The Good-Storie Hockey Specific Test to Assess Anaerobic Power and Fatigue in Elite and Non-Elite Ice Hockey Players

Abstract

Sport specific testing and the collection of physiological data has become a common practice throughout sport. The Good-Storie Hockey Specific Test (HST) is an on-ice test used to assess the repeated sprint performance of hockey players. Anaerobic power output and fatigue were compared between the HST and the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) in a non-elite sample of players. Performance characteristics were also distinguished among previously studied elite samples and the current sample of non-elite players. The results demonstrated a high correlation (r = .88, p < .001) for peak power (W) and a moderately high correlation (r = .69, p = .018) for fatigue index (%) between the HST and WAnT. The non-elite players were significantly slower during 15 m. trial time (s) (F [3, 62] = 12.4, p < .001) and total trial time (s) (F [3, 62] = 13.5, p < .001) when compared to previously studied samples of elite players. Ultimately, the HST was able to delineate on-ice performance characteristics among skill levels and is a reliable, sport specific assessment of anaerobic power and fatigue for non-elite hockey players.