Diary of a Season 2011-12

[Tom Molloy]

It is very difficult to teach players how to play away from the puck. Quick support, give a target, get open, make the easy play, go from offense to defense and defense to offense, 'attack so you can defend and defend so you can attack.'

Teaching Roles One, individual offensive skills, and Role Three, individual defensive skills is much easier because a player can work on these on their own. You need game situations to learn how to read the play and react to the cues to be effective in Game Playing Role Two, the offensive players without the puck and Game Playing Role Four, the defensive players away from the puck.

You can do drills to create some situations that mimic a real game but there is no decisions making. The players know it is a 2-1 or 3-3 etc., so they don't need to read the play and communicate with teammates.

It is important to play SAG and full ice games that create situations that require the players to support on offense and on defense after they have scanned the ice and read what the situation is and then make the appropriate decision.

Last night I worked on close support, facing the puck, giving a target, looking around before you get the puck by playing three full ice games.

Game One:
Full ice game of 8 on 8 with the rule that there must be at least on pass in each zone. We played for 7 minutes and I enforced the rule. The score ended up 0-0 so both teams skated across and back because neither team won.

Game Two:
Full ice game 8 vs 8 of Baggo and the rule of that is that you get 2 touches or one second with the puck. This game requires very quick decision making. Score was 1-0 and the losing team went across and back once.

Game Three:
Full ice game of 4-4 Baggo with 45" shifts, Pass back to the your goalie when the whistle goes to end the shift. The score was 2-1 and the losing team skated one across and back.

These games automatically cause the players to get their heads up, give and go, face the puck, give a target, give close support and a lot of other positive playing habits. Other by products of the games are fitness, fun and competitiveness.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[hockeygod]

TomM wrote:
It is very difficult to teach players how to play away from the puck. Quick support, give a target, get open, make the easy play, go from offense to defense and defense to offense, 'attack so you can defend and defend so you can attack.'

Teaching Roles One, individual offensive skills, and Role Three, individual defensive skills is much easier because a player can work on these on their own. You need game situations to learn how to read the play and react to the cues to be effective in Game Playing Role Two, the offensive players without the puck and Game Playing Role Four, the defensive players away from the puck.

You can do drills to create some situations that mimic a real game but there is no decisions making. The players know it is a 2-1 or 3-3 etc., so they don't need to read the play and communicate with teammates.

It is important to play SAG and full ice games that create situations that require the players to support on offense and on defense after they have scanned the ice and read what the situation is and then make the appropriate decision.

Last night I worked on close support, facing the puck, giving a target, looking around before you get the puck by playing three full ice games.

Game One:
Full ice game of 8 on 8 with the rule that there must be at least on pass in each zone. We played for 7 minutes and I enforced the rule. The score ended up 0-0 so both teams skated across and back because neither team won.

Game Two:
Full ice game 8 vs 8 of Baggo and the rule of that is that you get 2 touches or one second with the puck. This game requires very quick decision making. Score was 1-0 and the losing team went across and back once.

Game Three:
Full ice game of 4-4 Baggo with 45" shifts, Pass back to the your goalie when the whistle goes to end the shift. The score was 2-1 and the losing team skated one across and back.

These games automatically cause the players to get their heads up, give and go, face the puck, give a target, give close support and a lot of other positive playing habits. Other by products of the games are fitness, fun and competitiveness.

Agreed!

Good practice Tom.

I have posted more under "Game Intelligence"…

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Tom Molloy]

We practiced the pp last night. We had one goalie and did the game I posted a few days ago in the drills section 8. We had 3 sets of 5 in green, white and red. The rotation is attack-defend-rest at the far end.

Our focus was on the power play but it is easy to emphasize the pk with this rotation instead. We spent 10 minutes using the George Kingston rotation where there is a 5-0 pp going though options at each end and one groups passing in the middle. I blow the whistle one end dumps the puck down to the other end and then does a pp breakout and makes a rush to the original end, then works 5-0 again. The group in the middle goes to the far end and the far end group to the middle. (I had the middle group use the red line on the boards as the goal and do pp options as well. In the 5-0 I want quick puck movement and all 5 players to get shots.

