Michiana Womens Hockey League: Welcome
|
|
 |
Welcome to the home of the only Women's Hockey League in Northern Indiana, the Michiana Sting!
Sting welcomes girls and women ages 14 and up (our current players range in age from 14 to 50 plus) of all skill levels - whether you've never been on skates before or have played for years.
For the 2011-2012 Season we will have a house league based at the Ice Box. The format will be a mix of games and practises. We have ice time Sundays at 5:45 pm. This is a great opportunity to play games and developing your skills.
There is also a Sting Select team that plays in the SBSHL in the rec division.
If you are interested in playing, or would like more information, please contact Maria Barton. Email: michianasting@yahoo.com. It is never too late too join.
No equipment, no problem. Contact us and we can make arrangements to have some available for you to use.
Contact Sting via email: michianasting@yahoo.com or Facebook: Michiana-Sting-Womens-Hockey.
News & Upcoming Events
1. Sting home tournament was January 6 - 8, 2012. Thanks to everyone for their support.
2. Stick it to Cancer Tournament - April 20 - 22 in Blaine, MN. This tournament raises money in support of breast cancer research. In previous years there have been 100 female teams participating. If you are interested, let Maria know.
Schedule:
| Date | Time | Practise / Game / Location |
| Sunday, January 22, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
| Sunday, January 29, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Practise |
| Sunday, February 05, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
| Sunday, February 12, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Practise |
| Sunday, February 19, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
| Sunday, February 26, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Practise |
| Sunday, March 04, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
| Sunday, March 11, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Practise |
| Sunday, March 18, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
| Sunday, March 25, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
| Sunday, April 01, 2012 | 5:45 - 6:45 pm | Game |
To see the previous words of wisdom from Coaches Corner, see the My Site News tab.
Thursday, February 9
Be A Good Receiver
In this modern hockey world, playmaking has taken a back seat to neutral zone traps. Unfortunately, it is easier to teach a player to lockup his wing and finish checks. In fact, one of the hardest skills to teach - and therefore as a kill that has gone the way of dinosaurs like Dave Keon or Stan Mikita -- is the ability to receive passes.
"Be a good receiver," coach Ben Smith would yell in every practice. At first players thoughthe meant simply, "Catch the puck." But what Ben had seen in the great Soviet and Swedish teams was that receivers made the job easy for the passer. His simple phrase was, "Be a good receiver."
What it meant was, "Get open. Present a target Create a good passing lane. Anticipate the next play. Support the passer: be available when he needs to outlet the puck, not at your own convenience. Accelerate into the pass; don't get ahead and have to slow down for the puck."
There are some players you just can't miss with a pass and others who seem to have their stick and body in a position that makes them impossible targets. The bad receivers always seem to be skating away from you when you need to outlet the puck. All you can see is the back of their jersey. The good receivers seem to show you the front of their jersey and their stick. They are moving into the right opening at precisely the right moment.
Herb Brooks calls it, "... movement without the puck. To be a great offensive player you must anticipate and move intelligently without the puck." Preparing in advance to be an effective pass receiver is certainly one of the most important skills in hockey; ironically, it is rarely a topic of conversation in coaches' clinics. Anticipation, movement, and preparation by the receivers are the critical elements in a successful passing game.
Anatoly Tarasov, the Soviet coach who directed the greatest passing teams in history said, "Teachers of the game, you must get your receivers to work harder than the puck-carrier. Only then will you have an effective passing attack." I'd paraphrase it a little less eloquently. Any hack can pass the puck. It is the receivers who make the passer look good.
Finally, the easy part: learn to catch a pass no matter where it comes - - no matter how hard. You might use your skates, or adjust your body. Master the skill of receiving on your backhand. Catch, every pass. Coaches should never allow players to finish a skating-passing drill without the puck that started the drill. That way they'll learn to make every effort to catch each pass.
In the good of days, when practice rinks were in the middle of a huge lake, and a missed pass might travel 3/4 of a mile, players learned to catch everything. The boards have allowed us to become mentally lazy and shake off a missed reception as though we don't need to improve the skill of receiving passes that aren't perfectly on our stick. Of course, passers should focus on hitting the target - - right on the tape. But, receivers must also learn that any pass within a stick length (in front, behind or in the -skates) is a good pass, one you have to catch.
Find a way. Be a Good Receiver.
Thursday, February 9
Dropping to the Ice: When and Why?
Goaltenders are frequently criticized by their coaches for leaving their feet and dropping in a "Butterfly" or other variation. Often the criticism is too broad: "Don’t go down" Or "You are going down too much."
Such criticism is incomplete. Often, when the goalie drops to the ice, it is the "right move" or "right technique." The problem is usually more specific than the fact that he / she is going down. Perhaps he / she is going down too soon? Or maybe he / she is going down in the wrong place (too deep in the net)?
Goalies drop for different reasons:
• The shot is low. They drop to make the save with their stick, backed up by their pad. In these situations, they see the puck and execute a "reaction save."
• They are screened. Low shots have a better chance of getting through screens. They play the percentage by dropping behind the screen. (Preferably close to the screen). This way, they can stop shots they don’t actually see.
• A pass near the goal results in a scoring opportunity - so close to the goal that the best the goalie can do is drop and fill the open net and execute a "blocking save".
• They may lack confidence. This sometimes manifests itself in goalies who drop on everything. Too Often. Too Soon. They lack the confidence to stay up and wait to see where the puck goes, fearing they won’t be quick enough to wait and react successfully. So they drop, insuring that at the least, they fill the lower half of the net. Goalies who fall into this habit can get beat a few ways: a) players wait and shoot high: b) players wait and deke; c) players wait and pass the puck. Better players will be more patient and they will give problems to goalies who drop too soon. (NOTE – Older goalies, whose habits are better known by opponents, are particularly vulnerable here).
• They mis-read the angle. If a goalie feels his best way to react to a shot is to spread his stance a little and drop in a Butterfly, then that is what they should do when challenged by a shooter. One exception to this: When the shooter has such a bad angle that the goalie needs to simply take a step out and fill the entire angle. When you fill the angle on your feet, why risk opening up holes above or through (five hole) by dropping? (This is particularly the case when there is no imminent lateral pass option)
A final note on the Butterfly technique and goalies who drop …… and this is to Coaches: Don’t cling to memories of goalies who stayed up a lot. The game is different now and has been for a while. Goalies have to drop. Rather than try to get them to stop, give them help on when, where and why to drop. Ask your goalie: Why did you go down? Could you have waited? Could you have gotten closer to the puck? This method will give you more credibility and hopefully provide better results.
Look at the Zone. Do you know where it is best to drop and where it is best to stay up? How far does the puck have to be away from you before you are comfortable standing up? How poor does the shooter’s angle have to be before you can stay up and fill the angle?
