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EHL Update November 22nd

EHL Update November 22nd

Another fun Sunday of hockey is behind us!

Old Fockers was worried about their short bench, but their puck handling skills dominated the play as they beat Crystal Fieldhouse 7 – 2. The rosters are not frozen until January 3rd, so there is still time for Crystal to reorganize a bit.

Long standing rivalry between MoJoes and Ergomatic Products wasn’t a disappointment.  I know that MoJoes wanted the win badly. It was  a rare occasion to have a full bench for Ergomatic and the battle ended in a tie. With our revised By-Laws which you can read here, we now run a three man shootout. Mike held strong in net for Ergomatic Products and won the game, nice job Mike!

Note To All Players

Just a quick reminder to everyone. This is a recreational league. Just for fun. Don’t whack at the guy because his is skating away with the puck, keep your stick down. Don’t wack at the goalie when he gloves it, you will get a negative response. So play hard. Skate hard. Just don’t be a hack.

Photos

You might have noticed that photos were taken of the games. The camera is a hand me down and the photographers are not trained, so don’t expect too much! But scroll down for the action shots from Sunday. If anyone knows of a volunteer to take photos of the games, send them my way.

Reminders

Final payments are due from players. Get your money in. You can use the website to make payments if you need to. Talk to your team rep if you are uncertain about your payment status.

The Turkey Cup has been canceled do to lack of interest. We made a lame attempt to pull this off, way too late. Regular game schedule on Sunday.

EHL patches are in, so you can show off the league colors on your favorite hoodie or sweatshirt. We have t-shirts available also for EHL & Gear.Beer. Check them out in the shop.

I run a Friday night skate from 7:30 – 9pm, but it is getting maxed out. If you are interested in the opportunity to skate on Friday night, fill out the form to let me know. This is a fast paced, fun skate.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I do appreciate you! Thanks for joining the league. With your help we will build a cool recreational hockey league!

Dave

Find the photos on our Facebook page for EHL or click the links below.

Old Fockers vs Crystal Fieldhouse photos

Ergomatic vs MoJoes photos

EHL Update November 22nd

EHL Update November 18th

The ninth game of the season is fast approaching.

Remember that game times are now 11:30 am and 12:45 pm.

Payments must be in by December 10th. All those paid in full will be eligible for the $50 Hop & Barley Prize.

Top point leaders so far to earn The Guzzler $50 prize are Brian Savard, Matthew Day, Bob Gidcum, Jason Taylor, Joey Cozart, Dwayne Gidcumb, your humble league commissioner is in seventh! I do edit the score sheets upon email request to dave@gears.beer – with legitimate requests! Lots of hockey left, so that is sure to change.

There is a tough contest for the St. Paulie Girl prize! Only 50 penalty minutes in the league so far! Nice job guys! I’m out of the running on that one – but it wasn’t my fault! Remember, $50 goes to the player with the least penalty minutes. A drawing of those tied will be held for the $50 prize.

EHL jackets, patches and shirts are in, as well as some cool Gears.Beer shirts. Sue will be out front to collect payments and sell shirts and patches. Great Christmas gifts!

The rink and I made an attempt to put together a 2015 Turkey Cup tournament. I have some interest, but not enough to pull this off at this point. Expect your regular game schedule to be in place for next Sunday. Here is the info on the tournament. http://gears.beer/product/2015-turkey-cup/

Polar Palace is working on a 35 + league and the deadline is this Friday. If that falls apart and the teams want to play here, then we will be game on.

Thanks for playing in the EHL!

See ya Sunday!

Dave

EHL Update November 22nd

EHL Updates for November 11th

First off, thank you to all Veterans!

We are privileged to be able to do battle on the ice! We owe our freedom to a strong military.

Now onto the big upcoming rifle event!

Opening day is Sunday, so games were not scheduled.

SUNDAY ICE TIME 1-2:30 pm

Many asked about renting the ice, so I have it book for 1pm – 2:30 pm. That gives you time to bag your buck and make it to the rink. I use a service called Whoozin to organize these drop in skates and I’m testing a feature that has never been tested by me before. You can get a little price break by prepaying. No big deal if you don’t want to go that path, just call or text me at 810-471-7767 and I’ll put you on the list. Cost is $20 and I’ll buy you a beer. Please let me know if you plan to skate. I try to keep the benches full, but not overflowing!

