Match Analysis of Elite Ice Sledge Hockey in Paralympics 2010

The aims of this study were to describe match actions in ice sledge hockey on a team level and identify the differences between successful and less successful teams. Eight ice sledge hockey matches in the Winter Paralympics 2010 were recorded and analyzed using the Dartfish TeamPro 5.5 analysis program. The variables for the analysis were chosen based on the performance indicators commonly used in invasion games and nine variables with sufficient reliability were reported. The number of different match actions and the percentages of successful actions were compared between the winning and losing teams, teams in different categories (team's position in the final ranking 1-4 or 5-8), and between different player roles (forwards and defensemen). Also a scoring analysis for 23 goals was executed. The average number of actions per team in a single match was 507 (±54). The most frequent actions were passes (36 percent of the analyzed actions), dribbles (18 percent), and received passes (16 percent). The success percentages for passes, received passes, dribbles and face-offs were 65±4, 82±4, 74±8 and 50±12. The scoring analysis showed that 96 percent of the goals were shot from a close distance. The most common attack types leading to a goal were possession in the attacking zone and attacks after conquered puck and the most common shot types dribbling+shot and receiving+shot. The average scoring efficacy was 6.2±4.7 percent. The match analysis revealed only slight differences between the winning and losing teams and teams in different categories. Thus, it seems evident that individual skills and mistakes most often determined the final outcomes of the matches.