Game day!

Waking up
After hitting the snooze button a few times the hardest part of the game day preparation has to be waking up. Players and coaches wake up early to get mentally and physically focused for the game. Players play each game as it was there last never knowing what could happen. It’s important to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep the night before a game so your body is rested for all the exercise you’ll be doing. The more rest the more energy you’ll have for the game and if you have a late night game try and get a nice nap in about 5-6 hours before game time.

Food
Many people have different ideas about what they should eat the day of a game. My suggestion is you have 2 big meals with a few snacks between. The first meal is breakfast; you should have a complete breakfast that includes eggs, bacon/sausage, pancakes, toast and orange juice/apple juice/ water. For snacks threw out the day, have fruits like apples bananas or strawberries. Have about 3 or 4 snacks depending on how hungry you are. Dinner is the most important part before going to the rink. The best food to have would be pasta with some chicken so you have carbs and protein. Threw out the day you should also drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.

Arriving to the rink
Arrive at the rink at least one hour before game time. It’s important to be there early to be with your teammates and get ready for the game. Don’t go running around the rink, or looking for people you might know. Stay in the room until the coach tells you other wise to make him happy. Play some music something that will get you pumped as a team or individually. If you're in your home rink, find out if you can have music played during the game.

Stretch
Stretching is a must before games. Most teams have their own routine before a game to go out together for a run then stretch. It’s important to stretch all the muscles in your body especially your legs, arms, back and joints such as knees and ankles. Always count to twenty for each stretch so each muscle gets equal time. Extra exercises can also be jumping rope, jumping jacks, sprints, stairs and high knees. Stretch about 45 minutes before your game then if your game starts early, you won’t be in a rush to get dress. Remember that if you go on the ice and start skating and playing really hard with out being lose, you have a chance to pull muscles.

Getting dressed
Get dressed at your pace, take your time no need to rush, sit beside your friend, talk and focus about the game. Make sure you have all your equipment so that there is less of a chance of getting injured. People have superstitions about how they get dressed like tying there left skate before the right one or taping the stick each game, small things like that that make them play better. I’ve known people who have to listen to music or they have to sharpen there skates before each game or they think in there head they will play bad.

On ice warm up
The on ice warm up is for everyone on the team. Normally before a game, the referee gives you 5 minutes to warm up and during that time you skate around and shoot pucks for the goalies to get in game mode. Most teams have a set warm up and they pretty much look the same. It’s mostly that players skate a few laps around there zone followed by the defence and forwards splitting up to shoot pucks. The forwards go in a corner and come around and shoot then the defences stand at the blue line and shoot on net. After a few times, everyone just skates around and shoots on net. The warm up is followed by the teams cheer and shaking hands before the game.

Game time
All the work is about to be put to the test, the puck drops and the game is on its way. Games are 3 periods long and they are 15 minutes a piece. You won’t be on the whole time, but when you are out there you give it all you got. Each pass, each hit, and each shoot matters. Games can have its ups and downs but as a member of a team, you have to rely on everyone to have each others backs. It’s a fast moving game so don’t under mind your opponents because on any given day anyone can win if they have the heart.

Things can happen
Hockey has to be one of the most unpredictable games in the world to play. You can not have set plays and have a game all set out before you go on the ice. Reality is that things happen and people can get hurt. You can’t avoid things that you aren’t expecting such as injuries. Things so little as a slap shot from the point can turn into a life or death situation in a matter of minutes.

Family
As a year goes on, team mates begin to look after each other and become closer and closer. That kind of friendship will last forever and it will take you a long way threw out the season. If the team gets along together, they will have great success threw out the season and post-season. A good way for teammates to come together is by team bonding such as injuries, parties and team outings. They will not just become one team, but also one family but not letting someone be left behind.

The reward
Playing together as a team and not as individuals has taken the Ajax Knights Midget AE team a long way this year. With a total of 4 tournament wins including the International Silver Sick has proven that anything can happen in one year. Back in September, the team was picked after many people tried out. The team has never played together before and they have an impressive record to date of 55 win, 3 losses and 3 ties. They are currently in the semi finals of the all Ontario playoffs and they are favored to win it all.