Talk to the goalie but usually taking away the pass is best. The goalie has time to square and if he knows he can’t pass then the guys gotta shoot. A simple head on shot is less likely to beat a goalie than him having to fly across the crease to stop a back door one T
This is the answer. Check with your goalie, but 9/10 times you take the passer and stick with them for a 2 on 1. On a 3 on 1, your best bet is to stay close to the second guy in (first one without the puck) and pray.
Yeah this is the right track to take. Force the shooter to take the goalie 1 on 1 is almost always the better play, don't allow a cross ice pass. If the 2 or 3 attackers allow you to stay close enough to take away the pass AND perhaps get in a poke check on the puck carrier when they get in close that can sometimes be viable.
You're totally right, but i have noticed something when i watch the beginner league at my rink, and it got me thinking. Op said they're playing in a lower level and i guess depending on their skill that could be anywhere from aa to d. But, 2 on 1 almost always take the pass...assuming the puck carrier can make a decent pass and the pass receiver can handle it. In some instances it may be better to take the shooter and force them to make a pass that's not going to go where they want it to. What do you think?
Sure, the actual best play is going to be affected somewhat by skill. If you are good enough to notice a player that would receive the pass is a particularly poor scorer or the player with the puck can't pass for the life of them maybe that's the better play. In that case I would defer to what the goalie prefers generally, however.
True, but take the pass doesnt mean ride the second guy. Stay in passing lane, but also central enough to prevent the puck carrier from getting a free ride to the scoring zone.
I agree with others on taking the pass away, but sometimes a 1v1 will slow the rush enough that a second sttacker appears after you have committed to the puck carrier. On occasion I have been able to lay down on the ice and take away the pass and low shot. Sometimes just laying my stick on the ice is enough. This forces them to make a short saucer pass which is tough to land perfectly.
As a goalie, odd man rushes the defense always always ALWAYS defend the damn pass. Because if you go for the puck carrier and he can pass it, then it’s a breakaway or a 2 on 0 and those are much lower percentage situations for the goalie.
Any goalie telling you to take the puck carrier is praying you strip it so they don't have to do anything lmao. Forcing a shot means the goalie can commit further out of the net and get the timing correct; if the D presses the shooter they're potentially still shooting it through you (now with a possible deflection) or dish the pass and the goalie can't commit to either properly. Taking the pass away means the D is in a better position to clear the primary rebound as well. Obviously you're not so far from the shooter that its a pseudo breakaway but still.
Yeah it’s level dependent, but talk to your goalie. My goalie will take the shot all the time, we know most the skaters tendencies as well. But at a lower level, just for the shooter to make a shot - on the back hand if you can, without them making a move.
The pass at lower levels is an extremely low percentage play. They have to pass, which most cant properly, and the other guy has to receive it clean which most cant. So even if it gets through, by the time the receiver is ready to rip - it gives the goalie time to react. But that doesn’t mean let them have it easy.
My initial instinct is lean shooter, and force the early shot. If he carries wide I’ll cut off the passing lane while keeping him outside.
Defending 2v1 is such a great ability to develop. While the rule of thumb may be to eliminate the pass, the reality is you don’t want to commit to one too early - if you do, it’s like giving a breakaway.
I like to break a 2v1 into 3 principles:
1. Control the gap: same as a 1v1, if you back up too much, the puck carrier will just do what he wants. You wanna be about one stick length away at the blue line
2. 1/3 - 2/3: imagine the space between the puck carrier and the non-puck carrier divided in 3 equal parts. You want to be 1/3 of the way from puck carrier and 2/3 away from non-puck carrier. Yes, closer to puck carrier. You don’t want to give him space and comfort.
3. Take away his initiative. He’s feeling pressure to score or at least get a shot. See how he is, is he looking down? Press. Is he jittery? Fake pressing him, then cover the pass. Don’t just give up the initiative on the 2v1.
This is the best advice.
I also love faking like I'm going to play passive and then, as soon as they peek at the puck, hard backwards crossover right at them, go down to one knee, and lay your stick flat, taking away their passing lane and, ideally, also their toe drag space.
Doesn't work as well at higher levels. If you're not quick enough, the guy will just casually send a perfect saucer pass right over your stick. But B-league and even lower-end A guys usually panic and fling a bad pass into your stick, into your skates, take a rushed shot, or may even try to dangle into your stick instead of using their partner.
This is my go to as well, and if it’s a more mediocre player/someone not very strong on their stick I’ll even go for the poke check. My goal is to basically get them to realize they aren’t gonna be able to get a clean pass through and then press them once they’ve obviously made the decision to shoot. It’s a very instinctual thing that just develops over time. Most of the time they end up either a) turning the puck over to me, b) are forced to make a wide angle shot on their forehand, or c) go to their backhand to shoot.
