HOCKEY MADE EASY- Early Season Tips for Coaches, Parents and Players
The Regular Season is underway and your Team is
playing above or below ..500
If your Team is winning and playing over .500
hockey - Congratulations! Keep up the
good work. If however you got off to a slow
start and are playing below .500 hockey
some corrections may need to be made now.
Not scoring enough goals?
Giving up too many goals?
Giving up too many odd man rushes?
Not covering the open man in front of the net?
Wingers not backchecking or covering their wide
winger all the way back to the goal line?
Giving up too many shots from the slot area?
Goalie stays too deep in the crease or goes
down too soon?
Once you have identified what is contributing
to your defeat, you can practice methods to correct it.
If you are just falling short by 1 goal, losing
4 to 3, you can practice scoring more goals by using the
Hockey Made Easy Instruction Manual for drills
to score more goals.
If you are getting beaten badly, by 4 or 5
goals regularly, you will have to explain defensive hockey
and concentrate on preventing goals against.
Hockey Made Easy can also help you there.
Start by cutting down shots on goal or move the
shooter to the outside of rink to a bad-shooting angle.
Forwards, to score more goals you must use
small triangles when on offence. Do not attack
in a straight line across the ice. Two forwards
should lead the rush and one should follow as
a trailer or the late man. This will always
give the puck carrier 2 passing options, 1 to the
side and 1 to the rear, and if something goes
wrong the late forward peels off and becomes
the first backchecker. One forward should
always be positioned in the deep slot while the
other 2 can go to the net for rebounds or to
screen the goalie.
Defencemen must also contribute to winning
hockey. Their primarily role is not to score
goals, but scoring would be a bonus, but their
primary role is to prevent goals against.
In order to do this they must understand and
analyze on coming rushes and how to play them.
1 on 1 situations, play the man, don’t even
look at the puck, just take the man.
2 on 1, or 3 on 1 situations, play the puck,
stay in the middle between the rushing forwards
and use your stick to intercept or deflect any
across ice pass attempt.
Do not body check in any odd man situation as
it will only take you out of the play and let
their 2 forwards go to the net. Cover the open
player in front of your net. This is where
most goals are scored from, not from the
corner. Your defence partner should be fighting
for the puck in the corner.
Once you get control of the puck, headman it
quickly by passing to an open receiver
with an accurate out let pass, then follow the
rush up ice as an trailer.
Goaltenders can also contribute to winning
hockey by concentrating on their positioning.
If you are too deep in the net you are going to
let in more goals. You should be out
cutting the angle on all shots and you defence
are responsible to clear any long rebounds.
Goalies must always play the puck carrier and
position your self square to him as he is the
potential shooter and scorer. If he passes the
puck, move quickly to the new puck carrier.
If you have a video camera, pan it on your
child’s play so they can see both their offensive
and defensive play. You as a parent might be
able to explain what went wrong if a goal
was scored against them and their positioning
on the play. Hockey consists not only of
scoring goals but also preventing goals and you
must point this out to your child at an early
age. They must be skilled at playing in both
ends of the rink both offensively and defensively.
Yours in hockey,
John Shorey
Author – Hockey Made Easy – www.HockeyMadeEasy.com