Средняя зона. Перегруппировка REGROUPING So far, we have looked at plays that go in a straight line from defensive zone to offensive zone. But watch any hockey game today and you’ll quickly realize this doesn’t always happen. Most teams who retain or regain possession of the puck in the neutral zone don’t feel obligated to force the play if they don’t like what they see ahead. Instead, they’ll reverse themselves and regroup with the hope that they can create a better attack. In a typical regroup, the forward progress is reversed with a pass back to one of the defensemen behind the play. The defenseman with the puck usually moves laterally in one direction while her partner swings behind in the other, ready to receive a defenseman-to-defenseman pass. This is called hinging. The center comes back, facing the defense, creating a triangle with them and providing the defensemen with another passing outlet. In this sense, the triangle created by the center and two defensemen is very similar to the triangles that a center and the two wingers look to create in the offensive zone, which is one of the earliest basic formations that players and coaches learn. However, the defensive zone regroup shows that the concept of triangulation isn’t limited to the offensive zone. During a defensive zone regroup, while the defensemen play catch, either with each other or with the center, the wingers need to get open. One can jump ahead to the neutral zone and stretch the defense. The other might cut across the ice, attracting defenders and opening up space for others to fill. Too often at youth levels, wingers get ahead of the puck and come to a halt at the blue line. These forwards are not particularly helpful when they’re standing still and away from the puck carrier. “Where do I go, coach?” I have heard this from my middle school team plenty of times. “I don’t care,” I’ll say. “Keep moving and get open.” One way to look at an effective regroup is to liken it to your breakout. Look at figures 12.1 and 12.2. One shows a breakout and one shows a neutral zone regroup. They are basically the same. In the latter, just picture the net being on the near blue line, and imagine the five teammates acting similarly in each zone. FIGURE 12.1 Breakout. FIGURE 12.2 Neutral zone regroup.
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