It’s September 1st – which means the end of summer and the start of school are just around the corner. So right before things get ridiculously busy for all of us, I wanted to send you 1 little on-ice secret that is going to help you have a great start to your season.

SHOOTING – Making The Goalie Adjust

I mentioned this briefly when I was talking about the goals I saw scored at the U22 national team tryouts a few weeks ago and I wanted to take the time to explain it in a little more detail.

These elite players all kept their feet moving, with the puck on their forehand side (not straight out in front of them), when going in for a shot on net, but they also made a quick lateral movement right before they released the shot. I’m not just talking about a tiny little toe drag here – these shooters made a sharp 90 degree cut, with the puck, their feet, or both, right before the release of their shot.

This is NOT just about forwards – defense need to do the same thing. A quick little puck drag or taking a few quick lateral steps before the shot is enough to get the goalie to adjust, which opens up space in the net.
If you just come at the goalie straight on, they have time to square up to you and set before you release the shot.  However, when you make a quick sharp cut (or two) before you shoot, the goalie has to adjust accordingly.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to pull the puck laterally in towards your feet with a quick forehand toe drag. In this case, you don’t need to change the position of your feet much, but you still force the goalie to adjust right before you release the puck.

An even more effective way of executing this sharp cut is most easily done when coming down your off-wing (the left side if you are a right handed shot and the right side if you are a left handed shot).  While you can execute this sharp cut towards the net with the puck on either your forehand or backhand side, it is much easier to do with the puck on your forehand.

Drive hard down your off wing carrying the puck on your forehand, and right before you shoot, push the puck out slightly on your forehand side, make a sharp cut towards the middle of the ice with your feet, and then release the shot. When done effectively, this quick move forces the goalie to move across their crease slightly, which opens up both the five-hole as they slide across and the side of the net they just came from. A quick shot to the five hole or across the net back in the direction you came from will be most effective with this move.

If you want to get really fancy, you can combine the lateral toe drag into your feet on the forehand side with the quick push-out to the forehand side and  sharp cut to the middle – that forces the goalie to adjust twice and will open up even more space in the net.  We might have to save that one for the shooting and stick-handling video series though.  Try it out at your next practice and see how it forces the goalie to adjust and opens up more holes to shoot at in the net.

Good luck with the start of your season and keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG & Taking Action.

Your friend and coach,

~ Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

CEO, Total Female Hockey

Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes