NORTHSIDE VIKINGS ATOM A

WE HAD 10 AT THE MEETING WHERE WE WENT OVER POSITIONING WHERE YOU SHOULD BE ON THE ICE AND WE WATCHED THE GAME AGAINST GLACE BAY.THE GOOD PART WAS THAT THE PLAYERS THEMSELVES GOT TO POINT OUT AND SEE THERE MISTAKES .

I WILL ATTACH A WEBSITE HERE TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE TO BE POSITIONED ON THE ICE .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_592460&feature=iv&v=1TQdDiaf1jA

WATCH THIS VIDEO IT IS TITLED DEFENCE BUT IT COVERS ALL PLAYERS AND SHOW ALOT OF WHAT WE ARE NOT TO ON THE ICE AND SHOWS PEOPLE OUT OF POSITION THAT LEADS TO CHANCES AND GOALS FOR THE OTHER TEAM

THANKS BLAIR

WE HAD ANOTHER WEEKEND OF 3 GAMES WHERE WE PLAYED SOME GREAT HOCKEY AND HAD 1 WIN WE CAME UP A LITTLE SHORT AGAINST THE COUNTY AND GLACE BAY BUT IT WASNT FROM A LACK OF EFFORT BY THE KIDDS AS WE PLAYED GREAT AND CAME UP ON THE LOOSING END.WITH OUR STRONG PLAY ON SATURDAY WE BEAT SYDNEY TO GIVE US ANOTHER WIN ON THE WEEKEND.THAT GIVES US 5 ON THE SEASON.I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRADULATE ZACK JOHNSTON ON GETTING HIS FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON IN OUR WIN AGAINST SYDNEY. WE HAVE A TEAM MEETING TO GO OVER SPOTS FOR IMPROVEMENT AND TO WATCH VIDEOS OF THE GLACE BAY GAME AND SOME TRAINING VIDEOS .WE WILL FOLLOW THAT WITH A PRACTICE ON THURSDAY AND ROLL INTO ANOTHER 3 GAME WEEKEND WERE WE WILL LOOK TO IMPROVE OUR WIN PERCENTAGE ON THE YEAR.

COACH BLAIR

WE HAVE ANOTHER BUSY WEEKEND WITH 3 GAMES ON FRIDAY AT 7:10WE ARE HOSTING THE COUNTY ISLANDERS A TEAM WHO ONLY WON BY 2 GOALS OVER NEW WATERFORD SO THESE GUYS ARE BEATABLE THEN WE GO TO STDNEY FOR A GAME ON SATURDAY MORNING AT 9:30 WE ARE GOING TO PLAY AGAINST THE SYDNEY STEELERS A TEAM WHO WE BEAT AND THEN TIED 2 TWICE AND HAD A LOSS TO WHEN WE WERE SLEEPING LAST SATURDAY MORNING THEN WE HAVE A MANDATORY PRACTICE ON SUNDAY MORNING IN SYDNEY MINES I NEED ALL PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE AS WE HAVE NOT PRACTICED IN ALMOST 2 WEEKS IT IS FROM 8 AM TO 920 THEN WE GO TO PLAY A BEATABLE GLACE BAY TEAM IN THE AFTERNOON AT 130 AT THE BAY PLEX IN GLACE BAY AND FOR ME AS OF SUNDAY MORNING I CAN PRACTICE WITH YOU GUYS AND BE BEHIND THE BENCH FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON .

