USA Rink Hockey

OK, before you say anything, I know it’s not Monday morning. Also, for those that don’t live in the US, the term “Quarterback” doesn’t mean much, but in essence, the phrase “Monday Morning Quarterback” is used when evaluated a game, or in this case games, after they have been played and saying what should have been done.

To start, for those who have gone to the World Championships website and clicked into the Live Scores section, you may have already seen some of these things already. If not, you are in for a treat (could just be my opinion though) because the information that is being provided about each game is second to none. I have never imagined the stats and charts and info being made available like this before. It just brings me one step closer to being there, watching the games, without being there.

Now, on to some of the info. However, know that there is a ton more available and I’m sure it could be dissected 100 other ways. For now, I wanted to just keep it simple and see if anything could be learned before the US takes on Germany in the next match. Below are shot charts, that’s right, shot charts from each game that the US has played in thus far – both shots made and missed by the US, as well as the shots made and missed by their opponents. I will, of course, add my two cents from one to the next, hoping it’s helpful and insightful, and not ignorant and ridiculous.

Here goes:

First game versus Portugal. A couple things stand out in this chart: lack of dots (obviously, not enough green ones), very few dots inside the penalty box, not enough balance of shots from right, center, and left, and those four dots from the top (I know we are Americans and love the long shot, but looking over all the shots for all the games the US has played in, the number of missed (all) long shots adds up to +15 possessions – too many with no result). Jumping ahead to the Portuguese shot chart, I don’t see patience in ours or willingness to make one more pass to get that much closer. Now take a look at the Portuguese shot chart to see a vast difference.

Hardly any shots taken outside the penalty box. Also, see the huge number of green dots in the sweet spot for a sweep shot. It looks as if they made that extra pass, as well as we decided not to defend the most crucial area of the defensive zone. Could chalk this up to first game jitters. I hope that was the case.

In this shot chart, I see some improvement in some areas, but also some regression in others. Number of shots went up so that’s good, and the balance of shots within the penalty box is much better (would have liked to see more, but we’ll take baby steps for now). However, the number of long shots went up, which tells me the patience needed still isn’t there. Just settling for a long shot is not going to work against the best in the world. I know that in both the first two games, the scoring got out of hand (against us) but that doesn’t mean we stop working on getting better with the experience of being out there.

Again, quite the opposite is seen here from the Argentina shot chart. Granted, they took a few more longer shots than Portugal, but the balance and the number of goals scored from the sweet spot sweep shot area indicates, again, that they made the extra pass and we didn’t defend the area well. I also looks like they move the ball well across the top to get shots too. I would guess that they hit either one timers or quick catch and shoot shots from the wing just outside the penalty box based on the three green dots on the left side that are practically on top of each other. I would also guess this came from being too aggressive on the top and over playing the point man, which left the winger open from too close. Could also be a pick play coming from the opposite side and that is where the player became clear after his man was picked. If that’s it, then the communication on either switching or not was lacking.

In this game, a game that was obviously close based on the 3-2 final score, I would have expected to see our shot chart to be different, or at least better than the previous two games. Unfortunately, I don’t see that. Granted, there are more green dots (always a good thing), the balance and overall choice of shots is poor. It seems as if our romance with the long shot continues to grow. I will admit, I don’t know the scenarios in which the long shots are coming and if they provided rebound scoring opportunities, but our success to make that shot has not been there. With shooters like Moyer and Englund, I would expect that when they shot these shots, they are trying/expecting to score with them. With somebody like me shooting, I am expecting the rebound/tip scoring opportunities. That’s why I don’t think these long shots are in our best interest, but as always, I could be wrong. And again, our balance of left, center, and right isn’t there in the penalty box. If I had to guess, looking at the first game and this game, we changed who was playing cage. That may or may not be a positive thing, but regardless of who is playing cage, the shots need to be balanced from each side or it just becomes predictable. I guess my “evidence” to back this up is the shot chart for Chile.

At first glance, it appears the number of shots per team were pretty close (I don’t feel like counting so I will assume they are). The major differences are again more green dots than ours, far fewer long shots, and a balance from left, center, and right in the penalty box. In the three games that we have played so far, this has been consistent from each team we have gone against. Bottom line, the goalie has to worry about the entire floor and not just focus on one half or the other. That is a huge advantage that any goalie would gladly take.

Next, I wanted to see the shot charts from Germany’s first three games that their opponents had against them to see if there were any trends in the goals they gave up:

In this first game against France, it looks like France focused on the one side of the floor. Not sure if this was by design, by habit, or by taking what Germany gave them, but still most came from one side, that is until you got into the penalty box. In there, shots were balanced. Patience comes to mind immediately. Also what I see is the inability to score on the longer shots. I find it interesting that they took as many longer shots as they did, but regardless, the goalie for Germany seemed to be up to the challenge. Maybe that will come into play when we take the floor against them and make us thing twice before taking that shot.

Next game was against Italy. Balance, balance, balance. Again, I see balance. And I see a first. A green dot in the area of a long shot. I also see some US in this Italian team with their willingness to shot from half court. Unfortunately for them, it turned out the same as it did for us, thus far, and no green dots from that area. Second game in a row that shots from outside the penalty box seemed to favor one side. Again, is it habit, game plan, or taking what Germany gives them. Another new one is that the balance in the penalty box has actually shifted to the opposite site of the shots coming from outside the box. Hmmm, were there passes coming from the opposite side with the German team jumping the shot. Not sure, but does look like some pick plays coming from the top, the man getting free, winding up to shot, and then sending a pass back across the zone to try a sweep or one time shot.

Lastly, a game that Germany won. Definitely a game where I would like to see how they were scored on since, in theory, they were the better team. First things first, long shots, no goals from them, and not win either. Secondly, England didn’t have any balance when in the penalty box. Almost seems like another team I have been talking about. Quick review: the team with minimal long shots and balance from both outside the penalty box and inside the penalty box seems to win most of the time. I think that looking at these three games from Germany, it shows that they can be beat with an apparent proven strategy (just previously mentioned).

So, with this bit of homework/evaluation I have done, I think it’s obvious that I am eagerly awaiting this coming up game. With the day off, I’m sure the team will have good time to reflect on the last three games and the coaching staff will put together a game plan that will be effective. From there, it’s about execution and patience. A win in this game sets us up for another visit to the World A Championships. A loss here means a must win in the next game to avoid B’s. Good luck and play hard.