We played a game with the defending team playing without one of their forwards to create a 4-5. One line rests at the far end while one attacks and one defends. On a goal, clear or frozen puck the resting team gets the puck and attacks vs the team who just attacked and the team that defended waits at the far end for their turn to attack. Forwards rotate who doesn't pk.

If you want to practice the breakout and forecheck the resting players could stand along the boards in the nzone and do a controlled breakout when the puck is shot down again.

The key points I gave for the pplay were; 'either you or the puck moves and I want a pass or shot every 2". We start our pp by attacking the seam at the hash marks between the F and D. they have three options.
1. Skate between them and shoot or pass to the F on that side or the D coming back door.
2. If the D pressures pass low and head to the net. the low player can score or pass to any of the other 4 players or if those options aren't there then cycle through the seam again.
3. If the F pressures then pass to the point and the D can shoot, go to the middle and set up a high triangle, or pass right back if the pk f denies these options. When the puck is in the middle I want one F screening and one on the left for a shot pass tip in (Right if the d shoots right) and the high triangle down to near the dots.)

If the pk uses a passive box then you have a 3-2 on the strong side and 2-1 at each corner of the box so you can basically do anything you want. Just move the puck quickly and create 2-1's and get the puck on the net for rebounds, tips, screen shots.

The game rotation is attack-defend-rest and it can be used for all numerical situations. (it is a lot easier to practice team play with a college or pro team that has 20 skaters but this rotation would be good for those levels as well because the units would stay together and get some rest between reps)

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[hockeygod]

Met with Mike Mondin, coach of Canada's National Sledge Hockey Team, this morning for coffee. Mike was my A/C in the early 1990's with Team Kootenay U 17 (male) and Team BC. He has coached at many levels (Jr. A, etc.) and is an excellent coach. He teaches 'shop class' in Trail BC, at the local high School. We haven't had a face-to-face for about 4-5 years, so it was great to reconnect! His daughter is living and working in Calgary now, so I hope to have more opportunities to visit with him here in the future.

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/174344/la_id/1.htm

Mike shared some interesting tidbits and some challenges / differences between coaching sledge hockey and 'regular' hockey.

1) The players don't all 'follow' hockey, like watch it on TV / go to games / stay informed on the hockey news… some never played hockey EVER before their injury, so their anticipation and game sense is limited. Mike and the staff are trying to encourage more 'watching' of hockey games. One player watches NHL.com every night. He watches ALL of the goals scored every night to try to get better. (Mike is trying to encourage more of a shooting mentality in all of his players.)

2) Most play video games (hockey) and this might become more of a training tool.

3) The sport seems to be in it's infancy regarding tactical play. The coach has to modify 'how' and 'what' they teach to match the specialized needs of the equipment and level of the players. Canada is working on cycling, anticipating the rim and pinching, triangulation, etc. When sledge hockey first started, players seemed to do lots of 'looping' around. Mike is trying to implement more of a 'start and stop' mentality, especially in the D-Zone. The curriculum is very progressive (seems to be primarily old-school drills though) and will take time to implement – measured in years as the sport grows. Bringing new players in every year makes it necessary to go back and review previously taught concepts – so this slows things down.

4) The coach can't skate backwards on the ice during practice and even if he shoulder checks, he might not see the players as they are so low! He needs to stay along the boards, facing the inside of the rink at all times… safety!

5) The equipment is evolving rapidly. From Kevlar protective material that can be put into 'pockets' in underwear… when the body warms up, the Kevlar molds to the skin and hardens, to prevent puncture and slash wounds (from the specialized picks on the end of each stick… (6 on each stick as $25 each!). The stick technology is changing similarly to 'regular' hockey – wood to Kevlar to carbon fibre, with inserts, etc! Even the picks on the ends of the sticks evolve… materials, angles, shape, etc. Not to mention the 'buckets' they sit in… runners, sharpening, angles, width of blades (there are two on each bucket), etc. Sounds like 'secret' technology is in development, much like with Bobsled / Luge.

