No Ice? No Problem! Dryland Training for Hockey Athletes

In the hockey world, athletes train year round, including the ladies in South Anchorage who are honing their skills on dry surfaces to stay ahead of the competition.

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By Corey Allen-Young

Story Created: Jun 17, 2011 at 1:30 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jun 17, 2011 at 1:30 PM AKDT

The Stanley Cup is over and the Alaska Aces’ season has ended as well, but that’s not a big deal for a group of dedicated hockey enthusiasts.

In the hockey world, athletes train year round, including the ladies in South Anchorage who are honing their skills on dry surfaces to stay ahead of the competition.

For the hockey players over at Dryland Training Center, the indoor facility offers a perfect environment for athletes to develop their skills.

Athlete Zoe Hickel trains at the facility during the off-season and will soon be leaving for the University of Minnesota-Duluth to play hockey.

“If you want to work on a specific skill or one of your strengths, you need to work on a weakness to make it a strength,” said Hickel.

Shooting, skating, and stickhandling are a must to play the sport, but you don’t necessarily need ice to train for hockey.

“In order to get to college to go play hockey, you have to do these kind of drills,” said Bob Bradley, owner of Dryland Training Center.

“Kids can come in here all year round— they can be on their skates, they can be off their skates, they can jump from their skates on and off all day long.”

Training at Dryland is more than just playing hockey—it’s a chance for the athletes to improve their skills so they can compete at the next level.

“We are getting a lot of kids who are going to the Division I schools that here four, five years ago, you would get a whole lot less unless they are going outside for high school,” said Bradley.

Young adults like Zoe Hickel know it is all about practice and repetition. “Anchorage, Alaska…it’s cold outside, you can jump out on the ice outdoors and stuff but when you’re on the ice practicing with your team, you don't really get the chance to break things down with your skills, your shot, and your stick handling,” said Hickel.

It’s not just the ladies that use a unique facility like Dryland.

Professional athletes like the Alaska Aces and the UAA Seawolves use it to fine-tune their skills for their upcoming seasons.

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