“Outside”
Entering the zone, the puck carrier (or F1) can go straight to the net and shoot, or carry the puck into the zone and buy a little time for teammates to enter to set up play options.
If F1 goes straight to the net and shoots, it’s considered an “unsupported” shot, meaning that our teammates can’t get there in time to support the shot with a rebound or a passing option. Sometimes, this play makes sense, when we have one player more than they do (an odd-man-rush – 1 on 0, 2 on 1, or 3 on 2). Most of the time, however, a single person driving to the net causes a turnover, because the goalie has no distractions to worry about, and the opposing team has defense that will recover the puck.
So generally we want F1 to enter the zone on the outside closer to the boards, and then turn towards the net. There are a couple of reasons for this:
- By taking more time to get to the net, your teammates are usually in better position
- If you go through the middle, you have to protect the puck from your left and right. If you go along the wall, you only have to protect the puck from the inside of the zone
F2 is the closest forward to the puck carrier – when F1 enters the zone, F2 should go as quickly as he can to the front of the net on the opposite post to F1. F2 should be in a great position to one time a pass into the net. F2 should be prepared to do a high speed stop in front of their net.
F3 is the 3rd forward; no matter where he enters the OZ, he should move to the high slot to be a passing option or be able to jump on rebounds. If there is a turnover, F3 will be in a better place to backcheck and play defense as well.
“High”
As the puck moves around in the zone, the forward farthest from the puck should rotate into the high slot. Forward positioning should always form a triangle, with one vertex in the high slot. If coaches don’t see someone in this position, you’ll hear them yell, “High!”
Being in the high slot opens up passing options, and provides that player a great opportunity to get rebounds. It also puts that player in a better position to transition back to D when things go wrong. Learn more about the high slot.
If you see two forwards close to the puck than you are, you should probably be the one moving to the high slot!
“Deep”
Getting pucks deep into the offensive zone (OZone, or OZ) allows our team to set up plays where we can create opportunities to make better shots. When we take the puck to the OZ goal line, we draw our opponents down and then send passes behind them to our open teammates.
We have more options when we are deep in the OZ – we can pass or even rim a puck to our defensemen.
If the puck is deep when we make a turnover, there are more of our players between our goal and the opponent, so there is less chance of a breakaway.
The blue line is a dangerous place to be since there is a high risk of going offsides. When players make a move right before going across it, their teammates often have momentum and enter the zone first, creating an offsides whistle.
“Cross”
Finding open space is always important anywhere on the ice, and we want to draw opponents towards us so we can pass to someone who is more open.
When attacking, strong-side, low angle shots (those that come from the side of the net where the puck has been for the last few seconds) have a low chance of going in.
But your teammate who is on the other side of the slot line is likely looking at a lot of net, and if you can get the puck to him quickly, he has a better chance of scoring with a one-timer than you do with any shot from the strong side.