6) Some players prefer their two blades to be closer together; which allows for tighter turns. Others like them farther apart as this takes less energy to balance the bucket. Interesting continuum! This could be individual preference and also somewhat dependent on position.

7) When they are on the bench, even with the clear plexiglass boards, the players' view of the ice is limited; so Mike and the coaches can't say, "Look at what Jim is doing out there… good job Jim!" as the players can't see it! Mike has to take mental notes, talk later, and use video to supplement the key stuff he sees on the ice.

8) They don't overload guys with video, but they do supplement their written technical curriculum (systems) with video clips from the National Junior Team and their own team. They task the guys to pair up and perform scouting reports on other countries as a way to enhance the depth of understanding. They also use YouTube as a teaching tool. They post video using a hidden link; so the players can log on to see certain clips.

9) Body weight (relative strength), core and upper body strength are keys. The therapist says, "Arms shouldn't be used for legs!" so there are structural / fitness / recovery considerations different than 'regular' hockey. Some players need to lose body weight to become more effective; while others need to put on muscle mass to get quicker (more explosive.)

10) Since most guys have some sort of paralysis in the legs, they don't feel pain in their lower extremities. They can accidentally cut or puncture themselves with their picks; or get 'stuck' by opponents on the outside of the legs / stumps… these could get infected / cause blood loss. After every game, they need to check to make sure any cuts are wrapped and disinfected. More protective apparel is being created to help prevent this. Because arms and the upper body aren't as 'big' as legs, they fatigue easier / quicker.

11) Most guys live around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) but some guys are spread out all over the country. They just started a senior sledge hockey league, as the local Ontario league wouldn't let National Team players participate in it because 'they are too good! So on the positive side, they get about 16 games in this new league per year. (It is tough to find leagues of any sort to play in!) The geographic distances between players; the lack of leagues or options to play for people in smaller centres; requisite availability to specialized medical attention; budgets, etc. make 'distance learning' and occasional training camps the best solutions to overcome these challenges. Centralized teams have it far easier.

These are some of the more interesting things I picked up in my conversation with Mike. He has a copy of Tom's book and is looking forward to reading it (and checking out this web site.)

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Here's an article about Sledge Hockey… thought this would be a better place for it (than the "Articles" thread) based on the post above. I am taking my boy to the game and he is pretty excited!

Dean

—–

Canada, U.S. primed for sledge hockey final:
If round-robin meeting is any indication, we're in for a doozy

John Down, Calgary Herald, December 2, 2011

U.S. coach Jeff Sauer politely described it as a dogfight. The Canadian players thought it was fun.

Those were the thoughts Wednesday following Canada’s hard-fought, 3-1 decision over their bitter rivals in the final round-robin game of the World Sledge Hockey Challenge at WinSport’s Arena A.

On Saturday, the championship bragging rights are on the line and it certainly figures to be every bit of a dogfight again.

“It’s always intense against the U.S.,” grinned Canadian veteran winger Brad Bowden. “We’re going to come out full guns blazing. They really got the jump on us in the first period when we played them last time and I don’t know if that’s going to happen again.

“We’ve kind of found our groove . . . I think it’s going to be a heckuva game and we’re going to have a lot of fun playing it.”

The final will feature the world’s top two teams. The U.S. has won the past two world championships, the Canadians are defending Challenge champions. Both are building toward the 2014 Winter Olympics. Both brushed aside Norway and Japan in the round robin and semifinal games of this tournament.

The line of Bowden, captain Greg Westlake and centre Anthony Gayle have been blue-chippers for Canada throughout the tournament. Bowden and Westlake broke through for six points apiece (three goals, three assists each) during a 9-2 romp Thursday over Japan in a semifinal.

