Bruins talk about the benefits of going through the drill

Boston Globe

12-04-2025

'That's an angle drill that we work on frequently with our guys just to try to work on proper angling techniques, trying to stay skating forwards as much as possible. Keep the player to the outside and not let him grab inside ice,' said coach
Joe Sacco
. 'It brings out some competitiveness in the players and a little mocking going on back and forth with each other.'
The work helps forwards work on burst, cutting, and maintaining possession, while the defenders can sharpen their reach and body position.
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'The drill serves a good purpose, especially with younger guys coming into the league now, adjusting to the speed and the pace of the game and making sure that they have the proper technique angle on players and trying to keep them and force them to the outside as much as possible,' said Sacco.
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It's a favorite of defenseman
Nikita Zadorov
, who at 6 feet 6 inches and 255 pounds, can be quite intimidating to go against mano-a-mano.
'I like that drill. We did it a lot in Colorado. [Coach]
Jared Bednar
was a really big fan of that drill, and I think it's really helped the defensive system as the F three and the D man, when you lose the puck in the O zone and you need to take an angle to close play on the blue line,' said Zadorov. 'And the same thing for D. You close on your blue line like this, taking a better angle so nobody cuts middle on you. I think it's a really productive drill. I'm enjoying that for sure.'
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Zadorov relishes the competition and also the extracurricular commentary from the spectators.
'If you take somebody wide, you can chirp the guy over there,' said Zadorov. 'Everybody's watching at the same time. It's only two guys going, everybody else watching. So, I think it's pretty competitive and a cool drill for sure.'
The drill creates a buzz, which has been a Zadorov specialty.
'He brings energy to the rink. He brings energy to the practices and the locker room,' said Sacco. 'Obviously, we need some of that. We've needed it during the year because the group at times when you lose some guys that have been here a long time, voices that carry a lot of weight in the room, you need other guys to pick up that part of the leadership and he's trying to do his part in that area too.'
Awards handed out
Some housekeeping items: The Bruins handed out their annual awards Thursday with
David Pastrnak
and
Morgan Geekie
double dipping. Pastrnak earned the Dufresne Trophy as the club's top performer on home ice. He was also 98.5 The Sports Hub's First Star ... Geekie took home the Eddie Shore Award for 'exceptional hustle and determination.' He also was named 98.5's Third Star ... The Second Star went to goaltender
Jeremy Swayman
...
Parker Wotherspoon
won the John P. Bucyk Award for 'exceptional off-ice charitable contributions ... The Seventh Player Award will be announced at the home finale Tuesday ... Thayer Academy's
Morgan McGathey
and
Kyle O'Leary
of Noble & Greenough were awarded the John Carlton Memorial Trophies. The award is handed out annually by the team to Massachusetts's most outstanding high school senior girls and boys hockey player. McGathey had 39 goals and 58 points in 28 games. She will attend Harvard. O'Leary put up 24 goals and 59 points in 27 games. He is Yale-bound. The award is named in honor of Carlton, the late Bruins scout. ... It's been a hot start for
Dans Locmelis
at Providence. The winger, who recently wrapped up a two-year stint at UMass, collected 1 goal and 5 points in his first five games with the Baby Bs ... The Bruins finish their road schedule with a Sunday matinee against the Penguins.
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Jim McBride can be reached at