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player tips

19

January

Succeed In Scoring More Goals

Posted by Greg Carter

Rails

As the season turns the corner and the standings start to tighten up, players and coaches know that the ticket to the tournament lies in scoring goals. Great defense is important, but you have to score to win the big prize. Here are a few tips to help you find the back of the net in your next game.

Pick a plate. If you ever watch skills competitions there are plates or bulls eyes in each corner that serve as targets for the all-stars to hit. When the pucks hits the plate they either fall off or break. It’s a fun way to show the impact and importance of picking a corner when shooting to score. Next time you are coming down the ice and have a chance to score, rather than firing right at the logo on the goaltenders sweater, think about picking a corner, and blowing up that plate!

Lateral movement. This is important at all levels of the game, but especially at the youth levels where if you can learn it young, you are bound to score a ton of goals. We see this a lot, especially on rebounds, where the puck will bounce from the goaltender right onto the stick of an attacking forward, but rather than moving right or left, the player shoots it right back into the goaltender. Practice moving the puck across your body to both the left and right and before too long it will become second nature to move laterally. And to score more goals!

Pass the puck. Great goal scorers know that they can’t do it alone. Passing the puck to teammates and then moving to open space for the return pass is one of the most effective ways to score goals. If the goalie only has one player to focus on they have a better chance of stopping the puck. Once you start involving other players and the goalie starts moving in their crease, space opens up and you will find more net to shoot at. Pass the puck and skate hard for the return pass or rebound.

Get to the net. This one seems obvious and easy, but the more youth hockey games I watch the more I realize that you can’t instruct players enough when it comes to getting to the net. Whether you are looking for a pass or a rebound, you need to be near the net…not on your way there or skating passed it below the goal line. In any given game there are going to be a lot of puck scrambles, rebounds and passes that happen in and around the crease, and the only way you are going to capitalize is if you skate hard and get there.

Good luck incorporating these tips into your game and have fun scoring your next big goal!

15

May

Secrets to Game 7 Success

Posted by Greg Carter

Rails

There have been some awesome games in the NHL Playoffs. And nothing is bigger than a Game 7, when everything is on the line. One team goes home to get the golf clubs out of the basement, and the other advances one step closer to hockey’s biggest prize.

So what does it really take to win that decisive Game 7? What separates the winners? Sometimes it takes a combination of puck luck, momentum and of course hard work, but in all my years around the game both as a player and training hockey players, I’ve come to see some similarities among players who more times than not find themselves on the winning side of the scoreboard.

It’s important to understand that these are not just player traits that appear on the eve of a Game 7, instead they are engrained in a player from the time they learn to love the game and compete. Thinking back to the great players that I’ve played with and coached, they always seemed to bump up their game and take it to another level when the stakes got higher. The good players got great, and their ability to keep bringing the magic that it takes to win was even more evident in the biggest games.

These are the players, and I see them today at the youth level, that get off the ice after a shift and are so ‘wired’ that they can’t sit still on the bench to rest, they have to lean against the boards and watch every minute, every second of the game. They can’t wait to get back onto the ice for their chance to score the deciding goal.

Not all players are like this. Some players don’t have that killer instinct as they fear giving up the big goal more than they do putting it all on the line to be the hero.

So what are some secrets, both as a player and a team, to winning a Game 7?

  • Ability to play with a ‘win at all cost’ mentality. This means doing everything possible, every shift to make sure you are always in the best position to have an impact.
  • High Risk / High Reward. Great players are not afraid to take chances to score the big goal. They have the confidence in themselves that given the chance, they will beat the odds and score the goal.
  • Confidence. It may sounds simple, but confidence goes a long way in winning. When a team hits the ice with confidence, you notice. And when you execute on your confidence and get the job done, oftentimes you win the game!
  • Hard work. Nothing compares to hard work. So often one team may look flat, while the other is buzzing around like gnat. Is one team really flat, or is the other just out working and out skating them?
  • Rely on what got you there. And this is the key, that to win the Game 7 you have to recognize that all the long hours of dedication, practice and persistence all plays out in dramatic fashion. Sure, all the players have put in the time, but the best of the best are the ones who do just that little bit more.

Enjoy the rest of the NHL Playoffs and good luck scoring the big one in your next big game!

 

22

January

Tips for scoring goals

Posted by Greg Carter

Rails

What is more fun than scoring a goal in hockey? Well, maybe assisting on a goal! But there is no arguing that putting the puck by the goaltender is what every player strives for to help their team win, and here are 5 tips to help you score more goals this season.

1. Shoot like you mean it. Too many players shoot like they are trying to just get the puck across the goal line. We often see this when players come to our hockey camp. Shoot like you mean it, and not only want to put the puck in the net, but right through the back of the net!

2. Crash the net. When you know a teammate has a shot on goal, crash the net. This means getting yourself to just outside the crease, not the hash marks or 10 feet out. Getting the rebound just after the goalie gives it up catches him/her out of position, and gives you the greatest opportunity to score.

3. Keep moving. Great players anticipate the play and where the puck is going. Wherever you are on the ice, move your feet and get to the open area or get to the puck first. Using your hockey sense and knowing where to go, and actually getting there, will put you in prime position to score goals.

4. Be confident and patient. These two goal-scoring attributes often go together. Some of the prettiest deke goals result from being confident in a move, and patient enough to wait for the play to evolve to the point you have a clear lane to the net, shot on goal or opportunity to put your move on the goalie.

5. Good old fashioned practice. There are no shortcuts to scoring success, and for every player that scores with a rocket ‘snipe’ and makes it looks easy, they have shot hundreds, if not thousands of pucks on and off the ice. Something we preach at our hockey school is that in practice, finish every drill with a shot on goal like it’s a game situation, not just a shot to finish the drill.

At our summer hockey school and hockey clinics we take great pride in teaching players the fundamentals, as well as advanced skill sets needed to score goals. Check out our summer hockey camps for more information about how we can help you become a better hockey player.

Have you found success scoring goals? We’d love to hear your story, share it

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