They also did most of the offensive damage in that 3-1 win over the U.S. behind a generally solid team effort.

What makes the trio effective is their speed but the U.S., which will send out the youngest roster with an average age of 23, showed it can skate with the Canadians and aren’t shy about exchanging punishing checks.

“When our line breaks out of the neutral zone with speed, I think we’re tough to stop,” said Westlake. “When we get into having to retrieve pucks all night, waste energy, we’re less effective.

“We just have to keep having fun. We’ve shown we’re a good team when we get on a roll so we have to make sure we get on that roll right away. If we come out and jump on them, then I’ll have a great feeling about the game.”

Winger Kevin Rempel popped two goals in a three-point game against Japan but he’s a gritty sort who loves to mix it up, the kind of game he fully expects against the U.S.

“I love that rivalry,” he said. “When I play the U.S., it’s definitely some of my most fun games to play because they’re so intense, so much emotion involved. I can’t wait.

“It usually comes down to who wants it bad enough. We have to go in there and bust our butts, work hard, dig for pucks. We have to come out swinging and get the win.”

Japan, the 2010 Olympic silver medallist and winless through four games here, will play Norway for the bronze medal.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

I'll tell you what, this sledge hockey is something else! I attended the last half of the game with my son (Calgary and parts of Alberta got hit by a winter storm today which pretty much shut down lots of roads… we were coming back from out of town this afternoon.) He was mesmerized by the crowd, the new rink and the game. (After the game, we had a chance to say hi to the coach, Mike Mondin, and my boy got an autographed hockey card from Adam Dixon – he was thrilled!)

I must admit, I was absolutely blown away by the skill and speed and aggression on the ice. I saw an open ice hit that would have made Scott Stevens shed a tear! Two or three 'almost' fights – if you can picture two guys strapped into their buckets, chucking them. Crazy body checks where both guys get lifted into the air and land upside down… having to roll over and bunny hop back upright onto their skate edges! Wow! You can call me a 'convert' – next time there is another sledge hockey match of this calibre, I will be there!

What a game! Hats off to both teams.

—–

Determined Canadian squad wins world challenge
Canucks rebound from early deficit to beat U.S. 4-1 in sledge hockey

By John Down, Calgary Herald, December 3, 2011

Canada took a large dose of fortitude, then used a reliable one-two punch to defeat the United States 4-1 Saturday and claim its second straight World Sledge Hockey Challenge championship at WinSport Arena A.

Down 1-0 and on the penalty kill before the second minute, the Canadians held off a determined bunch of reigning world champions through the opening 20 minutes before turning the tables in a game that was filled with board-rattling, body-tingling hits from start to finish.

“That first goal kind of took a bit of wind out of our sails,” admitted winger Brad Bowden, who scored once and set up linemate Greg Westlake for three goals. “It was like, ‘oh my God, is it going to be one of those games?’ But our coaching staff was great, got us back on track, got a lot of guys thinking positive again, including myself.

“That was a good wakeup call for us. We went back to work, stuck to what we know and it paid off.”

Norway, behind the two-goal outing of Audin Bakke and three assists of Morton Vaernes, defeated Japan 5-3 for the bronze medal earlier in the day.

Bowden, who finished the four-country tournament with a leading 15 points, was the Energizer Bunny throughout as he constantly dug pucks off the boards to feed Westlake, the event’s leading sniper with seven goals among 14 points.

The 28-year-old Bowden, of Orton, Ont., also drove in the dagger when he took the puck off a faceoff at the U.S. blueline and broke in alone to make it 4-1 at 5:20 of the third period.

“He’s an incredible player,” said Westlake. “That fourth goal was the biggest of the game, iced the game for us.”

Westlake cancelled Taylor Lipsett’s flukey goal that came 53 seconds into the game with a one-timer off a setup from Bowden at 14:44 in a period that was pretty much dominated by the U.S. But it wasn’t nearly the kind of domination that Canada flounted through the final 40 minutes.