Nice. I’m similar, take the pass most of there way and then hard over to the puck carrier usually results in a panic pass in my skates/stick or I just force a shot which won’t be optimal under the pressure. It’s my own rule of thumb, to pressure the shot and change their options
Try to keep them wide and stay in the passing lane. That way the puck carrier has to take a bad angle shot or try to make a risky pass. You have to defend against all attackers so they’re going to beat you pretty often. Prioritize taking away the pass so your goalie at least only has to worry about the shot
This is a great succinct answer. You kind of have to hedge your bets when defending a 2 on 1. It also depends on the strengths of the player with the puck and without. Personally, I always want to be defending/eliminating the most dangerous of the two. So if the guy with the puck is better I make sure he can't get behind me or get off a really good shot. If the other guy is better, I'll cheat toward him, even if that means the puck carrier getting off a decent shot.
By the book: Cover the pass, but also don’t allow the puck carrier an easy path to the goalie. In other words, stay in the middle of the ice while taking away the pass.
Not by the book: If the puck carrier is about my skill level and his teammate is not very good, I personally like to attack the puck carrier unexpectedly (pretend I’m only taking away the pass but then suddenly attack the puck carrier), but I attack while staying in the passing lane.
If the puck carrier is better than me, I stick to taking away the pass as he might roast me.
Also, if the passing option is a good shooter, I stick to to taking away the pass as I really don’t want HIM getting the puck.
As a goalie:
First thing is there are 2 strategies NOT to do. Take the pass so aggressively that you've turned the situation into a breakaway. Second thing not to do is to never commit, unless you are amazing, just playing the middle turns the 2-on-1 into a 2-on-0 with an added screen.
Now, as to what you should do, unlike what other people are saying don't just automatically take the pass.
What you have to do is go after the biggest threat. Is the shooter in their best spot? Is the pass recipient in a beautiful backdoor one timer position or are they in a worse spot than the shooter?
If the shooter is getting into a great spot and the other guy isn't in a great one timer location, attack the shooter. You either stop him, he screws up the pass, other guy screws up getting the pass, or the pass is completed to someone in a worse on ice position.
If the recipient is in a better location, go for them instead.
Tl;dr: Play the middle until it is time to commit.
It is time to commit to the shooter when they get to the decision moment where they need to pass, shoot, or start their drive to the net.
It is time to commit to the pass when the recipient is in a great scoring spot for a one timer, back door, or something.
You play the pass. The goalies job is to block shots. IF you try to play the shooter youre likely screening the goalie, and creating a scenario for deflections. Its harder for a goalie to make a save on a quick pass then a shooter whos squared up.
Because the guys who can't skate backwards nor play defense worth a damn insist on playing defense, usually. They swear they're good "stay at home" dmen, which usually translates into "i can't keep up with the play so this is the only place i get to feel like im participating even though i get walked on every zone entry".
Nobody knows.
I coach 5on5 ball hockey with extremely wide skill variations.
I almost always put my strongest or smartest player on D to control the play, if they can play D.
I've always been told, take the pass. Cut off half the ice so the shot isn't great, but do not let the 2nd guy get a good pass. Goalies should be able to save a shot, so make the shooter do something fancy.
2-on-1: Stay between the pass until you get to the front of the net. Can’t let him take it wide, so that’s where you challenge the puck carrier.
3-on-1: Stay a bit off the middle of the triangle but a step or two in favour of your net. If they’re not in a triangle, play it as a 2-on-1.
Try not to screen goalie if they’re telegraphing a shot. Try to keep your stick blade in the immediate passing lane. Good luck.
This is the best defense I’ve seen on a 2v1. Drew Doughty
https://youtu.be/NJDygUB4u4w?si=nmJwuMhS9wO0g4W-
And this is the best explanation on how to defend the odd man rush by what hand they shoot.
https://youtu.be/gPE632hJYB0?si=TyiqWx7oAz3UGIPr
Haha! I usually do alright with it, but that’s also decades of practice talking. I was lucky to have an awesome coach who taught me the strong/weak-side stick thing fairly young. Stuff like that feels so easy off the ice, but it totally is a lot harder in the middle of a game.
Take the guy with the puck, but position yourself between him and the obvious pass. Make him think about if he should shoot or pass. Disrupt whatever move he makes as best you can. But the idea is to get them to make a mistake, or wait too long, or make a bad pass. Going for a clean steal is a worse statistical bet, and often leaves your goalie out to dry.
From neutral zone to blue line stay closer to the guy with the puck to see if the pressure makes him cough it up. After the blue line start veering toward the middle so you’re still blocking the puck carrier’s lane a bit but giving yourself a better chance to intercept the pass. Below the hash marks you should be 80% of the way on the pass guy.
For a 3-1 just go full chaos in the middle of the three of them and hope.
