5-3 L to Stars

5-3 loss, which includes an empty net goal against, in a game where we outplayed the other team for long stretches. Of the goals against us, I think the one below is an example of what happens when we scramble for position in our d zone. People start leaving their own position to cover others, we get clumped together, and by the end of the play we are outnumbered in front of our own net 3-1.



Below are our 3 goals for. I especially like the first one because there are a few small things that show up on the tape that would otherwise go unnoticed. The first time you watch the goal below you see the race for the puck, the pass, and the shot. The second time you see it you notice Yvan's cut to the net and how that takes away a defender. Then you also see the way James slides back to find the space in the slot. Lastly you notice that Ryan made a smart change - James starts the play on the bench. It's an awesome goal.



Face off win by Ryan, stretch pass by Mike, great cut to the net and finish by Will



Mike calls for it in the slot and scores

7-7 Tie vs Sunnyvale

A 7-7 Tie that felt like a win! We were down 5-4 in the 3rd with some good puck possession until this forced pass gave them a breakaway goal to put them up 6-4. Just terrible.



Down 7-5 with 5 minutes left and Mike King takes it himself and roofs it! Nice self pass to get around me lol



Game tying goal on a nice pass from Ryan. Note where their defensemen are! Their RD has his skates against the boards when he shoots, and their LD is completely oblivious to how much space there is down the middle of the ice. If their LD properly shifted over towards center ice to cover for his partner then he could have prevented this breakaway. Super lazy play by their LD, watch how late he is on reading the situation!

 

10-6 Win Over Pigeon Boys

Our first win in the new league! We took advantage of a weak goalie and put up 10 - James had 4 goals, including the game winner below. Nice pass by Craig off the boards letting James get behind their D and score 5 hole.


Next time that we have a short bench we need to do a better job of communicating our positions. There were a number of times where our forwards weren't sure what position they were supposed to take. Also our transition D is still a problem. The clip below shows the other team getting a 3 on 1 on a breakout that starts behind their own net. Our forwards are out of the play early, and then a mistake by our D to charge for the puck leaves us vulnerable.


We can fix the above problem. Ideally both D will continue to back up into our defensive zone, and our high forward in the offensive slot will recognize earlier that he is needed on the backcheck, and will pick up the trailer (who eventually scores on the rebound.) Note that their player who scores actually starts on the hash marks of the near boards, completely level with our high forward. I think we will give more effort on the backcheck if we realize who is responsible for what.

Regardless, great win!

5-18-17 9-4 L to Boston Bears

Two really awful periods put us down 8-1, and then we scored three goals and only gave up one in the third. Mike King had a hat trick.

The sequence below can serve as a good example of what NOT to do on transition - Note how completely useless I am during this play :(


We have a great scoring opportunity, 3 on 1, but ultimately all three forwards get caught low, our D plays it aggressively, and we get caught with a goal against. Once the other team got into the neutral zone we were a one man team. One of the biggest mistakes on this play is that I did not stay in the high slot - from there I could have still been available for a pass or rebound, and as the high forward I would then be in a much better position to backcheck. These are the transition plays we need to fix, and having a forward involved in the backcheck would make a big difference.

Below are two of our goals that came out fairly well on video (couldn't really see the others)



Will's pressure causes a bad breakout pass, Mike does the rest.

For the goal below James makes a great hustle play and pass, Nick R gets in position and takes advantage of a lazy D man.

5/11/17 12-1 Loss to 24 Hours of Sauce

Ouch. 12-1 tells most of the story, but we did a few things well during the game that didn't show up in the score. The clip below is of us giving up a goal in transition, off of a pinch, and yet it actually wasn't a bad play. Mike C makes the calculated risk to pinch, Nate backs up towards center ice to help out his partner, and Ryan backchecks hard as the high forward to prevent an odd man rush. You can see Mike C get to the puck first, and Nate communicating to Ryan to cover the pass, good stuff. Unfortunately the clip also shows that our well intentioned play wasn't enough to overcome the skill and speed of the opponent. Mike's shot is blocked, and Nate gets in great position to defend the 2 on 2 but gets toe dragged.

Will went bar down, sick goal, on a play that started with Tom intercepting a blind pass to his point. Also note how Will starts building speed from in front on our net - it is this speed before he gets to the puck that ends up allowing him to turn the corner 150 feet later.

Lastly we have a clip of Nick R doing his best matrix impression to get out of the way of some high cheese from Nate.

12/18 6-3 Loss to Blue Devils

Happy New Year!

It's hard to even remember this game after the weeks off, but below are the clips of the three goals we scored. Note how all three are scored from in close, and also that Will's speed on the attack is what sets up the first two goals (both scored on rebounds)

Now that it's the new year I would like for us to start trying out the Offensive Zone Faceoff Play . The idea behind it is simple - have two forwards charge the net, and the third forward sneak into the vacuum of space left behind. The link above describes the role of each player, and also how we adjust the play when we lose the faceoff. It might even help organize our forecheck off the OZ draws that we lose!