that complicated --but you will need a saw, hammer, nails or screws, measuring tape and lumber.  If you have the first few on hand, then cheap lumber is usually about $7 per 8-foot strip at Home Depot.  You'll need three 1x6 planks, and try to make sure they're as straight as possible when you get them.

The dimensions of a Pond Hockey goal are usually six feet wide and two feet deep, with openings that are one foot wide and six inches tall.  As you can see above, you will be nailing together five pieces of wood: the cross beam, the left side, the right side, the back and the front.  

Note:  The goal pictured above attaches the back to the sides by screwing through the back plank and into the sides.  As the back receives the impact of the pucks, you must use screws (not nails) to replicate what you see above.  If you are too impatient to pre-drill and bother with screws, then I suggest you attach the back by nailing through the sides and into the back plank, which I usually do.  This will require you to cut the back two inches shorter than 6' to allow for the width of the side pieces.

To cut the back piece, you'll want to cut a plank 70" long.  The remainder of that plank will then be 2'2".  You'll want to cut that excess 2 inches. Then take another plank and cut 2'.  You should now have one plank that is 70", two planks that are 2' and one plank that is 6'.  These are the back, the sides and the cross beam, respectively.  Nail them together.  Now, with the final plank, you are going to construct the front of the goal.  This absorbs all of the missed shots, and it should leave 1' openings on either sides.  Ideally, it would be 46" long, but measure out one foot openings, just in case your wood isn't perfect.  Center the piece of wood on the front and nail it to the crossbeam.  Feel free to use the excess wood as a support beam for the front as pictured above.

There you have it.  It's not the most portable thing in the world, but it's cheap and durable.  It's ideal for family cul de sac roller hockey, and as I said above, its design really promotes the classic pond hockey style of play.