A Strategy Guide For Online Clubs In NHL 09 - Learn How To Be The Best Online Club You Can Be on Your PS3

2008-10-23

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NHL 09 From EA Sports

NHL 09 for the PS3 has brought gamers a first in the sports genre of gaming. Users are now able to create a club and have their friends all join it. Instead of playing against each other or with strangers, you now can play on the same team against other clubs and attempt to take the number one spot in the NHL 09 club rankings. This is no easy task, but the following tips should help you play as a team, watch for cheese goals, and improve your chances of winning.

Play as a Team

Now it is no secret that in order to be a successful team in NHL 09 for the PS3, you must play as a team. For many long time gamers, that means that you are no longer the star of the team. You will need to pass, play defense and work as a unit instead of individuals. This is the most important aspect that will make your team succeed. If you don’t look to setup your teammates, or back check or stay back while another player goes up then you are going to find yourself on the wrong side of breakaways and odd man rushes. So if you’re a defense man, play defense. Don’t go up with every play, hang back and slowly move up. If you’re a forward don’t hog the puck. Make passes to get into the zone and look for ways to get the defense out of position.

Communication is Key in NHL 09

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Make sure that before you get into a game that all of your teammates are equipped with a microphone. Talking to each other during the game will make it so much easier to set plays up. You can warn of passes or if you’re taking the puck, thus preventing constant off side calls. You can tell somebody to hang back if you’re moving up or if you notice another player cherry picking(sitting on your blue line waiting for a long pass). Don’t insult or yell at your teammates because this can easily lead to players being selfish or even quitting early so keep the vocals positive. Point out mistakes creatively and help your teammates get better, thus you’ll see an improvement in your overall team play.

Watch Out For Cheese Goals

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Cheese goals have been as common in hockey games as fighting has. What is a cheese goal you ask? Well it’s basically a play that players will use to score goals on a very common basis that are a slight glitch in the game. For example going to spot knowing good and well the goalie will dive out of position. Here are a few common cheese goals that I have experienced while playing online.

The most common cheese goal in NHL 09 for the PS3 is when the offensive player will skate across your blue line, cut across the middle and do a brief stick handling move and shoot to the opposite corner of the goal. So if the player comes down the left side of the ice he’ll cut across the ice to the right and then with the goalie hinting toward that side, the shooter will put one in the far left corner of the goal. This is one of the most frustrating goals because it is used so often with such a high success rate. The only real way to defend it is to keep a defense men back and have them take away the center part of the ice. Make sure to be close to the blue line and watch for the player to come in, cut off the angle and their shot is snubbed.
The next cheese goal and one that isn’t used as often as the shot above is the shot that gets the goalie to dive across the crease and the puck can then be put in top shelf. This is done by the shooter skating in, often times on a computer defense, and juking to the outside of the defense, then moving in the side of the net. The goalie many times will dive down thinking the shooter is coming across the crease, but instead the player shoots and puts it right over the goalie.

Choose Solid Positions And Watch Uniforms

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You may love scoring goals but you need to realize that defense wins games. Your team should at all times have at least one defense man. The main reason for this, besides being able to stop rushes better, is the fact that the AI (artificial intelligence) of the computer defense is awful. You will see them allowing shooters to come right in on the zone, thus making it easy to make those cheese goals. Rarely do they lift sticks or poke check until it’s too late and you’re losing all of a sudden. Many shooters look for this weakness so knowing there is a human defense man will at least help with one side of the ice, and two defense men is ideal.

The final thing to look for, and something that can easily be missed is the jersey colors. I have had numerous games where my team was the road team(white jerseys) but for some reason the home team also chose their away jerseys. Now you have a game where all of the players on both teams are wearing white jerseys. If your television is even remotely small, and even on big screens, it is incredibly difficult to see who’s who. Make it a habit to check what color your opponent is and go the opposite. You’d be amazed how much of an effect this can have.

In The End…

So there you have it, the most common reasons clubs will lose in NHL 09 are the reasons above. Things like communication and team play is a reality in real hockey as well. Play as a team, communicate and watch for cheese goals. There is nothing worse then winning late in a game, only to have somebody get desperate and put in a few cheap goals to pass you. There is always a way to shut down a team that chooses that rout, but knowing what to look for will help you greatly. So get out there and put your team to the test against the rest of the NHL 09 nation.