Michiana Womens Hockey League: My Site News

Here are some pointers to keep in mind while playing: 

- Push yourself at practice! You'll only get better!

- When you shoot, look at the net, NOT the goalie!

- Watch as much hockey as you can. You'll be surprised by how much you'll learn. Pay attention to how the players position themselves in different situations. Watch how they skate, pass, and shoot.

- When playing defense one-on-one, stay between the player and the net. Try your hardest to make them go to the boards instead of the slot (in the middle). Control the gap between you and the other player and keep your stick out front.  And be patient! Let the forward make the first move, then  react to it. If you lunge at the puck and miss, you could find yourself right out of the play.

- If you're having a hard time with your wrist shot, keep this in mind: look where you're shooting, not at the puck. Pull the puck back and follow through by pointing your stick where you want the puck to go. When the puck starts to come off the ice, you should roll your wrists to have more accurate shots.

- ALWAYS keep your feet moving!                    

Hey everyone,

  Here are some pointers to keep in mind while playing or practicing:

·         Be creative! Know that you have options when you have the puck. You do not have to always throw the puck up the boards. You can carry the puck, look for someone to pass it to, or bank it off the boards around a player back to yourself.  But remember, ALWAYS move your feet!

·         Anticipate the next move. Position yourself to be the next person to receive the pass. Make the play happen!

·         Keep your stick on the ice! When you are skating without the puck, keep one hand on the stick and extend it straight forward. Do not keep two hands on the stick and act like you're "pitchforking." Ask me or the other coaches about this if you don't understand

.·         Do not have "stiff" wrists. Use your wrists when you stickhandle the puck---- roll your wrists when you move the stick.

·         Cup the puck with the blade of your stick when you receive a pass. This prevents the puck from bouncing off your stick.

·         And most importantly--KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. I cannot reinforce this enough. Always keep your head up and be aware of where you and other players are at all times. Whenever you have your head down, you're asking for a major, possibly life-threatening, injury.

 Keep up the good work!!                                  

Seven Great Habits for Hockey Players  

1.       Good Sticks (stick to the puck): v  All over the ice (Defense & Forwards)v  Passing lanes  (Defense & Forwards)v  Defensive zone – lead with stick, flush, play up boards (Defense & Forwards)v  Going to the net (Defense & Forwards)v  1st man on fore-check must make long pass difficult  (Forwards)  

2.       Body Position: v  Make them come through you to the net (Defense & Forwards)v  If the puck is in doubt, be on the defensive side (Defense & Forwards) v  Battle hard, stick on the ice, and keep position  (Defense & Forwards) 

3.       Stop in front: v  Go to the net hard  (Defense & Forwards)v  Stick on the ice (Defense & Forwards) v  Battle for loose puck  (Defense & Forwards)v  Bury your chances  (Defense & Forwards)v  Hit the net  (Defense & Forwards)v  Traffic in front of the net  (Forwards)v  Any shot is a good one  (Defense & Forwards) 

4.       Feet Moving: v  All over ice  (Defense & Forwards)v  Winger getting puck out  (Forwards)v  Quickness through neutral zone  (Defense & Forwards)v  Cycle vs. slow D-3rd man rotation going to the net finishing the check (Forwards) v  On the back check  (Defense & Forwards)v  Work this defense; take puck to the net (every opportunity you have)  (Forwards) 

5.       Support Teammates: v  Hold up with feet moving  (Defense & Forwards)v  Get available and want the puck  (Defense & Forwards)v  Puck side support on all outs  (Defense & Forwards)v  Defense support through middle – keeping gap tight  (Defense) v  Scrums – five guys in – do nothing after the whistle  (Defense & Forwards)  

6.       Discipline: v  On attack get it behind their D – using soft dumps  (Forwards)v  Shift length  (Defense & Forwards)v  Don’t retaliate after the whistle  (Defense & Forwards)v  Getting the puck deep  (Forwards) v  Finishing checks  (Defense & Forwards)v  Be positive all the time  (Defense & Forwards) v  Remain disciplined under ALL circumstances  (Defense & Forwards)  

7.       Great Decisions: v  Commitment to the team – do whatever it takes  (Defense & Forwards) v  Supporting on outs (Defense & Forwards) v  Dump in away from goalie and with a purpose  (Defense & Forwards) v  Changes – hard and be aware  (Defense & Forwards)v  When to jump – when to get back & out of the offensive zone – when to pinch  (Defense)v  Fore-checking 1 or 2 men depending on possession other team has – 3rd man all the time in rotation especially when puck is in doubt (Forwards)v  Getting the puck to the net or deep (Defense & Forwards) v  React – trust your decision  (Defense & Forwards)

Goaltending Topic: Stick Discipline

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.

