6. Third Period

Keep The Red Light Out

As in basketball and football, one of the secrets of good defensive hockey is to have players with great desire and hustle, who will battle hard to keep the other team from scoring. There is no place on the team for a player who will not do his share of checking.

Because it is difficult to keep team possession of the puck, you have to be ready to swing from offense to defense quickly and often. This means you must learn how to play defensive hockey well - how to check a puckcarrier and cover a man. And, naturally, if you are the goaltender, you carry the heaviest defensive load of any man on your team. You are "it," as the last line of defense.

The Poke Check

The poke check is the basic method of checking a puck-carrier, and all players on the team (even the goalie, although to a lesser extent) must be able to do it. If you are a lefthander, poke check this way.

1. Poke the blade of your stick at your opponent's stick blade as he carries the puck.
2. This quick thrust is made by releasing your left hand from the stick shaft and lashing out with your stick held in your right hand.
3. With your stick held in one hand, you will be able to reach farther ahead. As a result, you will not have to get so close to your opponent. A good long reach is a help, and so is strength in your right wrist and arm.
4. Getting into good position is important. Your chances of using a poke check are better when and if:
   a) You catch the puckcarrier hemmed in by the boards
   b) You can get him before he gets up skating speed
   c) He does not see you coming
   d) You, as a left defenseman, steer the oncoming puck carrier to your left. Once he takes this path, your speed can force him into the corner where your poke check can be used.

In preparing to check an opponent, keep your stick blade low to the ice if you are carrying it in two hands. It is good to get used to carrying your stick in one hand, the blade sliding on the ice, just as you are about to check. In this way, you can avoid slashing, high sticking penalties, and the risk of injury to an opposing player.

The Hook Check

The hook check, sometimes called the sweep check, may be made against the puckcarrier by either forwards or defensemen. Forwards usually use it when forechecking in the attacking zone. Defensemen use it when the attacker cuts to go around them on their strong side. If you are a lefthander, hook check this way:

1. Hold your stick in your right hand as far out to your right as you can reach.
2. Bend low to the ice, bringing your stick flat to its surface.
3. "Snake" the puck from your opponent's stick, as you push hard off your skate in the direction he is going.

To help you understand this, let us imagine you are a left-hander playing right defense. You are backing in over your own blue line, when the attacker breaks to your right to go around you. You turn to skate him off or check him. Now use your hook check. When close enough to the attacker, bend low, push off your left skate in the direction he is going, and steal the puck from his stick.

This arrangement of playing right defense when you shoot left-handed really gives you a stronger checking combination against players who try to go around you to the outside. It is tougher playing the point position at the attacking end, though.

The Body Check

Body checking is an advanced skill, because it is usually of value only to boys fourteen-years-old and up. There are a number of good reasons for this.

Most minor hockey associations have rules that limit body checking. Players may use this technique only within their own defensive zone. This is a wise safety measure, because younger players coming fast from their own end usually have their heads down to control the puck and so could be easily knocked down with a body check. Their balance on skates also is often shaky, leaving them open for bad spills if hit.

The technique of hitting an opponent with a clean, solid shoulder requires careful timing and balance. You have to be a very fine skater before you can start the give-and-take of body checking. The unskilled player who tries it usually ends up clutching, kneeing, high sticking, or tripping his opponent.

You need to devote all your time in your early years to learning the other skills of the game: When your skating is solid and you can stickhandle, pass, and shoot with your head up, you may be ready to learn how to body check.

Finally, size and age bear no relationship to each other. At the age of twelve, you may be playing against boys who are as much as 30 pounds heavier than you. Because you are built closer to the ice, you make up for this weight disadvantage with speed and the ability to maneuver. But you need a chance to develop these skills while you grow; this in itself is a good reason for restricting body checking.

In spite of what has just been stated, there are some boys who love the thump of body contact in sport. Boys who love line-play in football usually are attracted to hockey. They thrive on rugged, heavy going. If you are rugged enough to play defense in an older age bracket, are a good size, and can handle your weight well on skates, here are some things you should know about body checking:

1. As you await the attacking players at your blue line, you must decide whether you can risk body checking a player and ignoring the puck. If two attackers break against you, you cannot afford to take one of them out, for then he could slip the puck to the other, who would have a clear path to the net.

It is even risky to try to hit the puck carrier on a one-on-one break. You can try to pick off the stickhandle only if you are sure a teammate is on hand to take the puck. This is a very good rule to follow for all situations.

