Хоккей. Оборона: нейтральная зона : системы бэкчекинга

Neutral Zone Backchecking Systems

There are three backchecking systems that teams may employ: wide-lane lock, midlane backcheck, and hound the puck. Each system is described and discussed in this section, and each has a different emphasis on where the offensive players are confronted and how they are confronted.

Wide-Lane Lock

In this system, the first forward on the backcheck immediately moves to an outside lane. Once the forward gets into the wide lane, he may skate backward or forward but must always be able to see the puck and any opposing skater in that lane. This forward is responsible for any opposition player skating between the dots and the boards on that side. D1 now moves to mid-ice, assuming responsibility for this lane, and D2 takes the strong side where the puck carrier is. Essentially the ice is divided into three parts, with each of these players protecting a zone (figure 7.17). The offensive team will have a difficult time getting across the blue line in possession of the puck with three players protecting the line. All three defensive players (D1, D2, F1) attempt to stand the attack up at the blue line while F2 and F3 continue to pressure from behind the attacking players.

The responsibility of F1 is to prevent any passes to that side and to stay close to his check. It is always best to be deeper than the opponent, which is usually called good defensive side position.

Midlane Backcheck

Once the puck is turned over in this system, the first instinct of the high forward should be to get to mid-ice and come back hard through the center seam. All forwards come back through the middle, allowing the defensemen to play the outside areas. The first forward back protects the defensemen from being beaten inside by always staying between the puck and the net (figure 7.18). Therefore, if a defenseman makes a mistake, the forward is always in a position to cover up. Plus, having the forward in the middle intimidates the puck carrier and forces him to stay wide because of the lack of space inside.

When the first forward comes back through the middle, he should come all the way back to the low slot area and then move out to support the defense. The second and third backchecking forwards should once again come back hard—look around for any late players entering the zone, and stop at the top of the circles in good defensive position.

Hound the Puck

This system is the opposite of the midlane backcheck. The first forward “hounds” the puck (backchecks toward the player with the puck) as hard as he can, and if a pass is made, then the forward continues to pressure the puck (figure 7.19). The forwards limit the time and space for the opposing players as they move through the neutral zone and the defense hold inside position—protecting the space between the dots. Coaches who like this system are generally ones who want to have a pressure philosophy and in all areas of the ice want to deny time and space.

The advantage of this system is that the opponent has little time with the puck through the neutral zone if the backchecking forwards are quick and work hard, plus the positioning of the defense is always inside. The disadvantage is that at times there is confusion between the backchecking forwards and the defense as to what to do if the forwards cannot catch the opposition by the blue line or confront the pass quickly enough. A team must develop rules for these two scenarios so there is no confusion when they occur. One rule involves hounding the puck until the red line, where the backchecking forward must then pick a lane to skate into or pick up a man to cover.