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3.6.00
BACK AT THE HOME RINK
Las Vegas -- There's no coffee like rink coffee. Black and strong. Stir in the sugar, add the creamer and .....
"Excuse
me, sir. When is Eddie coming home. I mean, here, at Crystal Palace. His old team....needs some help."
I looked down and he was maybe eight or nine and was working on one of those king-sized Milky Ways.
"Pretty soon, probably in late May," I answered.
"Good,"
he said, "because that's when the big tournaments kick in. His old team hasn't done too well, you know."
For years Eddie's old roller teams thundered in rinks throughout the Western region and many times, brought home gold medals. There was a historic game in Vancouver. Al Tamura was the coach. Las Vegas against the Orange County Blades. Eddie scored five times and it was 6-6 late.....then we lost by a couple in a
heart-wrencher.
Go over to the
rink, take a look at the eastern wall, where all the awards are hammered in. Team photos and plaques and 8 x 10 pictures of scoring heroes.
It was
Eddie, Eddie Lewis, Andrew Leggiero, Travis Hackney, Adam Tamura and a cast of others who played their hearts out.
Now, pieces of the heart are scattered about. Eddie is in Vail, Colorado, taking aim at elite goalies who are guarded by hard-checking defensemen. Eddie Lewis' speed skates are on idle in New Mexico. Andrew Leggiero is somewhere in upstate New York. Danny Fitch and Jason Allen are on the sideline, for the time being.
Can
the fire be re-lit on this 13-14 year old team? No one knows for sure. Eddie will be home in late May and will work out with the club. Eddie Lewis may come in for the big tournament games. Travis Hackney, who has been in as many big games as anyone, is still out there wearing #43. Adam Tamura is a tricky passer who skates as hard as he can.
"It's
a very young team," one of the Moms said. "We're getting better, but we are taking on very experienced teams on the road."
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Meanwhile, thanks to
one and all for all of the 'hits' on Eddie's web page. Yes, we do get e-mails. Let's get to them....
When you
are coaching roller hockey, what exactly are you looking for during a game? I usually ask players on the bench to help look for line changes, to look for certain players who may be on the floor and to look for any weaknesses in the goalie for the other team.
So what makes a good coach? A good coach remains calm in the heat of the game, in the face of adversity. For example, when there is hardly any time left, we're down by a goal, to remain calm, encourage your players, have some plays in mind.
OK, you are down by a goal with 30 seconds left. What's the first thing you do?
Do what Scotty Bowman suggests: Put your absolute best players on the floor and go for it.
If you
had to pick one Las Vegas skater to be on the floor with the game on the line, who is it? Micah Sanford, who holds all the scoring records at Crystal Palace, is the best I have ever seen in the last seconds of any game.
In ice
or roller, what is the secret of working the power play? To be patient, move the puck initially in the perimeter, then strike quickly. Passes should be strong, right onto the blade before attacking the net. The key is stay in control at all times. If the puck is banged out, go get it and regroup.
I
have a team which is struggling, not scoring. What do you suggest? Go to the basics -- at practice, take the forwards to the net.Tell them, even in warmups, to shoot low inside either corner or go for the five-hole. Take more shots in the game. Against a hot goalie, work the puck closer, get the goalie moving. In roller, once the goalie moves one direction, it is very difficult for him to reverse.
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Finally, congratulations
to Travis Hackney and his Team Las Vegas ice team which won the Bantam B tournament title, beating San Diego in the finals. That was a solid San Diego team, which was loaded with skilled players.
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