2. Just as you are about to hit your man, brace your self by turning your body sideways. This allows you to drive off your rear foot and use your shoulder as the hitting surface. If you try to block an oncoming player with your chest, you will be on the seat of your pants before you know it!
3. Remember, as you move to your man, that you cannot take more than two strides, or you will get a charging penalty.
4. Do not try to hit a man steaming down the boards. True, you can skate him off into the boards, but that is different. Deliberately body checking a man into the boards is dirty hockey, and only a coward does it, especially if the man has his back turned. The boards were never intended to be used for this purpose.
5. Keep your stick blade on the ice throughout the whole checking move.
6. Be ready to stop the man who tries to split the defense. This is the dangerous area of the ice for a good shot on goal. You and your partner should close the gate on any man who tries this.

It is important for you to realize that you cannot be an effective body checker until age, practice, and experience give you a good, solid basis in other skills. It is also vital for you to learn the difference between clean, solid body contact and the dirty kind that earns you boarding, high sticking, and charging penalties.

Covering Your Man

At certain times in the game, you will be called upon to cover an opposing player. This will require man-to-man defense, particularly in your defensive zone. Your job will be to prevent your opponent from receiving a pass or getting a shot on the net.

Do not make the mistake of thinking this is a job for de-fensemen only. Every forward can expect to help out around his own net at some time or other. This is simple mathematics; your opponents have three attacking forwards buzzing around, and you have only two defensemen. Somebody has to take that extra man, and it cannot be your goalie. Here are some tips on covering your man:

1. To cover the opposing forward who is in front of your net, get between him and the net, close enough so that you can actually "feel" him. Keep your stick close to his stick blade. Move when he moves, trying to keep your body against his and your stick ready to intercept the puck.
2. Do not lose sight of the puck while you cover your man. Watch what is happening to it behind the net or in a corner, glancing from time to time to keep contact with your check. If you do intercept, bang the puck quickly to the side or corner.
3. If you are a forward covering a man in your own end, get your body between the puck and an opponent who may be waiting along the boards for a pass out. Just your being there removes the chance of the pass being made. The puck carrier must then stickhandle his way out of the corner, making it easier for one of your teammates to check him.
4. In covering a man on the wing (back checking) as the attack breaks out, skate stride for stride with your check. Keep your body between him and the puck. While doing this, you must risk a glance to see where the puck is. Once you pick him up, skate with him all the way into your own end.
5. This helps your defensemen, who can forget this man and concentrate on the puck carrier outside the blue line.

Goaltending

Many hockey coaches start to build their teams around the goal tender. This is because they know that if they do not have a good goalie, they cannot have a strong team.

Other things being equal, a coach would be likely to pick you, from among others, to do this important job if you show a burning desire to keep the puck out of the net at any cost. The saying about a potentially good young goalie that "he'll stop that puck if he has to eat it" reflects the grim determination which is the chief characteristic of an outstanding goaltender.

If you have this quality, you probably also have the courage to stand the gaff you must take in this toughest of all positions in hockey. With these two qualities to build on, you are well on your way. Now let us study the mechanics of playing this key position:

Stance

1. Learn to relax when the puck is at the other end of the ice. You will need to concentrate intensely on the puck the moment it crosses the center red line.
2. All the time the puck is in your half of the rink, work from a "ready" position. Place your feet wide enough apart to keep the pads closed. Move in a small arc from one side of the net to the other as your eyes follow the puck and keep your body centered on a possible shot wherever it may come from in front of you.
3. Keep your knees slightly bent to allow you to make a sudden move with either leg.
4. Crouch forward from the waist to bring your eyes closer to the ice surface and to the puck.
5. Hold your stick just above the wide part of the shaft. Your gloved hand should have some extra padding over its back. Keep your stick blade flat on the ice and perpendicular to it. If you have it on a slant, a hard ice shot may glance up from it and hit you in the face.
6. Use a trapper (first baseman's) mitt on your catching hand if you prefer. Just be sure the mitt is legal its webbing no wider than the distance you can stretch your thumb and first finger. Your catching hand is your big weapon keep it relaxed out at your side, ready for the quick stab.
7. Wear a face mask every time you skate into the net. If you train yourself to get used to it, it will not bother you any more than a helmet bothers a football player.

Moves

1. You should understand that every goaltender has a weak and a strong side. If you hold your stick in your right hand (for some strange reason you are called a left-hander), your left is your strong side. This is because your catching hand and the blade of your stick both cover your left side. Your right side is then your weak side.

After you get the feel of where the net is behind you, you can favor your weak side slightly, giving the shooter a bit more of the open net on your strong side.

