Often, kids start out in hockey wanting to be forwards, and
as coaches, we sometimes need to convince them that they’d excel on defense.
This week’s captain, however, seemed to know she was meant for defense from the
moment she first stepped on the ice.
You won’t find anyone who understands board angles better
than Elise T—when she gets the puck in the defensive zone, like clockwork, she
moves it out of danger! At the pro level, defensive D are often undervalued,
but ask any coach—no team can succeed without them! ...
For better or worse, Elise T. has to deal with her father both at home and at the rink. It’s been a lot of fun watching her grow up in the game. I feel for past generations of girls who, due to the lack of women’s hockey, were forced to play lesser sports! Luckily, times have changed—girls’ hockey is here, and it’s awesome!
In her pre-game speech, Elise talked about defensive zone coverage, and working hard every shift. Definitely two things we need to do to have a great game!
We had a challenging weekend, where the puck just didn’t bounce our way. What’s great about these girls is that they know hockey is just a game—we give our best every shift and never judge our performance by the scoreboard!
—Coach James