Tonight I headed off to Gawler after work for an hour of inline training with my fellow Vikings. As previously, a mix of Premier, First and Second division players, totaling about 15 skaters. Highlight of my night was being applauded in classic hockey fashion by my fellow skaters after being last man standing in a game of Red Rover. Details follow.
The evening began with shots at goal from a half circle, I think I got about four shots with three on net and none going in. All four were along the ground. Will have to change that!
We then split up into four groups. One was doing 'suicide' runs for skating and stopping practice. The second was passing with slick one touch control/pass being the aim. The third was shooting (again, didn't lift the puck once). The fourth, completed just after the skating drill, was to rest and recuperate.
After a full circuit of the stations we formed up in two parallel lines across the rink, about five metres apart, and played a passing game. Initially, one puck was passed back and forth up the lines, with the passer skating to the position of the person to whom they'd passed the puck, as by the time they got there that person would have passed and skated after the puck to replace their 'next' player. When the puck got to the top of the line, that player carried it down the centre to start the whole process again. In this fashion, a person would cycle up the lines, skate back to the start line, do it again.
When skating back, the goal for all was to not collide, not interfere with the puck. This got more difficult as more than one puck was introduced onto the ladder, and then a third. With three pucks, it meant that the person skating down would have to avoid up to four players and two pucks crossing their path. Good training.
Finally, we split into a game of Red Rover, with one goal and goalie in the middle of the rink. Game began with three Premier players in the centre, all other skaters behind a red line each with a puck, Goalie in goal. The aim for the skaters was to carry their puck to the opposite red line, all departing on their journey at the same time. The aim for the centre players was to seize a puck and put it in the goals. The goalie had his usual aim (stop goals). If a skater lost their puck to a centre player their aim changed to getting it back before it was shot into net. Once all skaters had either made it to the opposite red line or had their puck put into the net, those who had lost their puck joined the centre players and the remainder of the skaters set off back across the rink. The game continues until only one skater is left, and then for their puck to be put in net.
I got through the first few runs across the rink fairly simply, simply looking for the biggest gaps between defenders, avoiding them as much as possible, relying on my eyes more than my speed or positioning to get me through the thickening group of centres. When about half had been picked off, I had my puck stolen but trailed the centre who'd taken it and keeping central position (forcing him towards the boards). Eventually he mistimed his stickhandling and I was close enough to steal my puck back and accelerate past him to safety. The next round, had the puck stolen by a Premier player and he got a shot off quick smart. Lucky for me it hit the post and I seized it on the rebound before any other centres (all occupied in their own hunts and battles) realised there was an extra puck rolling around near them, skated to safety.
It started getting interesting with four skaters left. I was now a definite target to at least one Div I player against whom I'd used body position to counteract superior skating and smuggle it across. He started the next run barely four metres in front of me and I had to come out from the safe zone protecting my puck. I somehow succeeded, dangling it left and right and threading the gaps (still focusing on gaps between players, though now was getting too congested to do this very well as there were always more behind).
The next run, only three of us started to skate. I got caught on the boards by a cluster, disrupted them enough to have a chance to seize puck back before it got shot cross ice, circled back for a moment of clear rink before launching forward again, using goal to shelter one side, body to protect from behind, stick and spare arm to fend of thieves. Made it over. There were only two of us left.
I can't really remember the next run, but I made it and find myself on my own behind the red line, with fifteen players pretty keen to pull me down (after all, I'm 'only' a C Grader!). I launched off and got caught in a battle on the boards, kept him on the outside as he looked to pass it to someone in front of the goal. Kick and stick blocked shots at least once each, covered the empty net another time, disrupted a couple shots by holding stick in interference location, knocked several passes off target, scrambled madly in front of goal to regain puck and then lose it again, ended up on one side of the net with goalie making a good save that leaked a rebound to the other side of the net. If it had been a game I would have dived at it with my stick and probably knocked it away before another Premier player stepped in and tapped it home. Instead, I collapsed on my knees totally spent. As the puck finally went through I could hear the tapping of sticks on the floor, looked up to see everyone smiling at me.
What a great way to end a training!
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