November 18, 2011
Posted in BC Edition, Minor
By / Graham Perkins /
It’s not often you hear a coach praising a referee, but Peewee A3 head coach Marko Segovic has seen enough inconsistency in the way the new head shot rule has been called that he wanted to single out one of the officials from a preseason game in Cloverdale that let the players know the standard early and stuck to it.
“It’s tough, because you get a guy that’s six-feet tall up against a kid whose five-feet tall, and with a normal hit you get him in the head and you’re down for four minutes,” he lamented. “That happens two-three times in a 60-minute game and you’re screwed, but this was a younger guy and he was fantastic.”
The squad finished 4-4 in tiering and will remain in Tier 3 for the regular season. Segovic saw a lot of improvement out of his group in October and hopes they carry the lessons forward through the winter.
“It’s a work in progress, and there are little things we need to work on like accountability in the defensive zone and the ability to adapt to different systems at different points in the game, but the kids are responding,” he said.
One of the biggest areas of emphasis is just understanding how the play is developing and making smart decisions with and without the puck. Natural talent is always welcome, but often times a player can rely too heavily on their speed or skill and get lost when they don’t have the puck.
“It’s a thinking game, and the kids that do the best are the ones that can think a play before it happens. I’m trying to get them to read plays to give themselves better maneuverability.”
Players like Ethan Riley, Ryan Riggs, Liam Ryan and Jackson Lepp have been early standouts for the club.
The A2 team will be in the top tier, and have their first game against Abbotsford on Monday.
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