Thanksgiving Is Coming! Interested in making it a total hockey weekend?

2015 Turkey Cup

Your family will forgive you, grab a spot or put together a team. We are running a 25 and older hockey tournament at Crystal Fieldhouse. Only $50 per player. Guaranteed three games. First game will be Friday night, then two on Saturday and finals on Sunday. If we can get the EHL teams on board, we can push our Sunday games to the end of the season and just play the tournament.

I know this is a busy time for many, but there are a number of guys who asked me about other tournaments for that weekend. The rink asked me to help them set this up and I figured we could make it a fun weekend. There are prizes involved, and bragging rights. So talk to your team mates and let me know if you in. Individuals can register here and I’ll put together teams.

Here is the link to register: CLICK HERE

EHL Reminders

Let me know if there are edits to be made in score sheets. You can find the score sheets through Hockey Community. https://hockey-community.com/league/gearsbeer

We are doing great with the extra time and stop time periods! This should be the last change for the season I hope! With this format, we are still under the Polar Palace pricing, and we have prize money.

Shirts and jackets will be at the rink again for our next game.

A hockey banquet will be held. I’m working on some plans. More to come on that at a later date, enough going on for now.

Keep your stick on the ice,

Dave

 

Seven Ways to Strengthen Your Shot

USA Hockey sent this article out. I thought we could all use this advice! I’ve seen us play!
Well, there are a few guys out there with strong shots of course.
You can read the article on their site here.

Dave

Seven Ways to Strengthen Your Shot
11/10/2015, 1:45pm MST

By Michael Rand

Shooting a hockey puck well is, in some ways, a natural skill. Some players just seem to have an innate sense of the balance, timing and strength needed to bury the biscuit.

But for many others, shooting a puck is an acquired skill achieved through the relentless trial and error of practice. Sending puck after puck into an empty net, though, is only part of the battle.

For those truly determined to improve their shot, strength training can be a key component of the process. Here are some of the reasons why hitting the gym is a good idea – as well as some specific things you can do to hopefully add shot power and quickness to your game.

In speaking with Doug Crashley, who develops elite hockey players at Crash Conditioning, as well as Sean Cromarty, a former NCAA Division I player at Colorado College who now owns Competitive Advantage Training, some common themes emerged.

Both emphasized rotational exercises as the key to gaining the kind of strength and movements necessary for a good shot.

“Having strong forearms and wrists help, but it’s more like a bow and arrow with the way these sticks are made,” Cromarty says.

Crashley says he always works from the legs up for a simple reason.

“We’re seeing players trained to shoot now by having balance on their front leg,” he says. “Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, it was a different shot.”

Here are the exercises they advise:

Single-Leg Squats

“This is 100 percent one of the best exercises,” Crashley says. “That aids with stability. To be able to squat on both legs and be able to take a force and stop it from moving the body is one of the first things I’d want to do.”

Pairs Stability Work

Another way to achieve that desired lower body stability, Crashley says, is to work with a partner. One person gets into what he calls a “loaded, athletically ready position” and tries to hold that position while his or her partner works to nudge them off-balance. “Do this so you don’t lose power when you make contact with a shot,” Crashley says. “You want to have stability in that position.”

Medicine Ball Throws

Both Crashley and Cromarty mentioned medicine ball throws as a great way to build strength that aids shooting.

“I’m big on ballistic motions where you’re torqueing violently,” Cromarty says, which is exactly what happens when the body is loading up to unleash a shot.

High-Low Chops

This is exactly what it sounds like: an exercise that essentially simulates a chopping motion, usually with a cable or rope. This is a great core exercise, Crashley says, particularly in a split-leg position. And a strong core is a key to a good shot.

