Man-up Mission: Power Play

with Blaise MacDonald,
Colby College Head Coach;
2018 American Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Coach of the Year;
2018 NCAA DIII Frozen Four;
2018 New England Small College Athletic Conference champions;
former head coach at Umass-Lowell and Niagara University;
over 300 career wins

Coach MacDonald has over 30 years of coaching experience at the DI and DIII levels. He was the first head coach in program history at Niagara. Within four years of founding the program at Niagara, MacDonald was named ECAC West Co-Coach of the Year and led the Purple Eagles to the NCAA quarterfinal round. He was named College Hockey America's Coach of the Year, and was voted runner-up for the Spencer Penrose Award as National Coach of the Year. He has won National Titles as an assistant coach (Boston University) and a player (twice at Rochester Institute of Technology). An All-American Defenseman at RIT, Coach McDonald has recruited and coached over 30 NHL players.

When successfully executed, the power play can create an emotional lift for your team and an emotional energy drain for your opposition.

Blaise MacDonald begins with an overview of power play strategies at each level of the game. He discusses how the power play becomes more of a factor in games as players advance in level.

MacDonald presents seven key technical and tactical ingredients for creating the best possible line up for your successful Man-Up Mission. Included in these key ingredients are helpful considerations on how to select the players that have the best technical and mental attributes for being on a power play unit.

Next, MacDonald presents a detailed overview of the technical skill set of the Man-Up Mission, followed by an on-ice demonstration of the tactical element to each set. The four areas covered include:

• Breakout - Learn how to best get the puck out of the defensive and neutral zone with established routes and support. MacDonald demonstrates four set breakouts that can be used by players of all ages.
• Entry into Zone - MacDonald details a hard wrap, soft chip and initial rush carry to enter the zone.
• In-Zone Set-up - Discover strategizes for quickly getting into the system and changing the point of attack, including face off strategies to start a power play.
• Point Pressure - Emphasizes the importance of getting to the point as quickly as possible.

Each segment features marker board diagrams followed by on-ice demonstrations that make these techniques clear and concise.

In the final segment, Drills and Skills, MacDonald presents live play that shows how to train your team for developing quick puck movement with an emphasis on point pressure.

The techniques and tactics in this video are appropriate for all levels of the game. This presentation is sure to assist you developing a dedicated and successful plan for your team's Man-up Mission!

65 minutes. 2010.