sportsguruguy wrote:no hitting in hs hockey.that is what the game is about.winning the 1on1 battles in all aspects of the game.big hits can be game changing for a team or are you one of those people that blame wins and losses on the refs.reason why hs kids get called for roughing on big hits is they lead with hands,elbows, and then the shoulder. i have seen it and called it numerous times.keep your hands down when you take the body and these so called roughing penalties will not get called.
I do agree that the physical aspect of the game can change momentum, etc... An agressive forecheck can make puckhandlers mishandle the puck when worrying about being hit, and can change the game. I disagree though, that the game is about hitting, so to speak. You can win 1 on 1 battles by being the faster skater and moving your feet. You can avoid big hits by being the better skater. Teams that concentrate solely on the big hit more times than not lose. Teams that concentrate on putting the puck in the net tend to win more often than the big hitting football on ice type teams.