You might think I’m breaking a cardinal rule—why would you
ever make your goalie the last team captain? This season, we’ve been selecting
captains by age cohort, starting with our 2012 players, followed by our 2013
group. But this week’s captain, Avery B., isn’t part of either. She’s a U11
player stepping up to compete with our U13 team!
She may be younger than everyone on the ice, but you’d never
know it from the way she plays. My only concern now? We might lose her to rep
hockey next season!...
Being a goalie is often a thankless job—when you make a great save, not enough people notice, but when a puck finds the back of the net, everyone does. That’s why every goalie I’ve coached has been fiercely competitive, and Avery is no exception. She’s determined to keep that puck out at all costs and has become one of the most focused players on the team. Another key characteristic of goalies is that they need to be confident, and sometimes, loud. Avery now has no problem letting her teammates know when she’s being screened, or the other team has a girl open in front. It’s not an easy position, but she’s got the mentality for it, and her future in the game looks bright.
Before the game, Avery used her captain’s speech to remind the team of a key defensive rule: when a defender pinches in the offensive zone, a forward needs to drop back to cover. She also emphasized the importance of playing as a team—and the group responded in full force. I saw a lot of red faces after the game; with just two lines for the first time this season, they left it all on the ice. Well done everyone!
Only a few weeks left—let’s keep pushing ourselves and finish this season strong!
—Coach James