subject: On The Bench: Game Situation . Behind Early [print this page] On The Bench: Game Situation On The Bench: Game Situation . Behind Early
There are many different situations that a coach will face during the course of a game. A coach must be prepared to read and react to the situation, quickly and effectively. Good coaches are aware of these potential situations and are prepared to deal with them. Often, the coach's decisions will help to determine the course of the game.
During a game with all the coach's responsibilities, it can be difficult to come up with the right choices. A coach should prepare for both the normal game situations, as well as the unique situations that will occur over the course of a season. Coaches who have considered and analyzed the different situations that occur will be better prepared to make high impact decisions on short notice.
OPPOSITION SCORES EARLY AND OFTEN
After initially analyzing the problems and causes, the coach must act to stem the tide and allow his team to get back into the game. First, the coach must recognize the situation. If the coach believes his team is actually better than or equal to the opposition the actions listed below are appropriate adjustments to make. If the opposition is clearly superior, it is not a lost situation, but the coach's goal is get his team playing to their potential and play the game as competitively as possible.
play out the first period more conservatively to allow your team the opportunity to regroup at the break - change the forecheck and neutral zone coverage.
try to slow down the game temporarily to get through the period - more face offs, whistles, slower changes and tighter coverage
if the lines are being matched, try to get match ups that are more favorable for your personnel.
change the rotation of the players. Instead of rolling the lines and the D pairings, allow players who are being more productive to get on the ice more. The players who are taken out of the rotation need to know why and be given the opportunity to redeem themselves. When using this tactic, the shifts should be kept short.
consider a goalie change even it isn't the goalie's fault. The move will often change the tempo of the game as well as send a message to the players. At the break, if goaltending wasn't the problem, put the goalie back in.
get your message across to your players, but stay positive. Allow your players to work out of the situation.
