Leeds Knights: Time precious as Ryan Aldridge eyes return to winning ways

IF RYAN Aldridge had a wishlist to present to Leeds Knights owner Steve Nell, it’s likely that, at the top of it, would be a request for more ice time with his players.
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Already, the 43-year-old interim head coach has referenced how little time he has at his disposal in between games with which to work with his new charges.

One game in – an entertaining, yet ultimately disappointing 4-3 defeat at home to Basingstoke Bison on Sunday – and Aldridge now has a first-hand view of where improvements need to be made.

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Throughout his time at the helm, Aldridge’s predecessor Dave Whistle – whose departure last Wednesday after just five months in charge stunned many – spoke of his team’s need to improve the defensive side of their game.

Leeds Knights concede a goal in the New Year's Day defeat to Sheffield Steeldogs. Picture courtesy of Peter Best/Steeldogs Media.Leeds Knights concede a goal in the New Year's Day defeat to Sheffield Steeldogs. Picture courtesy of Peter Best/Steeldogs Media.
Leeds Knights concede a goal in the New Year's Day defeat to Sheffield Steeldogs. Picture courtesy of Peter Best/Steeldogs Media.

In that, he was referring to the every player ‘buying in’ to the kind of defensive duties needed to make them successful – team defence.

Of the Knights’ offensive threat there is little doubt, they are one of the quickest, most skilful teams in NIHL National. Whistle knew that, Aldridge knows that.

Aldridge was also quick to identify the same issues highlighted by Whistle.

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His problem is how much time in between games – of which the Knights have three this weekend – he has in order to work on the issues he identified. But Aldridge is under no illusions. He has been around British ice hockey long enough – from coaching in the EIHL at Basingstoke to working with juniors in more recent years at Nell’s Okanagan Hockey Academy based in Swindon – to realise that ice time is the most precious of commodities.

Leeds Knights' interim head coach, Ryan Aldridge.Leeds Knights' interim head coach, Ryan Aldridge.
Leeds Knights' interim head coach, Ryan Aldridge.

Rinks up and down the country have limited time available for hockey, largely because they have to – or in some cases choose to – allocate ice to other activities, in particular public skating sessions which often produce the biggest return.

Hockey, alongside speed skating, figure skating and other ice sports, are then left jostling with each other to get whatever hours in the day are left. They are often unsociable hours, sometimes before the crack of dawn, sometimes close to the midnight hour.

But, to coin an oft-used sporting phrase, ‘it is what it is’ and ‘it is’ a situation that is unlikely to change any time soon – unless there is a sudden proliferation of rinks built around the UK.

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At NIHL National level, of course, another issue is that the majority of players are essentially part-time, most having full-time jobs which can sometimes make getting to practice difficult.

Ryan Aldridge, far right, will ionly have one practice session ahead of Friday's home clash with Sheffield Steeldogs.Ryan Aldridge, far right, will ionly have one practice session ahead of Friday's home clash with Sheffield Steeldogs.
Ryan Aldridge, far right, will ionly have one practice session ahead of Friday's home clash with Sheffield Steeldogs.

Aldridge, who still runs a number of early morning skills sessions for youngsters at OHA in Swindon, had the usual two-and-half hours practice time with the Knights ahead of the Basingstoke game.

When asked after the defeat whether he was happy with what he’d achieved in such a short space of time, he replied: “It’s tough because, at Okanagan you’re on the ice four times a week and you come up to this level and it’s only twice a week.

“So it is very hard to get things across. We spoke for probably 25 minutes before the boys were out for warm-up on Sunday, then we spoke for another five minutes after warm-up but it is like how much overload do you give them?

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“How much can they absorb, how much can they take on, while keeping their focus?

Dave Whistle, former head coach of Leeds Knights Picture: James HardistyDave Whistle, former head coach of Leeds Knights Picture: James Hardisty
Dave Whistle, former head coach of Leeds Knights Picture: James Hardisty

“So it’s about trying to find that happy balance of not throwing too much at them, too early.

“And that’s the tough thing really – and it’s the same for British hockey as a whole – there is just never enough ice time. I went over to Steve halfway through the practice on Thursday and said ‘can we get an extra 10 minutes?’”

As you would expect from a new coach, Aldridge highlighted positives and negatives from his first game in charge but, ahead of Friday’s home clash with Sheffield Steeldogs, he will only have the one practice session – this Thursday – to try and address them.

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“We are a very offensive team, very offensively skilled but, sadly, the game is both ways and you’ve got to work both ways to be successful,” he said.

“And it is about striking the right balance – guys have got to take care of the D zone, back-checking, picking up trailers, all the little things.

“That’s not just the ‘D’, that’s the whole team. It’s about as soon as we turn pucks over, how we react and where we react, picking up men and doing the right jobs.”

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