These days, Sabby's clinic is the only real chance I get week to week to get out on the ice. It's a good thing I've been able to go every week, but I hope I can go to at least one stick time or skating session soon.
My slap shot is pitiful. I think I might consider prioritizing flex on the next hockey stick I buy because 85 may be too stiff for me. I also could work on my technique because I think that could use some work. But holy wow, my slap shot is pitiful.
Today was a good session. I started off strong, doing everything right (except scoring when I took my shot) and at my highest pace in the first drill, and I took it from there. There were some minor pacing issues the later we went on, but overall, I'm getting better at making passes, targeting my passes so my teammates get it in stride, and catching passes myself.
Last week was an absolute trainwreck, but even if it was super easy to have a better week than last week, I still will mention that I had a much better session than last week. I feel like my competence in executing drills was up, and my execution during the scrimmage was up as well. I was on the ice for a goal against where I feel like I was screening my own goalie, but he didn't say anything to me. But every pass attempt kept the puck moving toward our opponent's net, and I even led the rush a time or two.
I'm still pretty clueless about how to manage the puck in the offensive half of the ice. I know when I have the puck across the red line, I'm going to make sure we're onside before carrying the puck in. But there was a particular zone entry where I could have tried to beat a guy wide and instead just dumped the puck. I don't think he was lining me up for a hit (it's a clinic scrimmage in the middle of the day for crying out loud), but I guess I was still worried about turning the puck over at the blue line and just wanted to get the puck away from our end.
I think my whole muddled disposition with trying to describe that sequence is a sign I need to slow my game down a bit. There is a point where thinking gets you into trouble because a sport like hockey moves way too fast for anybody to really do any thinking. But still, maybe I could have taken the puck and driven into the zone and pulled up to buy a second a or two to make a more intelligent play with it rather than just throw it behind the opponent's goal line. I wasn't really thinking much of anything when I dumped the puck in. I just saw a guy closing in on me near the boards, and . . . I don't know. There was once sequence where I threw a pass that ended up trickling toward the goalie because I missed my target, but at least I was trying to make a play which didn't work out. That dump in bothers me considering I'm trying to get better by learning how to make plays with the puck. It wasn't like I was even trying to get off the ice for a line change either.
There was another moment during the scrimmage where I definitely felt the effects of leg fatigue. I was on the right wing boards and our defenseman had the puck and was carrying it and looking for a way to get out. He saw me up ice, and the two of us saw the open ice in the middle (wide open) that I needed to skate to. My brain was telling me "skate to open ice!" My left leg was not cooperating. I wasn't injured, but my left quad was just so worn out from all the pushes of skating and stopping for the previous 85 minutes, it took longer than it should have for me to get into space. He fired the pass and there was still a chance I could have corralled it cleanly and gone in for a rush, but I think that split-second delay because of my leg threw the timing off. I really need to get out on the ice more than once a week. I could do certain leg exercises, but there's nothing better to exercise my hockey skating than . . . well, more hard skating.
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