“The guys played hard . . . everybody says they stuck to the game plan, but we did,” said Canadan head coach Mike Mondin. “We didn’t waver from it at all. They got some momentum, we were patient, kept battling back and got in the groove.”

Westlake scored the only goal of the second period and opened scoring in the third. Canada held a 19-14 edge in shots on goal with both Benoit St-Amand in the Canadian net and Steve Cash for the U.S. making some clutch saves.

But there were few answers for Westlake and Bowden, who were coming off a tournament record-equalling six points apiece during Thursday’s 9-2, semifinal win over Japan.

“Once we got the lines rolling a little bit and stayed out of the box, we just had to keep the pressure, keep the pressure and fortunately a couple went in the net,” said Westlake, a 25-year-old from Oakville, Ont. “We were waiting for that game all week.”

Canada defeated the quick, young Americans 3-1 in the final game of the round-robin and head coach Jeff Sauer was much more critical of his troops, who were skunked on five power plays, in this one.

“I was very disappointed in our performance,” said the former long-time Wisconsin Badgers head coach. “Give all the credit to Canada because they took advantage of our mistakes. They’re a good team, all the pressure was on them and they rose to the challenge and came out and did a good job.

“I certainly was not satisfied or pleased with the way our team played. We showed a lack of discipline, we didn’t move the puck the way we can. It was a good learning experience and hopefully we grow from this.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Tom Molloy]

We play a 32 game regular season. There are 12 teams in the Province and 2 divisions. We play the other 5 teams in our division 4 times each and the 6 teams in the northern division 2 times for 32 games.

I used the 2 pre season games and the first 16 league games to learn about my players and establish our systems and teach good playing habits and skills. We had 11 F and 4 D and the 2 G split the games. I tried 6 different F's on D and finally found 2 that are ok playing back and both are great skaters.

Five games ago we went to 3 set lines and set D pairings. Yesterday we started using 3 sets of 5 player units.

We use two of the lines on the pp and the centre on the other line moves to D to make two pp D sets. We use these specialty teams when the game is close and just roll if we are 3 or 4 in front. It has made a huge difference to the game results in both GA and GF. More of each.

The league doesn't post specialty team stats, so I have taken the scoresheets to see where the goals are coming from.

First Five Games of the second half.

Scores:
6-4
8-4
6-0
3-4
5-2

GF – 28 GA – 14

PP GF – 11/40 – 27.5%

PK GA – 2/40 – PK% – 95%

SH GF – 2/40 SH GA – 0/40

13 of 28 GF on Spectialty Teams – 46%

Even Strength GF – 15, GA -9

We are playing at 60% with a 12-8-1 record. We have beaten everyone in our division at least once.

It has been a softer part of our schedule with 3 of the 5 games vs teams below .500.

This week we have.
Monday off
Tues. – 90 min. practice.
Wed.- 8 hr bus ride to Regina
Th-Fri-Sat-Sun – play about 5 games in the Notre Dame tournament. Our pool has a team from Winnipeg, Vancouver, Notre Dame and then there is a cross over vs the other 3 pools of 4 teams.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[hockeygod]

Tom, I do NOT envy your Wednesday!

Or your Thursday – Sun and the return trip home!

Say Hi to Del Pedrick for me – an old friend, he is the Director of Hockey Development at Notre Dame.

Best of luck… let me know if you need a replacement coach for the HCSA while you are gone… I could run some games with the other teacher, schedule permitting!
——————————————

Thanks for the offer Dean. Gaston is doing a skating session with them on Friday.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Tom Molloy]

We arrived in Regina about an hour ago and the tournament starts tomorrow. the schedule looks like this.

Thursday – morning game vs. Winnipeg and afternoon game vs Vancouver.

Friday – Play the host Notre Dame Hounds.

Sat. and Sunday – teams go into pools according how they finished in their pool. There are 4 pools of 4 teams and there will be a first place pool, second place pool etc..

