Showing posts with label backcheck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label backcheck. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Piranhas vs. Sharks - 5-4 OTL
As I sat in the locker room half dressed, hearing the Zamboni starting to resurface the ice, I felt myself tapping on my pants. I thought about all of the factors that were going to impact my performance as well as how I felt at the time. I leaned over to the guy sitting on my left and said, "I'm going to have a really good game tonight."
I was really unfamiliar with my line mates. One had never played forward before, and the other I didn't know his tendencies, or how he plays. I knew their skill levels, speeds and strengths from when they play defense, but positioning was a big concern of mine. I was playing center, as I really want to be an experienced option in the middle come winter time.
The entire night, I felt that I was skating faster the Sharks' entire defense. I can't tell you how many times a shark player had 10 feet on me to a loose puck, and yet I was still able to either get the puck or tie up the opponent. What I did from there wasn't as great. Either I'd drop the puck, or get my skate cut in a rut, or the puck would be in a puddle of water and not move. It is something that everyone deals with and I just have to get used to it.
In the defensive zone, I felt a bit lost though. I felt like the forwards were bunching up on each other. I felt that when the defenceman would go and cover someone, that I had to come lower and cover for him. It is a positioning aspect that I need to learn to get better with. Feeling more comfortable, and more prepared for pucks to come through the slot and deflect them out of the zone.
I do think I back checked fairly well. At one point in the game, I had done a great job tying up one of their top players on the rush. I put my stick over his and it was strange in that I almost felt like I could impact where he was going to go. Once he realized that I was doing that and he was skating under my guidance, he tried to turn, but then he just fell flat on his face. There was another time where I was covering for a d-man who pinched. The puck carrier beat me, but I was able to turn, and grab his arm to slow him down. I figure if I can slow down players a bit, it throws them off their game and gives my goalie a better chance at seeing the puck. I know how it impacts me. I did take a tripping penalty on a back check. It was a definite penalty, but I didn't want to give up a chance as I thought the d-man was beat.
I had a few good shots. One went off his blocker on the rush. Another chance I had I was on a two on two rush. The other winger was able to slide it over to me on the rush. I picked up from my side, settled it down and got it in front of me. I shot through the two defencemen, and tried to fire it through his five hole, but he was able to kick it out. There was a really good stuff attempt right from the goal line where a winger and I tried to hammer it home all alone, but we could not lift the puck over his leg pad. We were in too close and eventually the goalie froze it. I had another great chance where the goalie was out of his crease, but I had the puck behind the goal line. I made a great pass past the goalie to the winger who was standing on the top of the crease, but he wasn't ready. It went through his legs, and he immediately got tied up before he could kick it to his stick.
We would end up losing in OT. It wasn't a good feeling, but I had a hell of a fun time out there tonight. I do think there are a few things I need to work on. The positioning and puck handling were the weak points of my game today, but I don't feel they were that weak. I do think that my energy and passing were very good though.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Goaldiggers Game - 2011-09-27
I kind of forgot about this game. I've had some other things going on that has prevented me from focusing a lot of energy on hockey, and that includes my blog. I have played more than a few times since the last post, so let me give you a quick overview of those. I had a good game with the Piranhas that we lost by one to be eliminated from the playoff race. It was also our final game of the season. I had a fair game for the Goaldiggers, but had some difficulties adjusting to the speed since I haven't played with them in two months. I had a good practice with the Coyotes.I had my skates sharpened at 3/8" this time and love it so far. I also took one of my chipped up sticks and painted the bottom black for a variety of reasons.
So as I stated, I didn't think about the game too much until about an hour before I left. I saw their line up, and they had a full bench of guys in my age range, meaning it was going to be a long night. To make it worse we had 8 skaters.
I tried to keep my shifts short, just because I didn't want to get caught if I could prevent it. I think the team did a good job of doing this as well considering we only had 8 skaters. We gave up two bad goals early, but for the most part, we dominated the game. Rarely did the play come into our zone.
One key part for me this game was I didn't panic with the puck. I would pick up the puck, and I took my time. I would look, and if I didn't see anything, I'd carry the puck. This is something I rarely do that I'm quite proud of. The only time I did panic was off of a face off in our own zone. We won the draw, the puck came to me and I just fired it down the ice to get it out of our zone for icing. The exact same thing happened a few seconds later, but instead I carried it.
