Dumping the Ring or Not:  (from Lisa Brown)

Q. Hi Lisa, I have a question, is there ever a time to dump the ring across two lines in order to get a line change or to relieve pressure on a player?  We are trying to decide if it is a good strategy or not.

A. I recommend AGAINST dumping the ring over two blue lines. Here’s why:
 
1. You always want to train your players that ’possession is king’.
This means that they should always choose to ’eat’ the ring (get checked) over dumping it away.

Over time they will get better at skating with the ring and make smart passes. If you train them to dump the ring, they will get into a bad habit and actually become afraid of pressure from checkers.
 
2. Dumping the ring ensures you will lose possession and that the ring will return to your end. You are better off giving the ring back to your goalie or freezing it if you have to. You may get lucky and the ref may give the ring back to you after a freeze.
 
3. In general, train your players to play CLOSE to each other and call for the ring. This is called supporting the ring carrier. The biggest mistake all teams make (including Open AA teams) is being too far away from the ring carrier -- there should be one teammate 6 to 8 feet away at all times calling for the ring in case the ring carrier gets in trouble.