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Friday, December 12, 2003
Pirates put ice time to good use
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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Up from the ice rose a voice, loud and clear. "It's power per push. No cheating. First line. Go." The whistle blew and off went a line of Portland Pirates, one skate pointing forward, the other foot balancing behind in the air, like toy statuettes on a miniature rink, all the way across the chewed up surface at Portland Ice Arena. The voice did not belong to Coach Tim Army. It was Wendy Marco, a former competitive figure skater, who spent two days this week teaching power-skating technique to the Pirates. Marco, a skating specialist based in Washington, D.C., works with youth hockey teams from September to April, then junior, college and pro prospects during the summer. She and her husband drove up the coast through the snowstorm for a two-day clinic with the Pirates on Monday and Tuesday. "It was worth it. These guys were great," said Marco. "I expected more resistance but they were engaged, they tried hard, they asked good questions. They really wanted to know how they could improve. They hadn't been given this information before." Army brought in Marco as part of his philosophy on the importance of hockey-specific training. He thought Marco could help all of his players, but particularly his defensemen and a handful of forwards who could use something extra to elevate their game. "Some are natural skaters, but a few guys would benefit from even more individualized training," said Army. "Guys like (Graham) Mink. If he could improve his skating, rolling off guys in the corner, his speed through the neutral zone, maybe it's the next step for him. And all of our defensemen, it could be a benefit to those guys." Army met Marco five years ago when he was still an assistant for the Washington Capitals, Portland's parent club. Marco, who left television reporting to coach skating full time, was trying to get her foot in the door of pro hockey. A few years later Army ran into Marco again at a banquet for the Little Capitals, a Washington-area youth hockey program that had helped Army's two sons improve their skating. "I really liked what she did with my boys," said Army. "We have younger guys who are doing anything to try and get better . . . The guys were receptive. It works better at this level." Army plans to bring Marco back for another few days in February. Her focus on this trip was balance and edge control. "Basically how to increase their tempo on the fly, how to change gears," said Marco. "These guys make five pushes per second. That's fast. It takes massive skill." Some players were skeptical of the training at first, said defenseman Mike Pudlick. But by the end of the two days, he said, everyone had learned something. "It's so hard to change your form by this time in your career," said Pudlick. "But it was very informative. It gave us some good stuff to work on." It was hard work, said Pudlick, but there was a light mood in the air for the Pirates, who are in the middle of a seven-game winless streak as they face three road games this weekend. "This was a great time for it," said Army. "It's something different. And that's two days they didn't have to hear me. Gives them a break, and me a break." Staff Writer Jenn Menendez can be contacted at 791-6426 or at:
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