Хоккей. Атака: вход в зону нападения : принципы

Offensive Zone Entries

Whether the rush starts from a successful breakout in the defensive zone or results from a counter or regroup in the neutral zone, offensive zone entry is a key strategy for generating successful scoring chances.

Entering the offensive zone in control of the puck is every player’s goal. Not turning the puck over when entering the offensive zone is every coach’s goal. Let’s face it. We play this game to battle for and enjoy possession of the puck. Puck possession needs to be a key underlying philosophy, not only for playing hockey at a high level but also for its enjoyment.

Coaches universally get disappointed with players who needlessly lose possession of the puck in two areas. The first is the 7 or 8 feet (2.1 or 2.4 m) just outside the blue line, and the second is the 7 or 8 feet (2.1 or 2.4 m) just inside the blue line. Players turning over pucks in these two critical areas tend to hear about it. Why? When the puck is turned over here, the opposing team can counter quickly and create outnumbered attacks. This happens because the two forwards without the puck tend to be anticipating the puck going deep, and they are in that “flat” vulnerable position along the blue line with no speed (figure 3.1).

When playing five on five, a player with the puck wide entering the offensive zone must read the opponent’s pressure. If the gap between the player with the puck and the defender is large or adequate, obviously the attacking player keeps possession of the puck and enters the attacking zone. If the player with the puck senses pressure, then the cross-ice dump or chip are two tactics used to reduce this pressure and ensure a chance for puck possession deeper in the zone. Coaches should set up practice drills which incorporate this read. Drills which allow the puck carrier to react to varying gaps by the defender and also varying pressure; all help to make these decisions with the puck more automatic and successful in game action.

Activating Defense Into Offensive Zone Entries

After a successful breakout or regroup, with the puck in possession of the forwards, one defenseman should follow up as a late-wave option or as one of the three attacking players. As mentioned in the breakout chapter sometimes the center gets caught low in coverage, so it is important to have one defenseman in the rush. When a defenseman moves up to join the rush, he should read the quality of puck possession. Does your teammate have the puck under control while advancing up the ice? If so, then one defenseman must be activated into the rush. Is it risky to have an active defense? Well, the answer is no. The responsibility is in the hands of the puck carrier; he must make good decisions and pick the right options. A defenseman should join and stay in the rush from the breakout, through the neutral zone, and then read the quality of puck possession at the offensive blue line.

By joining the rush and staying in as the third or fourth attacker, the defenseman creates confusion as opponents try to figure out their coverage on the backcheck. Plus an active defenseman usually results in more odd-man rushes because he can get up the ice quicker than the other team backchecks. If the quality of puck possession is good, defensemen should have the green light to go to the net, but make sure they know that they cannot stop and “hang out” in front for the puck—they have to get back to the blue line. Allowing your defense to join the rush is a good strategy, but you don’t want it to cost you the other way and give the opposition a chance to get an odd-man rush.

Offsides

Entry into the offensive zone can create one of a coach’s many pet peeves, the offside. High-level coaches speak often about controlling the controllables. John Wooden, the great basketball coach, said, “I don’t worry too much about winning and losing. I worry a lot about practicing the details that deliver the win.” One of the details that deliver the win is to never, never, never put yourself or your team offside. Offsides come from selfish possession of the puck or lazy actions where the puck carrier in each case waits too long to make a play and his teammates go offside while trying to anticipate a pass. Yes, opponents can have a positional influence on the offside, but more often than not the offside is created by the team with the puck instead of the team without the puck. Coaches keep count of offsides by play and by line. Puck possession is so hard to get and so hard to keep, why would a team easily give up a puck that they fought so hard to retrieve?