Last night I got to Ice Hockey Academy for the fourth week running, a record for me. As is sadly so often the case, I only arrived as they were about to go onto the ice so I only joined at the tail end of the first drill. Which I DID do, rather than join the start of the next because it was all about heel to heels, working one's way up the ice doing them alternating left and right. Followed by ankle bends on the boards, chasing one's own tail around the stick with 360' heel to heels, then chasing partner in looping pattern around paired end to end sticks, mixing it with heel to heels and crossovers over the middle.
It only struck me later how serendipitous this all was, with my interest in this move and its many uses since being introduced to it at Vikings training in late summer. James described it as an ice hockey technique that is very useful for inline also. Which I had evidenced in last week's game when I missed having at least one good shot on goal due my lack of training in the art (ie. by the time I thought of it, the moment had passed). Wrap arounds, puck protection, dynamic transitions, all use the basic move. But, more of that later...
Then, sprints the length of the rink, with knee drops and controlled slides from the first blue line, regaining one's feet at or as close to the second blue line as possible with stick held across the shoulders with both hands (to make us use our torso, and to a lesser degree, legs, to keep front on to direction of travel). This was the best that I've ever felt doing this particular drill, maintaining speed, distance and a sense of control to the whole exercise. Trickier than it looks.
Everybody bar one was to use the full (small) ice in a giant pelaton doing figure of eights. One person would skate the same figure, but in the opposite direction. There was only one red sweater being worn, by me. So I ended up being the red devil skating against the flow. I overheard later the reasoning behind this was 'to add chaos' to the already challenging figure eights (as skaters cross each other's path in the centre of the ice they need to keep their heads up and eyes open to avoid cross hitting collisions, while transiting from left to right crossovers). After the group set off, I confirmed my instructions to be skating in the opposite direction, and headed off into the fray.
I hospitalised my first ever victim on about the third hair raising lap. His was the first collision of the exercise. He was a pretty tall guy and a good skater, and for that reason I think I timed my 'angle of approach' into a cluster of skaters to take me nearer him than others I adjudged less 'safe'. My bad, because he didn't see me coming and turned right into me in what was a fairly high speed front on collision from my perspective. I bounced off him and back with a bit of a jolt, but nothing too heavy and was on my feet after a deep breath. He hadn't moved, but by the time I came over to him he was sitting up and gingerly holding his leg at the knee. He seemed to be quite alive, however, so as the coaches and sundry skating personages tended to him and conferred, I chased down the figure eight again.
I had two further collisions in the total of about 10 circuits, both with people taller than me, one of whom wasn't wearing protective armour beyond helmet and gloves. These guys each came to me later in the session and pointed out that they either hadn't been looking properly, or had been put out of their comfort zone due the actions of another skater, by the time I arrived in their face. I would have kept going (despite the carnage) except that the wounded skater was being taken from the ice so we had to stop.
We shifted to the old drill of stops on the blue lines, with forwards / backwards sprints back and forths (where for the first time I experienced a couple 'natural' outside edge crossunder accelerations out of a stop), and then the linkage back to heel to heels by using it for transitions from rearwards to forwards as a means of keeping momentum (rather than a rearward snowplough to stop and then having to accelerate back to speed).
Then, a horseshoe of shooting without a goalie, allowing one to shoot as often as one could grab a puck, the goal simply to practice the stroke and have it on net. After a half dozen or so shots I still hadn't had to do the pushups that followed a missed shot, albeit one otherwise errant puck only went in after it was struck in midair by another person's (which missed).
Then, a game. Groups in the corners. One skater races in from each group to seize the puck and score in the opposite goal. As soon as they cross the blue line, another skater comes out from the (now) defending group, creating a 2 on 1. If the 2 manage to get the possession before the 1 scores, they become the offensive team and rush the opposing goal. As they cross the blue line, a second skater enters from the (now) defending group and and it is 2 on 2. If it crosses back, 3 on 2. And the ice is full at 3 on 3. Exhausting but great fun.
I had to leave the ice to get my self together during the next exercise, which was basically a speed drill around the ice for a half dozen or so laps. I don't think I've sat out a drill before. I didn't sit it out because of the drill, I was heading off before I knew what was going to happen. I would have enjoyed the chase. I just did what my mind said I should do. Hockey's like that sometimes.
Second last drill of the day was a small ice battle game. Divided by colours (black, and white (with one red)), each side had either 2 or 3 skaters in each zone. They were to remain in their zone (offensive, neutral, defensive) and work the puck into their respective goals. After a few minutes the neutral group moved into an endzone (ie becoming either defence or offence) so that, after a few rounds, everyone had played in all the zones a couple times. All sorts of lessons to learn in this game about puck movement, positioning, passing and receiving, board clashes, etc).
Finally, a commando crawl across the ice to send us on our way (push up position with stick on the ice held by one's hands and feet dragging behind, 'walk' your way across the ice on your outstretched arms).
Excellent session, but I learned that the guy I'd collided with had been taken to hospital with a likely either broken ankle or major ligament damage (his edge had caught under him as he was knocked backwards by the impact).
Sobering.
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