2. Use your stick to block ice shots at your feet or on your strong side. On plays from behind the net, learn to use the full length of your stick to poke check the puckcarrier or to intercept pass outs. Many boys might just as well cut off the long handles of their sticks. They never use them anyway! Do not make this mistake.

Goal sticks have stick lies ranging from number 10 to number 14. The rule is to select a lie that causes the stick blade to rest flat on the ice at your feet when you take your ready stance. Numbers 10 and 11 are for shorter players or those who work from a deeper crouch.

3. Actually start the puck forward on your stick to make it look like the real thing.
4. Your free, or catching, hand is your best single line of defense, for, with it, you can cover all shots on your strong side, except those right along the ice. You can never become a really top-flight goalkeeper until you develop a quick, sure catching hand. This may be one reason why baseball catchers.
5. Make natural goaltenders. At any rate, you can improve your hand-eye coordination and your reflexes during the off-season by catching for a ball team or by playing handball.
6. Trap chest-high shots on your chest protector, using your catching hand to assist you.
7. On your weak side, you can deflect high shots with the back of your glove on your stick hand.
8. Shots along the ice to your weak side should be played by sliding your skate quickly over to block the puck. This is usually a lightning-fast move, which calls for excellent balance.

THE GOALIE takes his "ready" stance whenever the puck is in his half of the ice. With his eyes glued on the puck, the goalie takes a slightly crouched position near the crease line. He places his stick flat on the ice in front of his feet, keeping his catching hand ready.

Playing Tips

1. In Figure 4, Gl7 G2, and G3 represent your best positions for cutting off the angles for shots taken from points A, B, and C. Your best blocking position is on the line bisecting the angles at points A, B, and C. Take your stance on the edge of the goal crease. This position will give you the best all-around coverage.

For a puckcarrier coming in from the side, practice moving out slightly from your net toward him just before he shoots. It is amazing how much open net you cut off by doing this, once you learn just how far out you can afford to go. You should ask your coach to help you with this move.

FIGURE 4 SHOWS the best positions that the goalie can take to stop shots from various shooting angles. To cover shots from point A, the goalie should stand at Gl. To cover shots from point B, the goalie should stand at G2. And finally, to cover shots from point C, he should stand at G3.

THE GOALIE slides across the net opening and jams his foot against the post, blocking an attempt to slip the puck around the post on a play from behind his net. He can use his stick to poke check the opposing player.

2. Stay on your feet as much as possible. A rule of thumb is to stay up until after you have played the third rebound. You will have to go down, of course, to smother loose pucks in a scramble or to dive feet first to stop an occasional shot. So practice scrambling back to your feet as fast as you can.
3. Get a great deal of skating practice wearing your equipment. This will help your balance and steadiness on your skates. You may find it hard to keep up with other players in their drills, so make up your own, including turns, stops, starts, and backward skating. Remember, the day of assigning the worst skater to be goalie has gone.
4. Quickly clear rebounds to behind the net or into the corners. If you catch a puck, be sure no attacker is roaring in at you before you drop it beside the net.
5. When the puck is in play behind the net, watch it over your shoulder. If it is behind you and to one side, look around the post, keeping your leg pressed against the post. If the puck is passed behind the net, quickly slide your other skate across the goalmouth, jamming your blade against the post.
6. The duel between the puck carrier and the goaltender on a breakaway was described earlier. Now, let us look at the same situation, this time seeing the goalie as "the good guy!"

A shooter has two choices: He can shoot from about 15 feet, or he can come right in to deke you out. At this point, it is a guessing game with victory going to you, the goalie, if you can wait him out. Time is on your side. He must make his move while skating at top speed.

As he approaches his best shooting position, watch the puck for a tip-off on his shot. For you, this is his more dangerous play. In a split second, you will know if he is going to try to come right in.

Wait until the last possible moment for him to show which way he is going to go around you. When you know this, throw your feet in that direction, one leg on top of the other, breaking your fall with one hand. This calls for split-second timing - a difficult but beautiful move. It is really worth working on, because the odds are against you. If you can beat a shooter on a clear break in, you give your team a tremendous lift. And you pull the rug out from under the whole opposing team.

Well, there it is - a big job which needs a big man. You do not have to be big physically, but you do have to have a "big" heart to play this spot. And as with any important job you have to do, there is a real thrill that goes with doing it well.

Tips on Defensive Play

As with offensive play, the style your team will use in defensive play has to be worked out by your coach. So no specific team patterns can be given here; you will find, however, some hints to help you play your position. Perhaps some of these will enable you to reduce the number of mistakes you make in a game, and in hockey the team making the least number of serious mistakes usually wins.