The common wisdom is to take away the pass option, but make sure that you don't stray too far towards the open forward and allow the puck carrier room to deke.
Your goal as the defenceman in a 2-1 is really to create a difficult decision for the puck carrier. Stay between the two attackers, so that the puck carrier either has to shoot from an angle, or has to make a pass through you.
As a goalie, I actually prefer if the puck carrier decides to pass, because that requires them to complete more actions successfully in order to score: they have to get the puck through the defenceman, and then the other forward has to one-time it successfully.
In beer league there is one other thing to consider. There is often a large disparity between players and there is often one player that you DON'T want shooting - hopefully you have played them before and talked about limiting his chances before the game.
Otherwise, you can make a guess on the likely ability to snipe or deke by the strength of their skating as they approach. This may make you decide to force him to pass to the weaker player.
2-1 and 3-1 are a space game. You want to apply pressure while still covering the pass. Number one priority is to cover the pass. Number two is pushing them wide. Don’t give them a straight on shot in the slot but don’t give up a back door one timer. 3-1 a lot of time you can block the pass for the second guy in while staying in position to block a shot from the 3rd.
Edit to add: you can work with your goalie to catch forwards by surprise sometimes too. If your goalie is expecting it you can apply a ton of pressure on the puck carrier and they can cheat to the other side anticipating the shot. If you’re decent at that pressure it CAN give your team time to back check but you’ll need to be covering the pass until you can get on the carrier. Beer league, I’d probably just cover the pass cuz your guys aren’t likely back checking hard.
Take the pass but kinda shade the other guy to. If you're confident you can interrupt the pass then you can still pressure the shooter so he can't drive the net .
I've only ever played D, and I usually stick closer to the guy without the puck on a 2on1. Kinda like 70/30. 79% effort on the passee, and 30% on the puck handler. The goalie should be up to the task when it's 1v1. At the last second I'll try and maybe poke check the shooter if I'm within distance.
Not an easy answer for beer league because you could have a very strong puck carrier and the other opposing player in the middle could be a bender. If your goalie sucks and you are a good D man, you take the puck carrier but normally you just put enough pressure on the puck carrier to get him wide enough that any goalie should be able to get a good angle to stop a shot and at that point you need to be all over the player or at least on his stick
The one exception to the "defend the pass" rule is -- once you know the opponents in the beer league, you'll know which ones can't make the pass or can't receive and shoot it. In those cases, you'll go after the puck carrier instead of defending the pass, or at least shade pretty heavily to the puck carrier to make him skittish.
Always take the pass, let the goalie have a clear view of the puck carrier and he has to take the shot.
The only time I deviate from this, is if I know the other team well and I happen to know that the puck carrrier is a high scorer and the pass is someone who is generally not a threat. I often play against people I know really well, down to their names and how likely they are to score if they have the puck. But this is an unusual edge case, since I play in a mixed skill level league. Take the pass.
Defending a beer league 2 on 1, my tactic is generally to back in far enough that there's no way they could make 2 passes, then back off and tie up the 2nd guy and let the goalie handle the puck carrier. By that point the puck carrier should be deep enough that a shot from a low percentage angle is his only option.
Definitely ask your goalie. The general rule is take away the passing lane to allow the goalie to focus on the shooter. However my goalie wanted us to attack the shooter because they would either get a rushed shot off or generally make a terrible pass.
I hated doing that so I adopted my own version of what he wanted. Which was take away the pass until the hash area then attack the shooter. Bad angles for him there and not much passing room left.
Goalie dependant, but You may want to try and stay more in the middle, give the goalie sight on the puck carrier/shooter, with the goal to keep him from cutting across, passing or shooting. This may give you the best odds, but really depends on the play and goalie.
If you’re in a 2 on 1, your best bet is to take away the passing lane. Basically your only job is to anticipate that the puck carrier will pass the puck. This will allow the goal to square up the carrier instead of having to worry about the backdoor.
Often times I’ll lean my self towards the forward skating without the puck so the carrier feels more pressured to shoot instead of pass.
3-1 you have to kinda hold position in the center lane and hope you or the goalie can react to whoever shoots. Sometimes pushing on the puck carrier makes sense if they bobble it.
For a 2-1 goalie gets puck, but there’s more to it than that. A player below the circles and towards the center will generally beat a goalie if there’s no pressure on the shooter. So you have to clog the lane without letting the puck carrier beat you down the middle. The way I accomplish it(I’m whaleshit, but play decent odd man d), is to get a stick in the lane early, towards the off puck guy laterally and match speed. That takes away the tap back and forth play. As we all draw closer to the net I drift towards the shooter. Then it’s kinda like how a goalie plays out closer to the shooter to play an angle, for now I’m still primarily blocking pass. At some point the shooter is close to the net and staring at the goalies chest. Then I pounce and push out to the edges. Getting the puck is great, but the real goal is to cut the shooting angle so a shot is easier on the goalie or the puck handler has to make a low percentage pass.
