Fuel, 7 of 9. From Week 7 of the Hockey IQ book.
From the locker room: Squirt year, boys’ team, regionals, tied in the third: lost draw, shot, save, rebound, save, back door, save. Three saves in four seconds. I’m a goalie, I play all sixty minutes, and the applesauce between periods is not optional.
The rule: Fast energy fuels fast reactions. Small, quick carbs right before the game and between periods.
Why: Face-offs, loose pucks, the read on a 2-on-1, a rebound: hockey is decided in half-seconds, and a half-second needs fuel that’s available right now. The pre-game meal builds the tank. This is the top-up that keeps it from running empty in the third, when games get decided. If you’re a goalie and never leave the ice, this is the only refuel you get.
Before the game or between periods:
- 🟨 Banana
- 🟨 Applesauce (yes, the pouch; you may have seen Hilary Knight squeezing one between periods on her way to Olympic gold this year)
- 🟨 Granola bar
- 🟦➕ Small sports drink
Nothing heavy. Nothing high in protein or fat. Gone by the time the Zamboni is off.
Not on the list: energy drinks. They don’t make energy, they stimulate your nervous system. Wired isn’t fueled. And the caffeine wrecks the sleep you need for tomorrow’s game.
The bag kit: banana, applesauce pouch, granola bar or two energy bites, full water bottle. Replace whatever you used after the game. It lives in the bag so you never have to remember.
Make it: No-Bake Energy Bites. 1 cup oats, ½ cup peanut butter (sunflower butter if nut-free), ⅓ cup honey, ¼ cup mini chocolate chips or raisins, optional flax or chia. Stir into one sticky mixture, roll into golf-ball-size balls (12–15), fridge 30 minutes. Two go in the bag on game day.
Parents: the long version, with the stories, is on the Athlete Nutrition guide.
FIND. A. WAY.
