Merry Orange Christmas 2010

It’s Christmas Eve, and as usual chaos rules. It’s a good type of chaos with everyone running around doing errands the day before Christmas. We have a break from the ice today. Our team has been practicing and playing games shorthanded due to injuries, personal issues, and other non-intended conflicts, yet we still play on. Last week we played with only six players against a full roster three-line team. We could have bailed out, or borrowed a couple of our opponent’s players, but the team voted to play with what we had. That’s a heck of a long way from my usual 40-second shift change philosophy. Time-outs became more critical for a short break, than any strategic ploy. We played well, and did not look as tired as we have been in the third period, yet we still need another five players to play normal hockey. This has been super human hockey, and it shows in the way the players move with the puck. It has been tough, but it has resulted in some very well conditioned play. We may not be the dominant team in the league, but we have some fierce players on the ice who push the limits of the game to the extreme. Our practices are evolving more towards quick action play than long drawn out system work. The skill and quick thinking direction of our game is becoming more evident each day. Up in the stands watching a local high school game some of our players commented on how slow the game looked. We have been quickening our game in sections. Attack quickly, and defend high and slow the puck down until we gain control. Our shots are up there, but our rebound attack is what we have been focusing on around the net. The loose pucks have been opportunities we have let slip through our fingers, as fatigue sets in halfway through the second period. It’s the numbers that are hurting us. At first I thought it was the fact that we are about three years younger than most of our opponents, but that hasn’t been the biggest factor – endurance has. Quick thinking on the ice has helped us a lot, and we will continue to tune this process into a major strength. We have two players coming off the injured list, and may actually have almost a full second line the day after Christmas. If we play smart, and create opportunities with our team play we should do well. This is a good team with great players who continue to play well right up to the last whistle. I knew going into this season we would be playing uphill all the way, but I can’t think of a better team to make this climb. I always look to Christmas as a marker for where we want to be as a team and as player’s skill wise for the season. Here it is the night before Christmas and our players have improved by leaps and bounds from where we were three months ago. I am very pleased with the skill development and the speed we have developed together on the ice. We will continue to work on our shots, and back checking. Our young goalie that just started in the net this season continues to improve and make great saves during the game, but we need to help him out more in our own end by clearing the puck quickly. We need to get the puck out of our own end a lot quicker than we have been. We actually have control of the puck as much if not more than our opponents, but we really need to turn the puck around a lot sooner in the neutral zone before it comes across the blue line into our end. We still fall back into the bad habit of waiting for the other team to do something when we get tired rather than force the action.
I can’t complain though, because this is a very good team to work with. I continue to be the luckiest coach. I always seem to get the greatest players. To the team, and to all the teams and players I have been lucky enough to coach I wish you all a very merry Orange Christmas!