Oct 5, 2026 practice at Mt. Pleasant Ice Rink
Practice Lines
Drills
2 on 2 Box Out
2 on 2 Box Out from Marty Wilford is a two-part drill designed to help defenders and forwards develop their net-front battle skills. The drill concludes with a 2-on-2 rush to reinforce defensive positioning and offensive attack strategies.
- Forwards are positioned in all four corners with pucks. - Two defensemen start in front of the net, while two additional defensemen are positioned at the point. Part 1 – First Whistle: - On the first whistle, F2 passes the puck to the point. - Both F1 and F2 work to establish net-front position while the defensemen at the point go D-to-D before taking a shot on net. - The forwards attempt to score, while the defensemen work to box them out and eliminate sticks. Part 2 – Second Whistle: - On the second whistle, F1 and F2 break up the ice and receive a pass from one of the second forwards in line (F3 in this diagram). - F1 and F2 then go down the ice 2-on-2 against the two defensemen who were previously at the point. Variation – Third Whistle: - For an additional variation, coaches can blow a third whistle, signaling F1 and F2 to turn back and regroup with one of the original net-front defensemen before continuing their 2-on-2 rush down the ice.
- Defenders: Focus on boxing out forwards and eliminating their sticks in front of the net.
- Defenders: Maintain a good defensive position and clear rebounds efficiently.
- Forwards: Work together to establish a net-front position and find soft areas of the ice for tips and one-timers.
- On the rush: Forwards should avoid skating directly at the defenders. Instead, they should pass, change speeds, and skate at angles to create offensive opportunities.
- On the rush: Defensemen should maintain a tight gap, keep their sticks on the ice to block passing lanes and angle the forwards to the outside.
Note: We will do this half ice with a neutral zone regroup
2v2 +2 Wall Support Rondo
Shooting from the boards is a low percentage play if you're trying to score on the first shot. It happens! I witnessed it against my team just the other night in fact. But what it's really good for is creating chaos in front of the net. That said, if we can shoot from the low slot, that's a higher percentage play, right? The problem is that we have to get the puck there first, and the other team also knows it's a higher percentage play. So let's combine the two. I wanted a simple small sided game that focuses on wall play under pressure. Let's get it off the wall and into the middle of the ice for a higher percentage chance. And if that's not available? Let's keep the defenders honest.
2v2 +2 Wall Support Rondo 1 point: shot on net from the wall 5 points: goal - 2v2 inside the zone, each team has two outlets on the boards - Players have to pass to their outlets before they can score - A shot on net from the outlets is one point - A goal from the inside players is 5 points - On the whistle outlet players jump in to play 2on2, each team sends two new wall outlets
3 on 3 Transition Game
The 3 on 3 Transition Game from Cail MacLean is a high tempo 3 on 3 small area game that encourages quick offense. Variations - Can play 3 on 3 in zone (as shown), or 2 on 2 half ice, or 2 on 2 quarter ice, or 1 on 1 quarter ice. - Can have players line up in different areas of the ice (tops of circles, blue line, center ice, etc).
- Start with 3 defenders inside the zone and 3 offensive players are ready to go just outside the tops of the face off circles. - There are 3 lines behind the offensive players and it is best to alternate colors if possible. - On the whistle, the coach passes a puck to one of the offensive players to begin the 3 on 3. - The 3 on 3 plays out. The offensive players are trying to score and the defensive players are working to pass the puck to one of the players that is next in line. - When the defensive players are able to pass the puck to one of the players next in line, the defenders rotate out of the ice, the players that were playing offense are now on defense, and the players who got the puck in line, now attack and are on offense. - This is a continuous small area game. If there are goals or the puck goes out of play, the coach can place a new puck into the zone.
- Offense should work on attacking quickly. Look for quick shots, tips, deflections and crashing the net.
- Defense should keep sticks on the ice to block passing lanes and support each other and be aware so they can pass tape to tape to the next forwards in line.
Union Small Area Scoring Game
The Union Scoring Small Area Game from Topher Scott is a fun small area game where teams can score on either net. The unique setup of the nets promotes creativity, thinking outside of the box to create time & space and score goals. Setup - Coach chips the puck into the zone or passes to one of the players to begin the 3 vs. 3 game. - Players can score on either net. - Game can be stopped when a goal is scored, the goalie freezes the puck, or the coach blows the whistle. Keep score!
- Head up: Players should be aware of where the other team and their teammates are. There will be lots of creative options available if you play with your head up!
- Stick on the ice: It helps the defense angle and remove passing lanes. It helps forwards tell each other where they want a pass.
- Space: Forwards work to create time and space. Defense work to take away time and space.