I tried to keep pressure on the opponents the whole time. During a back check when going to lift the stick of the puck carrier, I missed, and got his skates. He went down, and the penalty was called. No arguments against it. It was a good call.
At one point I found my self playing defense while the d-man pinched. The opposing winger was coming up the middle with the puck, and judging by how he handled himself, I pinched on him. It worked out well. I was able to keep the puck in at the blue line after a good battle. Once I gained control of the puck, I was off balance, and knew pressure was on me. After a quick glance for options, I threw it right at the net through my center's legs as a screen. The goalie stopped it, but it generated a good scoring chance from just inside the blue line.
I also made a great soft pass to my team mate who was rushing up the side boards when entering the zone. I had three guys between me and the slot, saw him coming up with some speed and just softly threw it in front of him, for him to pick up and drive to the net. It generated a scoring chance, so I was happy.
My game was very good tonight, and I cannot think of one real negative part of my game. The Goaldiggers would win 6-2, proving that I cannot judge talent.
So as I stated, I didn't think about the game too much until about an hour before I left. I saw their line up, and they had a full bench of guys in my age range, meaning it was going to be a long night. To make it worse we had 8 skaters.
I tried to keep my shifts short, just because I didn't want to get caught if I could prevent it. I think the team did a good job of doing this as well considering we only had 8 skaters. We gave up two bad goals early, but for the most part, we dominated the game. Rarely did the play come into our zone.
One key part for me this game was I didn't panic with the puck. I would pick up the puck, and I took my time. I would look, and if I didn't see anything, I'd carry the puck. This is something I rarely do that I'm quite proud of. The only time I did panic was off of a face off in our own zone. We won the draw, the puck came to me and I just fired it down the ice to get it out of our zone for icing. The exact same thing happened a few seconds later, but instead I carried it.
I tried to keep pressure on the opponents the whole time. During a back check when going to lift the stick of the puck carrier, I missed, and got his skates. He went down, and the penalty was called. No arguments against it. It was a good call.
At one point I found my self playing defense while the d-man pinched. The opposing winger was coming up the middle with the puck, and judging by how he handled himself, I pinched on him. It worked out well. I was able to keep the puck in at the blue line after a good battle. Once I gained control of the puck, I was off balance, and knew pressure was on me. After a quick glance for options, I threw it right at the net through my center's legs as a screen. The goalie stopped it, but it generated a good scoring chance from just inside the blue line.
I also made a great soft pass to my team mate who was rushing up the side boards when entering the zone. I had three guys between me and the slot, saw him coming up with some speed and just softly threw it in front of him, for him to pick up and drive to the net. It generated a scoring chance, so I was happy.
My game was very good tonight, and I cannot think of one real negative part of my game. The Goaldiggers would win 6-2, proving that I cannot judge talent.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Goaldiggers - 2011-05-22
I went into the game tonight with a big boost of confidence from yesterday's tournament. I knew it'd be faster paced, and be more wide open, but I was prepared. I left everything the same way as yesterday. I started out playing well. I helped generate a big scoring chance, had a great shot on net from right in the slot, and it felt like I wasn't being moved from inside the slot. Their goalie was big though. He covered up a lot of the lower part of the net, and that is where goals go in at my level.
As always, the Goaldiggers have defensemen who like to jump up in the play, and it was happening more frequently tonight than normal. I'd stay at the blue line when I recognized it and tried to cover for them. With it being 0-0 in the second, they caught me on the blue line and got past me. I back checked as hard as I could and dove to at least make his shot somewhat more difficult. Unfortunately he went down, and it hurt our goalie. The shooter missed on his penalty shot but the damage was done. They scored 3 quick goals, and that just turned the game around. We ended up losing by two goals.
I skated and moved well, but I didn't get as many scoring chances as I would have liked. I made a bonehead play where I just through the puck out of my own zone that is still giving me nightmares. I need to recognize to still just slow down and take my time.
