Pre-Game Flow: Lap, Stretch, Sprint

Objective: A repeatable pre-game ritual: easy laps, dynamic stretching in the middle, and sprints to switch the legs on — same order every game night. Setup: Whole team on the ice, goalies in their creases, stretch zone marked at center ice. Execution: Two easy laps of the full perimeter as a group, sticks on the ice, building pace on lap two. Circle into the center box: 4 minutes of dynamic stretch — leg swings, lunges, hip openers. Finish with three goal-line-to-red-line sprints at 80, 90, and 100 percent. Then split for shooting lines. Coaching points: Same routine every game — familiarity calms game-night nerves. Laps are for the body, not the scoreboard: no racing, no dangling. Sprints END the warm-up so players step into the game with fast legs, not stretched-out ones.