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University of Massachusets Athletics
Inside The Glass With Troy Power
November 19, 2014 | Hockey
This past week our team entered a bye week. While some might think this is a week off, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Although we did not compete against another opponent, we battled it out against each other in four out of the five practices we had as a team.
We started off the week with a skills practice on Monday that consisted of unique shooting, skating, passing and footwork drills. Days like this do not come around in which individual skills are broken down into smaller segments with a lower pace in the drills. These type of drills are typically done when guys choose to put in extra time around the rink away from our normal practices, but it was nice have everyone on the ice honing our individual skill sets together. Overall, it was a good start and got our legs going for the rest of the week.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were all battle days that consisted of competition between the two jersey colors, Maroon and White. These "mini-game" style practices consisted of a very high tempo with physicality and skill occurring simultaneously. With the exception of the first warm up flow drill, all goals were counted up and a winner was crowned at the end of the day. Some drills we in very tight areas with an emphasis on puck protection and physicality while others used every inch of the Olympic-sized practice arena that keyed on moving pucks quickly and playing with pace. These are the days that are the hardest, but can be the most beneficial if done correctly. Looking back on the battle segment of the week, I can definitely say we brought energy and got better.
On Friday we strayed away from our usual mid-week practice time of 3:00 p.m. and decided to have practice at 6:15 a.m. I would be lying if I said that the 5 a.m. wake up call didn't come fast, but it felt good to start our day off on the right foot and get our work done early. Our team as a whole did a great job bringing energy and enthusiasm to the rink, which in my opinion are two huge components to a successful early morning skate.
Overall, I couldn't be happier with the way our team competed day in and day out. It can be easy to stray from the path when you have a week with no games on the schedule, but I felt we took full advantage and flat out improved as a team. That is going to be huge for us moving forward as we enter a stretch of five games in eight days this next week. First up on deck are two home games Friday and Saturday night against Boston College and Vermont, followed by an away game at Vermont on Tuesday. With Thanksgiving on Thursday, we won't have too much time to stuff of faces with Turkey as we travel to Quinnipiac on Friday and host them at the Mullins Center on Saturday. It will be a busy next week, but we are looking forward to the challenge.
On a personal note, I'll be fortunate enough to have family in town for our two home games this weekend against BC and Vermont. My mother Rhonda, father Tom, and brother Chad will be making the trek from California and I couldn't be more excited. This will be my father and brother's first time out to Amherst and I would love nothing more than to get their trip started with a big win on Friday night against Boston College. Hope to see you all at the Mullins Center at 7 p.m.! Go UMass!
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