Dropping to the Ice: When and Why?

 - Always keep your feet moving. So whenever you hear any of the coaches say "skate hard," that means you should always keep your feet moving and aim for long, consistent strides. Keep proper stance with your knees and ankles bent and maintain a strong balance. If you find yourself standing still and "watching" the play during a game, you are not contributing to the team.

 - During a game, try to have short, intense shifts. According to Stix Handle in the USA hockey magazine, "Long shifts lead to tired skaters. Tired skaters develop bad habits...like hooking, tripping, and holding penalties. Their gassed legs can't keep up with the opposing players skating past them." This is so true. If you play short shifts, then the game will be set at a faster pace and you won't be as tired.

 - Off-ice training. This is very important for every hockey player. Eat healthy, get enough sleep, and work out whenever you can to improve your stamina and speed. You can really improve your stick handling skills by practicing off ice with a tennis ball or a golf ball. Try to stick handle without looking at the tennis ball or golf ball. (this will help to keep your head up in a game) Make sure to roll your wrists while cupping the ball and your wrists should not be stiff. You want to have complete control. Here is a great link of some off-ice advice from Katie King, three time U.S. Olympian. 

We as coaches cannot tell you how excited, pleased and proud we were of all of you ladies this weekend.  We played excellent teams with a wealth of experience and, in some cases, with players whose talent exceeded our own.  Who would have envisioned that a former US National Development Camp player would quit challenging Madisyn Schenk for the puck at the blue line because she kept losing the battle, that Lauren Bodle was faster than those players, that Amanda Perugini and Nikki Polhamus would go end to end against some excellent competition and beat them again and again.  From learning to skate one month ago Alexandra Prast, in her final shift of the weekend attacked the puck carrier, battled along the boards and won the puck back to the center who entered the zone on a two against one break!  Makayla Manta and Pat Stockrahm were told that they would play defense for the first time, against extremely experienced foes, and by the end of the weekend not only hold their own around the net but then lead the play up ice and into the attacking zone.  On Friday no one would have expected many of you to win one on one battles in either zone.  By Sunday not only did you win your share of the battles but you jumped up into the play and entered the offensive zone, skating to open ice and become scoring threats. 

What we need to take away from the weekend:

·         The key now is to realize that hockey is more physical that you thought, and that it is part of the game to initiate contact and battle along the boards. 

·         Each shift you have shown that you have to play, and you can play, at a much faster pace and make much quicker decisions. 

·         Wings by the end of the weekend understood that they needed to stay high and cover the point, allowing the team to turn to the offense, and that it was important not to get caught low.

·         Centers discovered that they needed to stay low on defense and then quickly transition to offense when we gained possession of the puck.

·         We saw teams that cycled the puck behind the net and how successful that tactic is.  We need to incorporate this into our game.

·         Both teams learned to play in the middle and force the offense outside; that clearing the puck to the boards was an effective tactic.

·         Sting learned the importance of dumping the puck deep and making the other team go the length of the ice surface to score.  Two teams consistently gained the red line and dumped the puck deep around the end boards to the other side consistently and effectively, and wings aggressively attacking the puck as it circled the boards.

·         Finally, we believe that you learned the importance of getting the puck that last five feet out of the defensive zone and of attacking wide with speed to get the puck into the offensive zone.The tournament is not quite over.  You need to think about, the next few times we hit the ice, the lessons learned last weekend.  The challenge will be to play faster, to play smarter, to begin to put into practice some of the lessons learned.   

The coaches are proud of each of you and we look forward to see you compete at the new, higher level.  ...Dennis, Kevin and Andrew

Hey everyone, if you read coach's corner this week, you probably know why I decided to try playing out at practice this week. "Everyone should know how to play every position."  I believe is what Keeton said. So I figured why not?

Well this is what I've learned: goal tenders who blame their defense are just !&!&!& bags! It's a tough job! And wingers/centers-WOW! I transitioned myself between all positions  and learned so much. I also used muscles I didn't even know I had! I think my lungs were a little angry at me, too.

I've never been a goalie who blames the defense. Even if the coaches come up and tell me it was the defenses' fault!  So I want to take this time to thank my teammates, for all their hard work. I think ALL goalies should step out of the net and play the different positions on the ice.

And another thing-now that I've done this. I have a much better idea of where everyone should be, so I'll be watching ;)

Thanks ladies for all the hard work! Let's kick some ice!

........ Kaitlyn Miner

Great practice Sunday!  Here are some pointers of what to do in practice to continue making yourself a better player.