I'm starting to get a cold or something, and I believe it is from not enough rest, or allergies. I'm honestly not sure which. I've skated 3 days in a row, and that usually spells trouble for your health in general. I played 5 times in 5 nights last weekend, so I assume it is just rest. I've got a few days off and will be using them to relax and start to get over whatever it is I have.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Goaldiggers playoff game - 2010-12-19
Quarter finals for the Goaldiggers in the playoffs tonight, and the game started early, at 8:10. Strange for me playing that early but I’ll take it. I show up a few minutes later than I would have liked. I guess it is a side effect from living closer to the rink, because I did it last week too.
Our opponents tonight have been familiar to us. A handful of our players played with some of them years ago, and we played them last year in the playoffs as well. They are a chippy team, and very hard working. We’d have to work hard, and keep our cool. My first shift on the ice, a defensemen pinched in, and I covered for them. They came back but it still led to a 2 on 2 against us, and I felt had I back checked harder, I could have prevented the first goal of the game. It really is deflating to let a goal in on your first shift, especially when there are guys who haven’t even seen the ice yet.
Later in the period, I tried to make up for it by working harder and did a half assed job at a board battle. I refused to go in against two opponents against the board. Instead, I stayed three feet away from the boards trying to work the puck out. That is just lazy in my opinion, and it doesn’t give you a good chance. Yeah, you have more control of your stick, but you lose the ability to use your feet to move the puck. I need to go in, and make some contact with the opponents to move the puck, and stop being afraid.
Still down by one, I again covered for a pinching d-man. The puck got around me and I didn’t skate full speed to recover it. As a result, the opponent chased it all the way down with me. And as a result, I had to crash into the boards to get to the puck. Had I skated hard the whole time, the opponent wouldn’t have had a chance. Either way, I still won the puck. The problem is it remained in play. I threw it around the boards, and some how it came down to the slot. Unfortunately, I again didn’t skate hard enough to cover him and the center was able to chip it in. The second goal I felt was my fault. While it was frustrating, I still tried to play shift to shift, and tried to make the best of it. The problem is, this time, when I crashed into the boards trying to recover the puck, I went funny into the boards. It was a lot like when I hyper extended my knee, where I spun around really fast with all of my weight on one foot. Luckily it only “shocked” my ankle, and it only bothered me for another shift or two.
In the second period, I played more of a solid period effort wise and results wise. We were still down by one. At one point, I found myself skating too hard, and found myself below the goal line. I’m a winger! Why am I under the goal line in my own zone!? I hustled back up to the point and luckily I wasn’t burned. I kept coming down too low tonight, but after I noticed this, I did a better job of just covering my man. It was a good thing too. Towards the end of the second, I got the puck at the top of the faceoff circle in my own zone. Normally I would play it safe and just try and chip it out of our zone. But I had time. I didn’t panic. I skated with it, and was able to get past the first d-man. The second d-man caught me at the red line, and was able to disrupt the break out, but still, I would never have dreamed of even trying that even 4 months ago. I’m gaining confidence with the puck.
It reminds me of something I was told very early when I started playing on ice. Look! Don’t just throw the puck away. You’ve probably got more time than you think. It is better to lose the puck in a fight, than it is to just throw it and give it to the opposition.
In the third, we were still down by one. I’m getting pretty nervous about losing the game, and the d-man keep jumping in to the play. Again, I’m on the blue line, covering for a d-man who went in on the rush. Then I noticed the other d-man went into the play as well. Why is the winger the only one standing on the blue line? Oh well. The puck came out to the blue line and I just flipped it on net. I don’t have a big shot, and I was somewhat off balance (like always) so it was stopped well before it got to the net. It didn’t bother me because when I play defense, the only thing I care about is keeping the puck as far away from my goal as possible. I stayed on the blue line as the other four skaters were working very well in generating chances. The one d-man came back out and played on the right side, so I was able to shift over to the left. The opponent tried to flip it out, but I was able to stop it, take a look and give it to the left winger. It ultimately lead to the goal that would tie the game.
The team would go on to win the game. I think everyone had a big part in the win tonight, from the talented guys with big shots, to the guys still lucky to stay balanced on their skates like me. I felt though that my effort wasn’t all there tonight until late in the second. I had no points, but in theory helped out on a few goals I kept it in on the blue line, I screened a goalie, but I also was partially responsible for a few goals going in on our own night. I walked way with bumps and bruises, and I’ll be feeling it going into the next game which is tomorrow, but I still have to be better. I have to keep balance but most of all, I have to give it my all on every shift.