You may have made these four serious mistakes:

1. You went for a little, circling skate after a teammate was checked, instead of stopping fast and digging in to get back. It was a little easier on you to get up speed by a long circle wasn't it? But you forgot that this left a man unchecked in your own end long enough for him to receive a pass and score.
2. You passed the puck blindly from the corner in your own end. Sure, you had to hurry or be checked. And you were sure a teammate would be there, weren't you? So you did not look first or stickhandle behind your net for breathing room, and the opposing player who got the gift puck from you triggered it home. Actually, you would have been better off getting a play stoppage by holding the puck against the boards when your check came at you.
3. You failed to cover a man who was open near your net. Being a forward, you thought that he was your defenseman's man. However, your defenseman and his partner were busy covering two other opponents. Remember, there are three forwards on a line for the other team, too.
4. You started out of your own end too soon, thinking your defenseman could get a pass to you safely. However, he got bottled up by good fore checkers and was checked, while he looked in vain for you to help him out. Had you waited back near the boards, he could have used you for the short pass, the give-and-go.

Forwards sometimes forget they have any job to do in defensive play. Some of the things you as a forward should do when the other team has the puck include:

1. When you are caught behind the play as it breaks out from the other team's end, put your head down and dig hard to get back to your own end. This is disciplining your self to back check.
2. In center ice when the other team has the puck, pick up and cover any man in your zone. This means covering the wingmen and leaving the defensemen to check the puck- carrier. Do not swing into center ice to go after the man with the puck, for this leaves a man open on the wing and makes it tough on your defensemen.
3. Cover any opponent who is open to take a close in shot. Remember, when they have the puck in your end, you look for a man to check.
4. When checking a man in the corner at your own end, tie up the puckcarrier if you cannot take the puck from him. He must not be allowed to stickhandle around you to get into the open.

Defensemen, of course, carry the heavier burden of defense work in their own end. They must team up to get the best possible coverage. This means that two defensemen must know exactly what each will do in certain situations. Here are some playing tips for you as a defenseman:

1. If the play is forced into your corner, you are responsible for going in after the puck carrier. Your partner will cover the front of the net. If the puck is in the other corner, you will guard the net while he goes in.
2. Quickly clear to the corner, or to behind the net, any loose puck or rebound that the goalie leaves on his doorstep. At all costs, get the puck out of that point-blank shooting area.
3. Usually it is better to give your goalie a clear view of a long shot on the net, while you concentrate on a possible rebound. Block any close-in shots that you can get squarely in front of. Be ready to break fast with a shot blocked off your own pads.
4. When in danger of being checked around your own goal, take the puck quickly behind the net. This may give you a chance to look for a teammate open for a pass. It also gives you two ways to bring the puck out.

To be able to make the above plays, defensemen should practice frequently the following skating drills. For the first drill, stand at your defensive blue line. Back in two or three strides. Turn fast to the outside and drive hard for the corner of the rink. This is a move you must perfect in order to steer the puckcarrier to the outside. You must be fast enough to keep him from cutting in behind you.

The second drill is to move up the ice to a standing position on the attacking blue line. On a signal, turn and skate forward to the center red line. At the center red line, turn and skate backwards until you cross your own blue line. Then, turn to the outside and dig hard for the corner.

These are the basic moves for getting back fast from your point position when the other team breaks out with the puck. You should do these drills six or eight times every practice session, working for maximum speed and smooth, well-balanced turns.

FORE CHECKING is such an important part of modern hockey that you should learn to do it effectively and properly.

In fore checking, you apply these skills by going after the puck carrier in his own end of the rink. You and your line mates must work very closely together to do this well. The best method of fore checking is as follows:

1. The man nearest to the puck carrier "pounces" on him before he can make a break-out pass. If you can do this deep in the carrier's own end of the rink, you have a good chance to hem him in with the boards or the net.
2. The second forward swoops in to help out. In this way, you stay on top of the puck carrier, forcing him to get rid of the puck blindly or be checked.
3. The third man on your line covers the nearest opponent open for a pass.
4. If your first man is late and the puck carrier has started out, the first man should skate to his man by circling on him, rather than driving straight at him. If he misses, his circle carries him back for a second shot later. Meanwhile, your second man follows in right behind his teammate to do the same thing.
5. This aggressive "buzzing" of the puck carrier forces him to make mistakes that you can capitalize on.

This brings us to the end of our coverage of defensive hockey and to the end of the third period. The most important thing for you to remember from this period is that you must be a real hustler to play good defense.

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