The pools have one seeding game and one pool champ game. So 5 games in 4 days.

I have to see if my top scorer is cleared to play. She got a cheap shot to the head on Sunday.
—————————–
At last nights 90 minute practice there was a goaltending coach so I modified the practice so he could have an hour with the two goalies.

– Nervous System overload – 2 puck warm up – carry two pucks at once and pass 2 pucks at once.
– Balance and edges rotuine while carrying a puck.
– practice going back for a puck just inside the blue line – shoulder check – get puck and turn up ice and pass to partner. Switch.
– partner passing – saucer pass, backhand pass, take a pass skate by partner and then turn and pass back to partner.
– Murdoch breakout routine with the wing up against the D. Start with one D and then two D.
– D with Sean to work on tight gaps and F with me to work on angling wide and in the middle.

Goalies finished.
DT100 tansition game with active support from the point. We played this for about 6 minutes and then added the rule that the attackers must regroup with the new supporting players before entering the offensive zone. (there was no whistle) this was to practice the tight gaps that Sean had just worked on.

We finished with a 2 shot shootout.

Lots of coaching details that we have identified need work. We play 5 games so we don't need a lot more. The goalies requested a goalie coach come out as oour GC has been on a beach somewhere the last 3 weeks.
———————————–

Attachments

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'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[Tom Molloy]

Notre Dame Tournament Update:

Game Played the Winnipeg Avros today who are avery good team. We scored on the first shift 12 seconds into the game and then it was up and down for 40 minutes. We seemed to wear them down with the constant pressure and won 5-2. We got 4 even strength and 1 shorthanded goal and they got 2 even strength. Our pp was moving the puck and getting shots but no goals.

Game two vs Vancouver Fusion:

We outshot them 20-3 the first period and had a 2-0 lead. In the second we got lots of shots but tied the period 1-1 so even though they hardly had the puck the score was 3-1 after two and the shots about 32-7. We again dominated the third but they scored on a careless turnover at our blueline and then they scored again with 17" left on a shot from the corner against the boards that our goalie misplayed. So we ended with a 3-3 tie ousthooting them 52-11. We got 1 pp and 2 even strength goals and they got 3 even strength.

We really couldn't have played much better but what happens is that when you are totally dominating a game the feeling is that you are up by about 5 goals and some carelessness creeps in and players lose a little intensity. I think we have all been in games you lose that you deserve to win and games that you win that you deserve to lose. After the first period I told my asst. coach that I had a bad feeling about the game. We played so hard in our first game of the day that we just weren't hungry enough on rebounds or walk ins to finish. When you have seen thousands of games you start to see patterns like a chess master when he looks at the chess board and recongnize that somehting is amiss. I am to the point now that I can predict a goal about 3-5 seconds before because you see either the defense out of sync or the attackers creating something.

Their goalie had a great game and we didn't finish when we had many many chances. That is the problem with letting teams hang around even though the game is one sided. It is a real challenge for the goalie to keep focused when they are getting a shot every 5 or 6 minutes.

The end result is that we have to beat Notre Dame today in order to be in the top group the championship round. They are 2-0 winning 8-0 and 8-4 vs the same two teams. We know they were beaten earlier in the season by the top team in our league which we are 1-1-1 with. The tie would effect our ranking if we lose.

This is a good tournament with lots of college and university recruiters from both Canada and the USA. My captain who is a Lidstrom like D got kicked in the lower shin with a skate in game one and is in a lot of pain with the shin pad pushing on the bone bruise; so it is hard for her to showcase everything she usually does. We need to make her a big donut to relieve the pressure. She says it only hurts when she skates. Any suggestions are welcome.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[hockeygod]

Tom,

Good comments! I will post more thoughts under the Game Intelligence thread.

Good luck against Notre Dame. I have bookmarked the schedule / results page and will be watching. I will be attending the AWG tryouts at Winsport this weekend. Several of my girls in my Skill Academies are trying out. I imagine that Keenan girl you train will also be there.