Pallof Press

This exercise, named for a physical therapist from the Boston area named John Pallof who is credited with developing it, is also a great core exercise. Crashley describes it as, “resisting a cable as you’re pulling it across your body.” For a demonstration, click here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g921oqINXFQ

Landmine Rows

For more of the explosive motions that work on rotational strength, Cromarty suggests landmine rows, which involve attaching a weight to a special apparatus. Here is a good example of the device and the movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRiTREXb_uo

Pull-Ups

Good old-fashioned pull-ups are still quite effective in improving strength in the back and torso.

“If you have a big back, you’re going to be able to shoot the puck hard, and these guys who can really lean in and shoot the puck are thick through the torso,” Cromarty says.

The Big Picture

You’ll notice that many different body areas are worked in the various exercises both trainers recommend. That’s by design, as a good shot is a complex set of movements dependent on several different muscle groups.

“It’s important to have wrists and arms, but it’s just as important to have shoulders, hips and stabilizers,” Crashley says. “I think the idea of any of these movements is it’s not just small muscle groupings but a set of movements throughout the body sequencing at the right time and being strong enough not to lose energy.”

2015 Turkey Cup

2015 Turkey Cup

Work off your Thanksgiving Turkey by playing the Turkey Cup!

Put together a team or register as a player. Either way, you are in for some hockey!

WHO: 25 & Older

WHAT: Ice Hockey Tournament 3 Games Guaranteed!

WHERE: Crystal Fieldhouse

WHEN: Friday 11/27; Saturday 11/28 with finals Sunday 11/29

COST: $50 Per Player

No WHY? If you have to ask why, then your not a player!

Call Dave @ 810-471-7767 or register with online here.

Click the image below to lock in your spot!

EHL Update November 22nd

EHL Schedule Changes

EHL Board Meets To Revise Game Time

Getting two games completed from noon to 2 pm proved to be a challenge at times. Thank you for being patient as we experimented with a number of different period times, both run time and stop time. Just as I was advised by another league Punch Kick Hockey, who were mentored by a long running Royal Oak hockey league, stop time is better. They  run three 11 minute stop time periods within a 50 minute game. But after trying that and 15 minute run time, we decided that a little more time to run the games would be best. The rink has been great with us when negotiating for ice time. They came through again and we were able to purchase a half hour more for only $50 per week. That works out to just $225 per team for the remaining weeks, including playoffs. There will be two playoff games for everyone now. First round will be March 13th and the final round March 20th.

So, game times are moved up. The first game will start at 11:30 am on Sunday and the second game at 12:45 pm. We still wrap up at 2 pm. We plan to run three 12 minute stop time periods and will now have a three round shootout in case of a tie. If tied after three players shoot on each team, then it is a tie.

One other schedule change. The games on January 24th have been moved to March 13th do to a major event that the rink booked on 1/24/16. That pushes our playoffs to 3/20 & 3/27. I promised one playoff game, and you get two! The good news is that we will have the season complete by the end of March. I still want to do a banquet, more on that later.

We have had a lot of fun. The play has been competitive and fairly even. Crystal Fieldhouse team should be commended for getting a team put together! We have until January 10th to add to rosters. There is a lot of good hockey left in the season. Keep playing a clean game. Let’s not get hurt!

EHL T-Shirts will be available for sale at the registration table this week, along with some Gears Beer shirts. The Gears Beer are grey shirts with black logo, only $10 each, $15 for XXL. The EHL shirts are black with four color logo sold for $15 each or $20 for XXL.

Please contact Dave if you have any edits to the score sheets. Remember that we have prize money riding on it!

Plus, it is time to make final payments to skate.

Here are our prizes as a reminder:

The Hop & Barley Prize
A contest of all fully registered and fully paid players will be held on December 13th.  Team reps will provide a list of the fully paid players if the team fee isn’t fully paid at that time. A deck of cards will be set up at a registration table. Eligible players will draw a card, high card wins $50. Rank is Hearts, Spades, Diamonds then Clubs.

The St Paulie Girl Prize
$50 Prize to player with lowest number of penalties. We will draw cards if a tie.

The Guzzler Prize
$50 to the player with the most points at the end of the season.

The Stanley Pint Prize
Custom championship beer pint glasses will be awarded to each player on the winning team. With a case of beer!