I must have been dreaming the other night, because I kept getting pinched. Only it was more like a nightmare because I got outplayed. As a right winger, my main defensive responsibility includes guarding the point man. The point man I attempted to guard was quick, or at least quicker than me. He knew how and when to pinch. I admit, I didn’t do a great job and stopping him.
When digging it out of the corners the other team sometimes lobbed it back up to the point. While my opponent charged the puck like a bull, I treated the puck like a package ordered from Amazon. I just sat there and waited for it to arrive. Lesson learned: Keep my feet moving and don’t let the puck come to me. Go after it. Also, there were times when the point man rushed the middle, looking for a slot pass. In those cases–when shadowing him wasn’t a realistic possibility–I should have yelled “Cover slot!” to warn my linemates of the impending danger.
Despite a rough start, it wasn’t a bad game. We won 3-1. I had a breakout goal late into the 3rd to seal the deal. Thumbnail image by Chris Betcher.
Tags: diaries, positioning