Here's hoping you beat ND!

————————–
Dean, commenting on your comment of why we didn't score more. We do have a lot of competitions in practice. We never stopped working and averaged 17-18 shots a period to ther 3-4. Our goalie didn't have a good game they have the Team BC goalie who stoned us. It is natural to have the feeling that you are winning by a lot when you are totally dominating the play.(Canada – Czech 98 Olympics when Hasek won it even though Canada dominated the entire game.) Everyone has bad games and our goalie was very good vs Notre Dame the next day.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Tom Molloy]

Notre Dame beat us 5-2. they are National Champions and have no weak players. Tied 0-0 after one 2-1 after two and the second was played even but they blocked a lot of shots and scored on two chances. They scored another and we got a bad break when my last player was handling the puck under no real pressure and it hit some bad ice and hopped over her stick. The top player in the tournament picked it up and went in on a breakaway and when she pulled it to her backhand it hopped over her stick and slid thru the 5 hole. We sagged and they scored a quick one. Then the game was up and down again. Just too much talent to match when both teams are working hard. We would have to out energy them and there was no glycogen left.

I would have liked to play them the first game when we had a lot of jump and got over 90 shots in two games. Maybe next tournament.

My top scorer and one of the top three players in this tournament was getting headaches and when I found out she was taking tylenol I told her dad I don't want her to play until she is checked for a concussion. She sat out yesterdays game. My goalie has a bad shoulder and also sat out so we used the goalie we borrowed from the Notre Dame AA team and lost 3-1 to the Bruins in our league. They got an empty netter with about 20 seconds left. I just rolled the 3 lines and D. We have beaten them the last two league games.

They had a good skills competition with fastest skater, 3 players and a goalie from each team in team shootout and a shooting accuracy contest. the players got all dressed up in team colours and face paint to cheer on their players in the competition. They have a lot of fun.

It is very different coaching girl's as my team broke into 4 groups and each made a Gingerbread house and then had all of the parents and coaches come in to vote for the best one. I can't remember any boy's or men's team I have coached doing this. They really enjoy themselves. That and the group singing on the bus are some of the differences.

We finished second in our group so we are in the top 8 of the 16 team tournament. Today we play Weyburn Sask.. I will move my best D to centre and go with 5 D.

Probably get home around midnight.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[Tom Molloy]

We finished with a game vs Weyburn, Saskatchewan. It was a back and forth affair. I experimented with different D playing forward and it wasn't a good idea to put my best D up. We played well but fell behind 2-0 after the first. We rallied and scored 3 in the second to lead 3-2. We started the third really well and scored at the end of a long power play where they were 2 short for a minute and a half and one player got a 4 minute. We had the puck in there end the whole time. With 5 minutes to go we led 4-2 and I thought we would just put the game to bed.

They came at us with a 5 man forecheck and some of my D panicked and tried to jam it up the boards into the pressure and they made it 4-3. Then they got a pplay and the same thing happened when a F got total possession and instead of moving it away from pressure she tried to shoot it out from below the goal line thru all their players. they kept it in and tied it. They kept coming and won a battle on the boards and scored on a long shot from the point that went thru the goalie we borrowed to back up. It was the only weak one she let in and they won 5-4. Total collapse of confidence on our part.

We got 3 pplay goals to their one. During the tournament our pplay was really good as was our pk. About 30% pp and 95% pk. It was a great tournament and we finished 8 out of 16. It was invitational and we got the call; so the teams were very good. Notre Dame won the tournament. We have to figure out who to use to replace our top scorer and make sure they understand how to play a new positon. She is going to see a concussion doctor today and we will find out details. My goalie didn't play the last two because of a chronic bad shoulder and she needs to go see a doctor as well. My other goalie was at a Team Alberta tryout.

