Why Small Games?
In today’s society of mass organization, sky-rocketing ice costs and rising demands for ice, it is rare that a player can find much old fashioned “rat hockey” time. Outdoor rinks have gone the way of the rotary telephone in terms of popularity and overall use. Players today simply spend the majority of their ice time in structured practice or game situations. Those long days on the outdoor rink no longer exist. As they have vanished so has much of the natural skill and hockey sense that “rat hockey” so effortlessly developed. Hockey by Bauer’s small game approach is an attempt to provide players with that missing link to the crucial development that “rat hockey” supplied in the past. We provide a loose structure of guidelines in creating games that are a combination of high paced skill and mind development. There will be lots of ice time, no sitting on the bench and no referees holding on to the puck. Our limited enrollments, on one half of the ice guarantees maximum participation and plenty of opportunities to handle the puck. It is truly the modern day version of “rat hockey”. Our games are low structured and fast moving forcing players to develop their skills while making game like decisions. And last, but not least, these games are FUN!
