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2019 WISCONSIN Valley Rats

Grand Rapids, MN Tournament

Welcome to
Hockey by Bauer

Small Games. Big Results.

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!

What's Different?

One of the comments we often hear when explaining our format is, “will anybody be teaching them anything?” Dave Peterson, former Minnesota high school and USA Olympic coach once said, “The ice is the best coach, it never says no.” We believe the basic concepts of hockey are quite simple and the best way to learn them is by playing the game. Win the race to the puck, once you have the puck learn how to keep it, control it, protect it, find yourself time and space. If you don’t have the puck, learn how to find open space so you’ll get a pass or learn how to support a teammate and pick up a loose puck. Your successes are rewarded with puck possession, passes that turn into assists and scoring opportunities that turn into goals. When those concepts become engrained you have now developed that hockey sense that is so crucial to being a good player. We at Hockey by Bauer won’t throw out the puck and drink coffee, but we will let the ice, and the game itself become the teacher as much as possible. There won’t be a lot of long lectures and at times it may even look a bit chaotic, welcome to “rat hockey!”

Best Off Ice Program & Staff

Our off-ice stickhandling program is the best available. Our challenging circuits guarantee your hands will improve. And our competitive physical challenges will improve your competitive drive.

All of our head instructors are high school head or assistant coaches. It is their profession—they know how to teach the game. All are firm believers in the small game method. They are coaches—it is what they do best.