Whenever the puck whips around the boards toward one of the points, the defenseman near the blueline has a split-second decision to make that could determine the outcome of the game. He could pinch and possibly kick the puck back into the zone for his forwards to get another chance to attack, or he could miss and the opponents might break out for an odd-man rush the other way.
Deciding when to pinch is one of the toughest things for young defensemen to understand, so Komets coach Al Sims tries to make it easier for them in instituting strict team rules.
“Our rule is, if the puck starts on the defenseman's side, and comes up his side, he's not going to pinch,” Sims said. “We have a forward there … who pinches down so the D always pulls out on that side, but if it comes from the other corner all the way around, we pinch down on that side automatically. Other teams pinch all the time. Port Huron comes down on both sides, trying to get aggressive pressure. I just find that teams don't give up as many odd-man rushes playing with one guy pinching instead of two.”
It's an area of the game in which players have to attempt the pinch to understand their capabilities, meaning mistakes are often made, and chasing an odd-man rush down the ice is a hard way to learn. Then they have to face Sims when they return to the bench.
“They see it on video and we point out mistakes when they do it,” Sims said. “Most of the young guys get it and know now what I expect of them. They still make mistakes … but they are fewer.”
Maybe that's one reason young defensemen seem to take longer to mature and gradually improve throughout the season. Making the move to pinch becomes more of an instinct than a decision.
“At first it is a little hard to learn, but now it's just reaction,” second-year defenseman Danko Mironovic said. “Also, you have to look at the time of the game. If you are up by a couple of goals with five minutes left, you probably don't want to pinch, but if it's a tight game and you need the offense, you tend to go a little more.”
Another factor is where the opposing team's forwards are. Can they handle the outlet pass and head up ice, or are they turned back toward their goal where the defenseman can sneak in and tie them up? Can the defensemen get there the same time as the puck arrives? How fast is the puck coming up the wall?
It also depends on how fleet a skater the defenseman is. Veteran Kevin Bertram almost never pinches in even if the puck comes all the way around the boards because he doesn't want to take the chance.
“To me, it's not worth giving up an odd-man rush to keep the puck in their end,” Bertram said. “It's pretty simple.”
Conversely, veteran Guy Dupuis is regularly one of the top defensemen in Class AA minor league hockey because he can successfully pinch at almost any time, and most forwards at this level are not accustomed to the challenge.
“Guy is very aggressive and it's hard to get it out of him, but he's very smart, too,” Sims said. “He knows when to go. He has a green light over the other defensemen.” Dupuis is also excellent at knowing an opponent's tendencies and strengths. Sometimes being hyper-aggressive can get him into trouble, but it mostly works to the Komets' advantage.
“Before I go, I always take a peek to make sure one of our forwards is up high to cover for me,” Dupuis said. “It definitely becomes more of an instinct the more you do it, but sometimes you get caught up in the moment and you think there's somebody back there. You assume and you might keep your guy tied up, but maybe the third guy was not high. That's when you can get in trouble.”
