Over a 3rd of a century of writing about scholastic area hockey, I’ve gained an excellent appreciation of maybe probably the most hazardous and thankless job on a hockey pitch.
That job is one which requires you to dash off your objective line to a location about 15 yards up the pitch and react to what the opponents are doing on their nook assault play. The ball, which is manufactured from exhausting plastic, can generally come at you at greater than 60 miles an hour, or will be made to bounce across the perimeter of the hanging circle like a housefly.
The nook flyer is the primary particular person out by the nook protection unit, and, as such, could make life tough for the opposition with out the identical sort of safety afforded goalkeepers (fashionable masks and gauntlets however).
Flyers are usually extra impactful within the scholastic recreation, the place the opposing routines are rather less refined and have a tendency to unfold a bit of slower than on water-based turf. They’re impactful on groups whose penalty nook protection models have been extraordinarily good over time, similar to with the packages of Edgewater South River (Md.) and Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.), which have been constantly glorious over time in defending corners.
Individually, I first bought a way of the dedication and sacrifice of the nook flyer watching the sport within the capital area of New Jersey. One of many extra excellent flyers I noticed was Stephanie Harvilla, out of Hightstown Peddie Faculty (N.J.). She was uncanny in her skill to smell out what defenses had been doing, and was one of the crucial fearless individuals within the enterprise.
I additionally actually like what Julia Reinprecht did as a nook flyer for the U.S. senior ladies’s nationwide crew throughout her worldwide profession, which had 154 worldwide appearances. The previous Princeton star was a relentless thorn within the aspect of opposing nook assault models, even with nook inserts attending to the highest of the circle in lower than a second and a half.
Which brings us to yesterday’s tripleheader in PIAA District 3. There was some wonderful protection propogated by the nook protection models. I significantly favored what West Perry attacking midfielder Jordan Byers did of their win over Boiling Springs, in addition to what Northern York’s Olivia Anderson did throughout a dropping effort aganst Warwick. Each had been excellent not solely on nook protection, however each managed objectives throughout these championship video games.
In these final weeks of the 2024 home area hockey season, control nook flyers. They are going to play an unlimited position within the outcomes of video games, taking strain off goalkeepers and conserving clear sheets for his or her groups.
