Hello PSAA hockey families,
As you’ve no doubt recognized, all ice surfaces have been removed, requiring adaptation to our hockey programming.
In years past the Tri-Leisure Centre kept one ice surface open until the end of the school year. Unfortunately this year, due to the condensor having to be replaced, they have removed the ice.
In the meantime, we have adapted our programming for sport-specific training days. We will be doing a mix of cross-training and ball hockey. From a cross-training perspective, Lacrosse is a great fit as it mimics hockey in a few important ways. Both are invasion games that require movement, spacing and passing to create great scoring chances. Transferable skills include hand-eye coordination and movement/spacing concepts.
From a ball hockey perspective the students are still working on many hockey specific skills. The coaching emphasis is going to be on hockey IQ and improving understanding of tactical play, just as team Canada did in 2013 leading up to the Olympics in Sochi.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Regards,
Parkland Hockey Group