During the game it is very common for the puck to end up at the wall. Therefore it is important for players to know how to handle the puck at the wall. There are many different methods of playing at the wall, but there are two techniques that players of all levels can use.
Protecting the puck:
Protecting the puck is much easier on the wall as opponents cannot approach the player form the wall side. To effectively protect the puck, players should curl towards the wall, putting their torso towards the middle of the pool. This puts the puck between the player’s torso and the wall, making it extremely difficult for opponents to reach the puck.
Advancing along the wall:
The easiest method of advancing the puck along the wall is to flick the puck between the opponent and the wall to a teammate. This is not always an option if the opponent is pressed against the wall. If this is the case, it is a good time to look for teammates that are off the wall and pass to them. They may have more options to advance the puck from a spot a few feet away from the wall. The player can also swim the puck forward and battle the puck past the opponent on the wall. If the player’s playing hand is on the same side as the wall, they must be extremely careful to not glove the puck, as this is illegal advancement of the puck. The best way to avoid gloving is to flip the stick over so that the palm is facing upwards and the stick is pointing towards the wall. When playing on either wall it is important for players to have their shoulder pressed against the wall. This gives that player a strong body position and prevents the opponents from passing the puck past them.
When playing at the wall, be careful to not grab the wall to keep body position as this is a foul.
Demo video coming soon!
Either option can be used when the play reaches the wall. If the team has a lot of momentum and the forward is down, it is better to flick the puck forward and keep the momentum going. If the rest of the team is not on the wall with the player with the puck, it may be better for that player to curl and protect the puck, giving the rest of their team some time to reorganize and prepare for another push.
Be wary of simply pushing the puck straight up the wall. There are certainly times when this is really effective, but it can end up bing a lot of work for very little progress. If there is a forward, this kind of battle just needs to get the puck on the other side of the opponents stick so that the forward can grab the puck in a back-pick. If there is no forward, this kind of battle can easily result in the opponent taking the puck and curling it off the wall.
https://youtu.be/azT0YnmXvak?t=899 → Kim (#2)
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PLAYING AT THE WALL
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