Our opponents tonight have been familiar to us. A handful of our players played with some of them years ago, and we played them last year in the playoffs as well. They are a chippy team, and very hard working. We’d have to work hard, and keep our cool. My first shift on the ice, a defensemen pinched in, and I covered for them. They came back but it still led to a 2 on 2 against us, and I felt had I back checked harder, I could have prevented the first goal of the game. It really is deflating to let a goal in on your first shift, especially when there are guys who haven’t even seen the ice yet.
Later in the period, I tried to make up for it by working harder and did a half assed job at a board battle. I refused to go in against two opponents against the board. Instead, I stayed three feet away from the boards trying to work the puck out. That is just lazy in my opinion, and it doesn’t give you a good chance. Yeah, you have more control of your stick, but you lose the ability to use your feet to move the puck. I need to go in, and make some contact with the opponents to move the puck, and stop being afraid.
Still down by one, I again covered for a pinching d-man. The puck got around me and I didn’t skate full speed to recover it. As a result, the opponent chased it all the way down with me. And as a result, I had to crash into the boards to get to the puck. Had I skated hard the whole time, the opponent wouldn’t have had a chance. Either way, I still won the puck. The problem is it remained in play. I threw it around the boards, and some how it came down to the slot. Unfortunately, I again didn’t skate hard enough to cover him and the center was able to chip it in. The second goal I felt was my fault. While it was frustrating, I still tried to play shift to shift, and tried to make the best of it. The problem is, this time, when I crashed into the boards trying to recover the puck, I went funny into the boards. It was a lot like when I hyper extended my knee, where I spun around really fast with all of my weight on one foot. Luckily it only “shocked” my ankle, and it only bothered me for another shift or two.
In the second period, I played more of a solid period effort wise and results wise. We were still down by one. At one point, I found myself skating too hard, and found myself below the goal line. I’m a winger! Why am I under the goal line in my own zone!? I hustled back up to the point and luckily I wasn’t burned. I kept coming down too low tonight, but after I noticed this, I did a better job of just covering my man. It was a good thing too. Towards the end of the second, I got the puck at the top of the faceoff circle in my own zone. Normally I would play it safe and just try and chip it out of our zone. But I had time. I didn’t panic. I skated with it, and was able to get past the first d-man. The second d-man caught me at the red line, and was able to disrupt the break out, but still, I would never have dreamed of even trying that even 4 months ago. I’m gaining confidence with the puck.
It reminds me of something I was told very early when I started playing on ice. Look! Don’t just throw the puck away. You’ve probably got more time than you think. It is better to lose the puck in a fight, than it is to just throw it and give it to the opposition.
In the third, we were still down by one. I’m getting pretty nervous about losing the game, and the d-man keep jumping in to the play. Again, I’m on the blue line, covering for a d-man who went in on the rush. Then I noticed the other d-man went into the play as well. Why is the winger the only one standing on the blue line? Oh well. The puck came out to the blue line and I just flipped it on net. I don’t have a big shot, and I was somewhat off balance (like always) so it was stopped well before it got to the net. It didn’t bother me because when I play defense, the only thing I care about is keeping the puck as far away from my goal as possible. I stayed on the blue line as the other four skaters were working very well in generating chances. The one d-man came back out and played on the right side, so I was able to shift over to the left. The opponent tried to flip it out, but I was able to stop it, take a look and give it to the left winger. It ultimately lead to the goal that would tie the game.
The team would go on to win the game. I think everyone had a big part in the win tonight, from the talented guys with big shots, to the guys still lucky to stay balanced on their skates like me. I felt though that my effort wasn’t all there tonight until late in the second. I had no points, but in theory helped out on a few goals I kept it in on the blue line, I screened a goalie, but I also was partially responsible for a few goals going in on our own night. I walked way with bumps and bruises, and I’ll be feeling it going into the next game which is tomorrow, but I still have to be better. I have to keep balance but most of all, I have to give it my all on every shift.
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