Playing goalie -- even in video game form -- can be a nerve-racking, adrenaline-pumping experience. But setting up your goalie's attributes beforehand can become frustrating without knowing exactly what all the ratings do.

In part two of Operation Sports' NHL 12 attribute guide, we take a close look at the individual ratings that determine whether a goalie performs like a Vezina Trophy candidate or a career backup.
 

Angles - Does not affect human goalies. Affects the quality of a computer goalie's positioning when squaring up to face the puck.

Breakaway - A modifier that momentarily increases or decreases a goalie's reflexes and athleticism ratings during a breakaway situation. As in real life, some goalies perform well in normal game situations but struggle to make saves on breakaways and penalty shots.

Five Hole/Glove Saves/Stick Saves - A human goalie can perform saves either by using the right joystick moves or by pressing nothing and letting the game do "auto saves." Right-joystick saves are unaffected by the individual save ratings. The five save attributes determine the effectiveness of your goalie's "auto save" animations, which occur when the player isn't pressing any buttons.

Puck Control

Passing - Determines the strength and accuracy of passes.

Poke Checking - Applies only to CPU goalies. Affects the likelihood of a computer goalie using the poke check move ("up" on the right joystick).

Rebound Control - Determines the speed and location of shot rebounds. A low rating in rebound control will generate lots of hard rebounds, with the goalie being unable to direct rebounds into the corners and away from dangerous scoring areas of the ice.

Shot Recovery - Affects how quickly a goalie recovers from his initial save animation. With a low recovery rating, the goalie can be temporarily "stunned" by hard shots, or can struggle to get back into position after making a save attempt.

Athleticism

Agility - How quickly the goalie moves and turns. Height and weight will also modify this attribute.

Aggressiveness - Only applies to CPU goalies. Determines how far out a computer goalie will move to challenge shots. CPU goalies with low aggressiveness are likely to stay deep inside their crease.

Durability - Goalies currently cannot be injured during live gameplay. Injuries to goalies occur during simulated games only. Higher durability decreases the likelihood of an injury occurring during a simulated game.

Endurance - Not currently a factor in EASHL games. Goalie stamina applies to offline modes only. Goalies fatigue by moving around, making saves, fighting or getting bumped into (applies only during live action; bumps do not count after the whistle).

Speed - Affects the goalie's side-to-side speed in net and his skating ability when holding down the A button and chasing the puck outside his crease. Height and weight will also modify this attribute.

Vision - Determines how well the goalie tracks the puck. Even as a human goalie, the game will automatically reposition the goalie and make slight positional adjustments in relation to where on the ice he "sees" the puck. Also affects the goalie's ability to see through screens.

For greater detail on playing the goalie position in EA's NHL series, see Operation Sports' NHL goalie guide.