Зона атаки. Движение по кругу и вбрасывания DOWN-LOW OFFENSE: CYCLING The ability of the attacking team to possess and protect the puck while waiting for a defensive breakdown and subsequent offensive opportunity has been referred to in recent hockey parlance as cycling. Perfecting this tactic requires generous amounts of both basic hockey skills and patience. An awareness of open, uncontested areas of the offensive zone, often referred to as quiet zones, helps in chipping or moving the puck to areas of teammate support. A visual example of such a play is depicted in figure 13.6. FIGURE 13.6 The LW turns from the boards and his defender (RD). In the middle of his turn, he leaves the puck behind his path for his RW, who is circling (or cycling) around the face-off circle. The RW will attempt the same maneuver, leaving the puck for the center (C). Since time constraints and opposition pressure often dictate that the puck be delivered to the quiet zone support area before a teammate gets there, cycling success obviously depends on superior anticipation and communication. That communication can be either verbal or nonverbal. Correctly predicting a teammate’s placement of the puck in the quiet zone is referred to as having superior (or well-practiced) reading skills. Another key teaching point in cycling is to have players reappear in the quiet zones, even if they didn’t receive these spot passes the first time through. Smart players present themselves as passing options more than once in the same sequence. You could argue that offensive zone cycling, in and of itself, is not an offensive tactic at all unless the end result (or at least the ultimate goal) is generating a scoring chance. Although some situations in a game may warrant delay tactics (such as killing a penalty or running down the clock while protecting a late third-period lead), the take-it-to-the-net mentality should prevail at the first hint of a defensive breakdown.
OFFENSIVE FACE-OFFS The one time in hockey when preset formations and designed plays can start from scratch is during face-offs. Possession of the puck is critical. NHL coaching veterans Mike Murphy and Mike Kitchen devoted a major portion of a coaching symposium to strategies and tactics for successful face-offs. The offensive center has three options: Draw the puck back to a teammate in the slot or at the near point, tie up the opposing center in hopes that a teammate can come in and retrieve the loose puck, or attempt to drive the puck directly on net from the draw. In all these cases, teams must work hard at practice to get their timing down and (for the players away from the puck) to tie up defenders. And of course, in the end, it all turns on the center’s ability to win the face-off. In recent years, many referees have been instructed to watch out for face-off interference, where offensive players deny defenders a legitimate path to the puck off a face-off. This tactic can be subtle or obvious, and it challenges officials at all levels.
The effectiveness of these plays in producing a scoring chance depends
in large part on recognizing what might work versus the opponent’s defensive
face-off alignment. Scouting reports may also suggest vulnerabilities
in the tendencies of the opposition’s centers. Predetermined signals can
be effective, similar to an audible called by a football quarterback as he
scans the defense at the line of scrimmage.
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