SO LETS GET SOME POINTS AND HAVE SOME FUN AGAIN THIS WEEKEND

COACH BLAIR

THE GAME FOR WEDNESDAY AGAINST GLACE BAY IS CANCELLED AS THERE IS ALOT OF KIDS WITH CHRISTMAS CONCERTS

The Role of a Winger in Hockey

There are two wingers in hockey, right wing, and left wing. Both wing men, as well as the centermen are referred to as forwards. The forwards are offensively minded and will score the majority of your teams goals. As a winger you will mostly play on your side of the ice, right wing will play up and down the right side of the ice (to the right of the centermen at faceoff) and the left wing will play on the left side.
The responsibilities of a winger
Your general duties as a wingman are to dig in the corner, feed the centermen and defence, wreak havoc in front of the other teams net, and outsmart the other teams defensemen on both ends of the rink. I will explain more below
A wingers duties and positioning in the defensive zone
The defensive zone is your teams end of the ice (the side where your goalie is in net) When you are playing in the defensive zone your team is trying to get the puck out (break out) and get into the offensive zone (the other teams end of the ice). When you are in the defensive zone you should generally stay between the blue line and the hash marks. You want to stay in that area for a few reasons:
· To stop the other teams defensemen from getting the puck and getting a shot on your goalie.
· To get a break out pass from your own team member
· To block shots or passes if the other teams defensemen does have the puck.
· To intercept passes and break out.
When you are in the defensive zone it is your job to cover the other teams defencemen. When the other team has the puck you should keep a close eye on the defensemen as some times they will sneak in front of you, or move over to the center. When you are in the defensive zone the defensemen is your man, but it is also your job to accept passes from your own team members. If your team has the puck there are a few ways to get the pass. The easiest way to get a pass is to take a few quick strides forward and take a pass at the hash marks along the boards, now your job is to break out. The safest way to break out of your end is to bank a pass off of the boards to your center men who should be breaking out, or if the defensemen is right against the boards you can gently redirect the puck to your centermen, or your winger who should be cutting to center (Always look before passing because the last thing you want to do is give a one timer to the other teams defence!). Another option is to carry the puck out yourself, don’t try anything to fancy because if you mess up and the other team scores it will be very embarassing.
A wingers duties in the offensive zone
When you are in the offensive zone your team is trying to score a goal. You will mainly play in the corner, inside the circle, and in front of the net. When the puck goes into your corner it is your job to get it out. If the puck is in your corner you have a few options, the most common and usually the best options are.
· Carry the puck out and get a shot on net (your centermen or other winger should be there for a rebound).
· Look for a man in front of the net and set him up with a pass
· Look to see if the D is open, if so give them the puck.
· Carry the puck up the boards a bit and cycle it back. Cycling the puck may be a bit advanced, so we will cover that in another article
Sometimes when the puck is in your corner the other teams defence will get there first, as it is their job to get the puck out. If this happens you can try to take the puck from them, or tie them up and wait for your centermen to help you out. A good trick is to put your knee between their legs and press them up against the boards, this makes it hard for them to move the puck.
If the puck is in the other corner then you have a few new jobs. When the puck is in the other corner you can.
· Go to the net and look for a pass from the winger
· If your winger looks like he is going to be tied up you could skate behind the net and call for a pass
· If it looks like the other team may get the puck you could skate to the hash marks and try to cover a man / take away a pass.
· If the other team does clear the puck being closer to the blue line makes it easier to back check.
· Do not go into the other wingers corner unless you have learned a special drill in practice that calls for this. If your winger is in trouble, it is the job of the centermen to help him out.
What about the faceoff?
For a winger you also have a role on the faceoff. When you faceoff you will be facing off against the other team. When you are on the face off both teams want the puck, but only one team can have it. This means your role during the face off is to either get the puck, or stop the other team from getting it. Talk to your centermen before the faceoff because he usually has a devious plan as to what he is going to do with the puck. Most face offs involve winning the puck back to the defensemen, when this happens your job is to tie up your man so your defensemen has time to make a play. Sometimes the centermen will pole the puck forward and have you pick it up with speed, or the centremen could tie up the other centermen and have you get the puck. This means you have to explode off of the hash mark and go right for the face off circle.
A wingers responsibilities on the power play
A power play means that the other team is playing with one less man on the ice. Your position does not change during the power play unless you have a set play with your team. When the other team is down a man they will play with two defensemen and two forwards, this means that on the faceoff there will one open spot. This means if you are on the open wing, and the centremen wins the faceoff to you, you will have some time to skate with the puck and set up a play.
Wingers duties on the penalty kill
When your team gets a penalty there will be one less man on the ice. This means that on the faceoff you need to pick a side to faceoff on. The proper side to faceoff on is the side closest to the center of the ice. If you were to faceoff on the side closest to the boards then the side closest to the center would be wide open, and give the other team more of an advantage if they win the faceoff.
When you are on the penalty kill you should think of your position more like another centermen. If the puck goes into the offensive zone either you or the centremen will go in after the puck, only one man should go deep into the offensive zone, while the other hangs back near the blue line.
When the puck is in the defensive zone most teams play in a box formation, this means your two defensemen will play down low, and the centermen and the winger play up high. The idea is your formation will look like a box, and you want to keep the other team outside of the box, and take away any passing or shooting opportunities.

How to Play Defense in Ice Hockey

Playing defense in ice hockey is one of the most underrated jobs in all of sports. The immediate goal of anyone who steps on the ice is to find a way to get yourself a scoring opportunity and put the puck in the net. That thought dominates the minds of most hockey players from the time they take up the game. However, the defenseman has to use his creative energies to break up plays, deflect passes and stop shots

1. 1
Work on your backwards skating every day in practice. While your opponent is skating as fast as he can into the offensive zone, you are also doing the same thing—except you have to do it backwards. Your eyes are the key to putting together your defensive plan because they allow you to see the position of your opponents and allow you to figure out what is coming next. However, if you can’t keep up with their skating, you will be little more than a spectator on the play.
2. 2
Do not hesitate to leave your feet to block a shot or deflect a pass. The goaltender may be the last line of defense, but you are the first. Any shot on net has a chance to go in but a shot that is blocked within a few feet of its starting point has no chance of going in. You need to use your lower body to block the shots and timing is essential. Leave your feet too soon and the offensive player will fake the shot and go around you. Leave you feet too late and you will not block the shot.
3. 3
Use a longer stick than your offensive teammates. This will give you more reach on the ice to deflect passes and shots. Your stick is one of your most important tools when it comes to playing defense. Your longer stick allows you to get in the way of passes and shots that are not perfect and takes away much of the offense’s margin for error.
4. 4
Start the transition game from defense to offense with quick, accurate passes. The best way to play defense is to take the puck away from your opponent and then get it onto the stick of one of your teammates. Use your body to screen off opponents when you have the puck so they cannot get around you. Move forward with your head up and pass the puck ahead to your first open teammate.
5. 5
Think defense even when your team is attacking the net. You will be at the point when your team is controlling the puck and storming the net. Your ability to contribute on the offensive end is vital as you may get the puck passed to you at the blue line and you will be asked to shoot the puck from the point. Perhaps you will move up and jump into the play shoot the puck from the prime scoring areas between the faceoff circles. However, you never stop thinking about your defensive responsibilities. You have to figure out ahead of time what you will do if your team loses possession of the puck and your opponent goes on a counterattack. Your primary responsibility is keeping the puck out of your own net and that thought must always remain in the front of your mind.