Knights Training

Last night we had Knights training on the small ice.  Initially it looked like only three of us were there, but it filled out to be 4 D and about 6 Forwards from combined Knights and Bombers teams (the Bombers are our related Div I team).

Again, it was a great session, leaving me exhausted but more knowledgeable about my role within the team and a few more specific skills that I hope to put into play this week in our Sunday game against the Kings.  The drills were limited in number, allowing us to develop the insights gained.  I noticed that performance and aptitude increased during each one as a result..

The emphasis shifted more towards game-like situations than it was last week.  We started with the breakout horseshoe from opposing corners (we had two goalies this week).  Then a two-part drill.  In its first iteration, one forward skated backwards from a corner next to the goal, up the board towards centre ice, passing back and forth with the next forward in the corner line a couple of times.  The skating forward then transitioned in a long loop behind the centre line to steam in towards the goal down the other side and receive a third pass before taking a shot.  Meanwhile, the 'passing forward' had moved towards the goal and was trying to screen the goalie while a defender tried to clear them from the crease. D and goalie changed over every five or six plays.

In its second iteration, the screening forward and clearing D remained in front of goal.  This time, however, there were two D's at point.  The F in the corner passed fairly quickly to one, then the other, of the D's who had a shot.  After each play, the D's rotated through the three roles available, and the passing forward moved into the screening forward role.

We then completed a 'God exercise' (where coach indicates with her stick to all the players in a line in front of her which direction (left or right) they are to do crossover steps, or whether they are to get down on the ice or get up to their feet) which is about conditioning and maintaining bent knees.  The session wound up with a few penalty shots (my backhand was the most effective I noticed, but only if I held it till what seemed like the absolute last moment before whipping it in).

The valuable lessons learned for me were when I briefly played a screening forward role, and used my light feet to roll around much stronger defence players (two of the three shots I screened went in) and, most practically considering my present role as a D, how I generally managed to clear the opposition forwards by shoving them at opportune moments with my stick grasped in both hands, driving from my blades rather than from my upper body.  By the end of the clearance drills I was generally leaving my goalie with an unobstructed view of the shot (whereas when I started I was adding to the screening effect as I struggled to mover bigger and stronger players with strength alone).

I dare say we'll be a more aggressive team when we play the Kings than we were on the last occasion.  I suspect we'll need to be.