This week.
Monday – off
Tuesday – 90 min ice
Wed – spin
Thurs. – 75 min. ice
Friday – 75 min. ice. Scrimmage with all players, coaches and any family member over 12 who plays.
Sat. – at Lloydminster
Sun. – at Lloydminster

Sean my D coach and I talked about how to get them to calm down under pressure. We are going to try having a line play against 8 players who overload the strong side and get them to move the puck to the other side. On all the goals against in our collapse a simple D to D would have set up an easy breakout.

That is why going to tournaments vs good teams is great. It exposes your team weaknesses while there is still time to correct them.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[Tom Molloy]

At our 90 min practice n Tuesday the players seemed a little burned out mentally and physically after playing 5 intense games in 4 days. I also found out that our spin class was cancelled and we were doing weights on Wednesday instead. I wanted the spin for clearing out the lactic acid and aerobic conditioning.

I changed my practice plan and replaced it with an aerobic and competitive practice.

10 min. – balance and edges routine with no pucks.

Games with various kinds of pucks and balls and rings. All the players and coaches play all of the games and everyone is on the ice. 8 vs 8. (2 players sick) Losing team skate a circle for every goal they are behind.

15 min. – game of ringuette with the rule that you must pass before crossing a blue line.

10 min. – game with a hockey ball (it broke in half near the end)

10 min. – game with a tennis ball.

10 min. – game with a heavier rubber ball filled with air.

10 min. – game with a wiffle ball that has a small garbage bag stuffed inside to keep it from bouncing too much.

10 min. – game with a modified puck, hard rubber on the inside and soft on the outside.

15 min. – game with a regular puck.

It was a good workout for the players and coaches as everyone moved the whole time.

Wednesday we did the weights and core workout and the player we thought may have a concussion was cleared to play as she has had no symptoms while exercising.

Today we will have a practice focusing on quickness and good habits and Friday we have a family scrimmage that I have invited parents and siblings over 12 who play hockey to attend. After we are going to a pizza place. We leave Saturday morning for our two game road trip.

Yesterday there was a press conference to announce the schedule and teams for the Mac's tournament which is really big for the players and a tradition for hockey fans to watch U18 teams from all over. On the boy's side there is a Russian and a Czech team as well as some from Eastern Canada. No USA teams this year for some reason.

Our draw is games on the 26-27 the 28th no game and then play the 29 and 30th. You need to basically have no losses to go on to the playoff round. I think we have a good chance to make some noise.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[hockeygod]

Tom,

Good call on the change of plans for practice. Are you going to take this into consideration after the Mac's? Coaching is as much of an art as it is science!

I have experienced this too. Coming back from a big tournament, I have found the best thing is to take a few days off, perhaps do an aerobic workout away from the rink, then the first day back on ice, play some different games (practice at a different rink, if possible. Changing the scenery helps!)

I am looking forward to attending some Mac's games to see the Czech and Russian team. They are always interesting to watch! There is also a World Sport School championship on at the same time (what was Hockey Canada thinking?) with the Edge, POE, OHA, Shattuck, Finland and Slovakia U17 teams at Winsport. I will go watch some of those too. Of course, the World Juniors are playing too… (already been to two intrasquad games – John said their practices were 'typical drills – not scoring records kept – the usual hockey crap!' so glad I didn't bother going… we will continue on our crusade to educate coaches!!) so lots of hockey around here this Christmas break! (And with relatives coming to stay here… an excuse to get out of the house and somewhere to go!!!!)

Finished the last 'teaching day' with one of my high school groups today. Next week we will play in a fun 'Transition' tournament (let me know if you want to play Monday at 11 am!) with two teachers playing and the goaltenders switching with two skaters… then we will do one last dryland day later in the week.

Today, we played 2 vs 1 Spartan Box (10 min halves); then sat on the bench while the HS kids played a 3 vs 3 Transition Game 3/4 ice (4 teams) for 25 minutes… after a semester, we have succeeded in creating 'independent athletes'; they know the rules, leadership and sportsmanship required to make decisions on their own. It was wonderful!

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

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