Last night I made it to Gawler after battling traffic all the way so as to be only 10 minutes late. Sigh. Managed to do one circuit of the evening's first drill, skating up the length of the rink around which maybe 6 pairs of 'witches hat' cones were set up, having to do full circuits as fast as possible around each one (getting down as low as possible in the stance). Then it was into the drills.
Firstly, and most simply, two groups of skaters in opposite corners at opposing ends of the floor. Occupied goals at both ends. Pucks with each group. A skater would wait for someone from the opposite group to skate down their side of the rink and then curl across in front of the goal while calling for the puck. The skater would pass it to them (and they would then try and skate back towards the initial end to have a shot) and take off to themself skate up the boards, curl across the front of the opposing goal while calling for the puck, receive the pass from a player in the opposite corner (who would at this point themselves take off up their board (and hence, alongside the (now puck carrying skater)) to curl around in front of the goal to take a pass, etc...) and then skate hard towards the original end so as to get a shot off on goal before rejoining the original group.
We then conducted a three line weave. This entailed forming three groups on one goal line. The opposite goal was occupied (ie only the one goalie on the floor). A player in the centre line (F1) would pass the puck to the skater from the second line (F2) who was going up and curling towards the centre. F1 would then continue their own curl towards the boards alongside which F2 had started and skate hard up the wing to then cut in towards the goal. Meanwhile, F2 would continue their curl towards the right boards, where the third skater (F3) had been keeping pace with them until shortly before entered the attack zone. Then, as F2 headed towards the right boards, F3 curled towards the centre of the attack zone. This set up the play. The idea was for F2 to pass to F3 who would quickly pass it to F1 who, if they'd skated hard and hadn't spent any time observing the success or otherwise of the evolving play, should be coming in at the goal for a shot off the pass from F3.
Not easy to describe without pictures, and even harder to do with any ease. This drill required an effort of accuracy for the passes, and faith in the process. Especially for F1 as they had to pass and skate hard and trust that the puck would be there when they were for the culminating shot. For to look events and interpret them was to slow down and effectively kill the play. Not the easiest. We were frustrating to watch to the coach.
Finally, a game of Red Rover with two occupied goals in the centre of the floor, each facing an opposing side board, and (almost) all the players each with a puck lined up along one goal line. One or two skaters began anywhere on the floor between the two goal lines. The narrow spaces between the goal lines and the end boards was regarded as 'safe'. The idea was simple. On the whistle, the line of puck carriers would attempt to carry their puck across the floor and into the opposite safe zone. The player(s) in the middle would try and seize a puck (any puck) and get it past a goalie into the goal. While they tried to get the goal, the original puck carrier would try and get their puck back under control and into safety. If the puck went into the goal, the skater whose puck it had been joined the puckless people in the middle. They could combine to rob pucks off of carriers as they came across in the other direction, and combine to get it into the goal. A million tactical lessons in this simple game.
Hour up, (or, fifty minutes in my case) it was time to cool down and change, and head back down the highway to home.
Great evening.
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