DESCRIPTION

Drill setup:

• With a large marker, draw a line from the end wall to the blue line, cutting the ice in half from east to west. Then draw a second line from 1/2 wall to 1/2 wall, right above the face circles, cutting the ice in half from north to south. You are creating a grid with four quadrants in the offensive zone.
• Three players are on offense and will possess the puck. One player is on defense and will try to attack the puck passers to win possession.
• The three offensive players will begin by taking positions in the grid, one player per quadrant. The defensive player takes a position in the middle.

The Drill:

• On the whistle, the offensive players will move, trying to complete passes to each other while keeping the puck away from the defender.
• The defender will attack the three using good defensive tactics, including, but not limited to, a stick on the ice, active stick positioning, inside-out angles, taking away "good" ice, and anticipation.
• Offensive players must move away from the puck to be in a support position to receive a pass. When they receive a pass, they must "win" a line by crossing it before they can pass it.
• Keep score by counting the number of tape-to-tape passes they are able to make while playing within the rule of "winning" the line; if they pass before crossing a line, they do not receive a point.

KEY POINTS

Defense:

Active sticks - Players should keep their sticks on the ice and be constantly moving their sticks into the passing lane, taking up as much space as possible.

Angles - Encourage defenders to attack inside out, protecting the middle of the grid, the farther the offensive players have to skate after receiving a pass, the more difficult it is for them.

Face the puck - Encourage the defenders to keep their feet moving and to keep their toes and shoulders facing the puck as much as possible. Defenders should stay on their feet.

Offense:

Puck support -  The whole point of the game is to teach puck support and the use of space. Players should be encouraged to move away from the puck (if they don't, they will lose), constantly putting themselves in a support position of opportunity to receive a pass.

Communication - Players should be talking to each other the whole time, both calling for the puck and communicating where they are heading to encourage passes into space.

Deception - Players should use deception and illusion to draw the defender away from the middle of the ice and open up space for their teammates to attack the middle of the grid.

Attack the middle - When players attack the middle of the grid, it makes it easier to catch a pass and then "win" a line. When passes are made to players who are further from the middle, it is an easier pass, but it is more difficult to "win" a line because they have to skate so much further after receiving the pass to “win” a line, so the game teaches itself by encouraging players to make plays towards the middle of the grid where the lines come together.  As this game is played constantly in practice, players will develop the habit of making plays to the middle of the offensive zone, where the high-percentage scoring areas are.

Moving as you receive a puck - Players should be encouraged to catch the puck with their feet already moving, thus making it easier to "win" a line so they can make another pass. Today's game is so fast that if players are catching pucks flat-footed and then moving after receiving the puck, it is too late to be effective. This game teaches players the importance of moving their feet while receiving passes.

Using space: Because players have to "win" a line before they can pass, they must support the puck by moving into space before they have the puck, thus by encouraging players to look for these opportunities allows the game to teach them to not only move into space when they do not have the puck but also how the passer can lead his teammates into space by spotting pucks to an area that they can skate into to receive it. One of the hardest concepts to teach is how to see and use space. This game naturally teaches these concepts.