- If you find yourself at what I call "dead ice"- when you're waiting in line for a drill or if the coaches are setting up for a drill- get a puck and stickhandle and bounce the puck off your skate back to yourself. Practice that without skating around and your stickhandling skills will get better.

- In a skating drill, please skate your hardest as if you were in a game. And always keep your feet moving. The point of practice is to increase your speed, endurance, and intensity. If you do not push yourself, you will not get better.

-  Always keep your knees and ankles bent while skating. This will help with your balance!

- Keep your head up whenever you skate or stickhandle the puck.

                Get pumped for the game this Sunday!  ........ Amanda Keeton

Gear up for practice Sunday!

Here are some pointers about positioning. I'm going to talk about positioning from a winger's perspective because its the most confusing one. Everyone should know how to play every position.  

In the OFFENSIVE zone, a winger should:- Fight for the puck in the corners- Position themselves in front of the net and make sure you are open to receive the pass! 

Wingers should NOT:- Fight for the puck in the same corner as her fellow winger, this is the opportunity for you to get open for a pass in front of the net! 

In the DEFENSIVE zone, a winger should:- Play high in the zone defensively against the point (aka the other team's defensemen) and try to intercept passes from the other team.- Wait for a pass from her teammate and you have a couple options. 1. Carry the puck for a breakaway. 2. You can bank the puck off the boards to get it out of the zone. or 3. Redirect the puck to a rushing teammate for a breakaway. 
 

A winger should NOT:
- Play deep in her zone (meaning past the faceoff circles)
- Help out her teammate along the boards (because you'll leave an opposing player open for a pass)

And never forget: Cradle the puck with your stick when you receive it. And don’t pass to the player; pass to where she is going.

Attached is a picture of the general positioning of each player in the offensive and defensive zone. Hope it helps!       See you Sunday!-Coach Keeton

I want to stress the importance of going to chalk talk because we will be going over the drills that we'll do in practice. This will reduce the amount of time wasted on the ice and confusion of what we're doing. Please take the time to come a little bit early and come to chalk talk!!! For this week, I want to go over some hockey terminology.  

What is forechecking? Forechecking is when we pressure the opponents when they control the puck in their neutral or defensive zone. Our goal is to make the other team give up the puck by playing aggressively and by positioning yourself in their passing zones. So, keep in mind, when the other team has the puck in their defensive zone, (our offensive zone) you should be on a player playing defensively in hopes of disrupting their play, which leads to confusion for the other team, which leads to us gaining possession of the puck and scoring a goal.  

What is backchecking? You backcheck when you try to gain possession of the puck in our defensive zone by playing defensively. Every forward must skate back to their defensive zone as fast as they can so they can play defensively against the opponent and create opportunities for a breakaway. This is crucial because our goalie has our back and we need to have hers. Our defense cannot play defense against a whole team, so each player has an important role by playing defensively against another player. If you still have a hard time figuring out where to go in our defensive zone, please ask me and I can clarify it.  Forchecking and backchecking are very important elements in the game. Keep playing aggressively and keep moving your feet. If you play your hardest, I promise -it'll pay off.

 Here's a funny quote by Gilbert Perreault who was inducted into the hockey hall of fame in 1990: "The three important elements of hockey are: forecheck, backcheck and paycheck"                              

  Get ready for practice!         ........ Amanda Keeton

Ready for the game this weekend? The topic this week is passing. Let's focus on our passes this Sunday in the game. Our goal is to have quick passes down the ice. Always look up before you pass and try to have control of the puck. If there is no one to pass to, then skate with the puck as fast as you can. Every single player on the Sting has the potential to carry the puck down the ice and create scoring opportunities.

Please, do not ever hit the puck away from you as fast as you can without looking up. Don't worry - I used to do it too. I called it the "oh-crap,-I-have-the-puck syndrome." When you get a puck on your stick, BE CONFIDENT, gain control of the puck, look up, find a player that is open, and give them a nice and hard pass. If nobody is able to receive a pass, then skate with it!!

You guys will hear me yelling: "NO BLIND PASSES!!" this Sunday, so work your hardest and focus on making clean and hard passes. Get pumped!

Keep up the hard work and keep pushing yourself! Be pumped for hockey this Sunday!

......Amanda Keeton

The most important thing: Please take advantage of the chalk talk whenever you can (from 5 to 5:20), because us coaches want everyone to know what drills we will be doing so there is less time standing/talking on the ice. Each player pays a lot of money for only an hour of practice and we want to utilize the ice time as efficiently as possible. Also, if you girls have any feedback or ideas, please let me know. I'm thrilled to coach you guys and this is going to be a fun season!