Coach JeremyWhile browsing the hockey stick section at my local Source for Sports store I came across a stick that really caught my attention.The stick was not too expensive, but also not the bottom of the barrel, it was light, had a great feel to it, and was a Bauer (my brand of choice when the price is right). The stick was called the Bauer Supreme One Matrix, I had never heard of it before so I decided to send an email to Bauer and inquire about it before purchasing. It turns out that this is a special stick made specifically for the Source for sports stores (don’t worry you can buy it online), I loved the stick and had to do a review of it on this site, so lets get to it.
Supreme Matrix Stick Details
- Retail Price $149.99
- Premium carbon composite construction – Making the stick durable
- RE-AKT technology with TOE-DRAG tactile – A cool grip texture on the blade that should help improve the toe drags
- Pure shot blade profile – I suppose this helps improve your shot, but nothing beats shooting 100 pucks a day!
- Aero Foam II blade core – This is a nice feature that softens the feel of receiving passes, usually only found in the more expensive sticks
- Mid Kick point
- SURPREME power dual taper sqare double concave shaft dimensions – That’s a lot of words to describe the shape of the shaft
- Ergonimcally designed – For a nice feel
- TAC-SPIRAL texture – These are the little bumps on the stick, I personally like this better than the sticky grip
- GRIPTAC texture – This IS the sticky grip, which I hate HOWEVER they only put it on the bottom half of the stick, which I happen to love! (more on that later)
What I like about this stick
Look – The first thing that drew my attention to the stick was the look of it. I’m not a big fan of flashy graphics and shiny stuff all over the stick, in the end I’ll use anything that’s affordable and feels right, but I tend to lean towards sticks that don’t have crazy graphics all over them
Feel – When I picked up the stick it was nice and light and had a good balance to it. The stick felt nice in my hands, and I noticed the grip instantly.
Grip – I am not a fan of sticky grip on sticks because I like my bottom hand to be able to slide up and down the stick while I stickhandle. I usually go for sticks that have a sandpaper type feel to them. The Bauer Supreme Matrix actually has BOTH types of grip which I have never seen before. The entire stick has the tac spiral (which is just bumps along the shaft of the stick) but the bottom half has the sticky Griptac (sticky grip). I like this idea because when you tee up a slapshot, or want to really lean on a snap shot you will have grip right where you need it, but your bottom hand can still slide while stickhandling (smart move Bauer!)
Toe-drag Tactile – I think this is a cool idea and it was something I had been adding to my sticks with the 3M liquid tape (taping the blade, painting the toe). It’s a great idea as the toe drag is becoming a commonly used moved in the sport now.
Price – I’m cheap, I don’t like to spend over $100 on a hockey stick, that being said if there is a stick that really speaks to me I will buy it, and this was one of those sticks. The retail price is $149.99 (although it’s on sale right now for $30 off online; lefties only though). I like the price because it has a lot of the features of a high end stick (foam core in the blade, toe-drag grip, premium composite, etc) but it weighs in at under $150.
Video Review with on-ice footage
Where to buy the Supreme One Matrix stick
The stick is a special model and is only available at Source for Sports stores in Canada, you can order it online from The Hockey Shop (currently $30 off!), I’ve linked right to the page for the senior model, they also have intermediate and junior available.
