How do you defend against a 6' plus guy?

[Sticks of Fury 0]

I am about 5 feet 8 inches tall and these big heavy guys are coming down the side and as they cut laterally towards the net... I know I will get knocked down as he lowers his shoulder. (Mind you I didn't get knocked down but my defenseman did and he was a big guy) but if I had to defend him what are my options? It is like a locomotive coming straight at me.... :(

A. Let him come to the slot infront and shoot.

B. Cross check him just to defend myself. ;)

C. Hip or body stop him.

D. None of the above but here is what I would do ....

Thanks

[Chadd 916]

Keep him on the outside, get your center of gravity lower than his.

[chippa13 1844]

If you keep your shoulder under his and use the power in your legs you should be able to steer him to the outside.

[Rustybender 0]

If he has the puck, nothing like a well placed poke check to stop a physical player from gettnig past you.

If the poke check is a no-go, stay low. If he collides with you, he'll go over you not through you.

[biff44 0]

You have to use your atributes as an advantage. You are shorter, so you can get under him and use leverage--won't work on a good big guy, but a lot of big guys are not that good in the skating department. You can try the hip check, but I would practice it a lot first. It is hard to pull off, so I would not use it unless there was another Dman behind me to back it up.

You do NOT have to kill a guy to screw up his shot, you just have to hold up his stick. If you put your stick over his and lean some body weight on it, unless he is Sampson, he will not be able to lift your stick and get the shot off.

If he blows by you, keep skating hard and try to tie up the stick. Hooking him will probably have no effect.

And I would work a lot on the poke check. Keep your knees bent, so you can reach out with the stick more (think of the geometry). Choke up on your stick a little, so it looks like an optical illusion that there is a lot of room for him to stickhandle--then at the last second thrust it out all the way. And make sure you have a stick that is not too short! As a Dman, you want it as long as you can handle.

An if he is going to skate thru you, work on your acting skills to draw the penalty.

[stock07 1]

Stay with the basics play his body...keep yourself between him and the goal...if the poke check is there take it, all the while still being able to maintain your position between him and the net...The main thing is play his body first, if your stuck between him and the net he isent going to get a good look at it...When your a smaller player its all about positioning yourself in the right spot.

[shute 4]

if you get a chance you should watch Marc-Andre Bergeron from the oilers play. he can handle even the biggest forwards and is always playing against the other teams best since he is paired with pronger. the dude is listed at 5'10 but people who have seen him play live say he is more like 5'8 (his nickname is frodo).

[Patrick67 1]

and he is paired with pronger... :lol:

[Nick23 0]

HIP CHECK, he will think twice next time he tries to cut in.

OR more realistically, don't let him get to the point where he can cut in, because it's then a scoring threat, so you can:

1. poke check

2. hit his stick, and as he looks down, go for the hit (shoulder or hip) he won't be concentrating on you but more regaining control of the puck.

3. HOld him up to prevent him getting a decent scoring chance, cut off his angle, put your stick between his legs, the less control he has of the shot, the less chance of a goal.