I believe Flyers nailed it. We had this problem at a tournament preseason, and we figured out it was that and fixed it.
In practice, tell your man to get back, sprinting. Make up a signal for if a middie is winded and needs a sub.
Also, work on 4 vs. 3 breakaways in practice, to help your defensemen with the slide. Tell them to play closer in, because at that age, the outside shot is not too much of an issue.
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