It is very difficult to stop anything along the ice without your stick. The stick is almost like a tail on a cat. It gives you balance and sets you up both physically and mentally to make the save. If you lose your stick and can't cover the puck then you want one back in your hand as soon as you can. Sometimes a defenseman will give me his stick until they can get mine back to me.
Goalies are the only players on the ice that can play with a broken stick.
So if a stick breaks during the play we can still use it without getting a penalty. I never practice without a stick. It gives you bad habits. I use good sticks. Christian sticks are very durable and rarely break.