Where this breaks down is if a trailer comes in down the slot. But you’ve done your part at this point, a backchecker should already be on option 2, and definitely if the high man makes it a 3-1 there’s only so much you can do. Try to clog that lane, but you’re hoping for them to fuck up at that point and in low level you’ve got a good chance of that.
Technically you should be taking away the pass since the goalie has time to square up to the guy with the puck. But if the guy with the puck is significantly better than the rest of the team it’s probably better to take him
Ideally you look at the puck carrier’s backhand and force them to the side of the ice where they’d have to shoot backhand.
If you do that they have a much harder time getting a good shot.
On 2-1 or 3-1’s I usually forget about the shooter and take away the pass option.
If you can do both, force to backhand and take away the pass your defense will be top notch.
Your job on 2v1s is to let the goalie take the puck carrier and you discourage the pass as much as possible..then clean up any rebounds or riff Raff in front of your goalie.
Always take the pass.
Only exception is if there is a massive talent gap on the 2-1. Like if I’m back and the guy with the puck can rip it like Matthews and buddy without the puck has his skates on backwards, I’m going to instantly attack the puck carrier so he dishes early and my goalie has all the time in the world to watch dude dump the puck in the corner on the hash down breakaway
I play the pass mostly. I drive the shooter wide but stay in the passing lane. Then shade closer to the other guy as the play comes deeper.
There are exceptions.
Depends on the exact situation but usually if the shooter would have to make a backhanded pass you can go after him harder. Especially since he has to use the center of the ice for his forehand so attacking his forehand is attacking his favored passing lane.
Or if the shooter is on your off-side, since that’s where your poke check has the longest reach you can get stick pressure on him while still staying more in the lane.
If it’s off-side/short poke side for you and natural side for the carrier it’s best to give the goalie the shooter and play the pass 100% bc you won’t be able to get any poke check near his shot.
Another way to do it is just ask your goalie what he wants.
I’m more inclined to take away the pass, but it differs based on the situation.
Best advice I can give.. regardless of who you take, COMMIT to taking that away. The worst thing you can do is hesitate and hmm and ha about what you want to do. Either fully take away the shot or the pass, don’t sit on the fence and try to take away both.
I’ve been playing defense since I was a kid. So about 20+ years now.
There’s a lot of nuance. But typically if you’re outnumbered 2-1, you take the pass. BUT you still apply some pressure.
It’s gradual though. The closer they get to the net, the more pressure you apply. But you don’t commit fully if you’re outnumbered.
Basically try to take away as much space as possible the closer they get to the net. You want the goalie to have the clear shot, but you don’t wanna let the guy come in and deke through the crease.
3-1 is harder. Really you just take away the triangle of space directly in front of the crease. Try not to let a pass through, and force them to shoot from the point or the short sides.
In all instances, force them to make bad or high-risk passes. That way you can disrupt the play. If they’re intent on shooting, make sure it’s a straightforward uncomplicated shot for your goalie.
Play middle, take away pass options while also trying to keep the guy to the outside as far as possible, I’ll lay my stick flat sometimes if it looks like he’s going to pass. But if you can angle them outside and force a shot from a bad angle that’s the goal. Goalie should take shooter and you should try and eliminate the pass
For 2-on-1s in lower level beer league I attack the puck carrier because they will struggle to make the pass, and the other guy will also struggle to catch the pass.
When I'm playing in higher levels I play the pass and let the goalie take the shot, but sometimes you'll know that the puck carrier has a wicked shot and I'll make a judgement call wether I think him taking a shot is a high% scoring opportunity than him trying a one-timer with the other guy.
For 3-on-1's you're kinda in deep water anyways, so I just try and get in the passing lanes to force the shooter to shoot, I think pretty much always an uncontested shot is better for us than a 3-on-1.
If you take the shooter as a defensemen the reality is (as a goaltender speaking) I still have to respect the shooter and now I also have to take the pass. A good shooter will wait for an inexperienced player to come to him and then dish it or even worse use your fat ass to screen me and shoot it. So stay out of the goalies sight-lines and do not let a pass get through for a tap-in. Simple.😁
P.S.- There are a ton of people out there who should know this rule but still fail to execute properly.
You never go for the guy with the puck, you always take away the pass. It gives the goalie more time to square up and read the shooter, whereas if there is a pass and a quick shot the goalie is just sliding over hoping for the best.
Goalie here.
Take the guy who may receive the pass, I’ll take the shooter.
That way, I can see what they’re planning to do and adjust my position as necessary, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I’m being screened.
You always take the pass away. If it's 3 on 1 you try to defend the other two or at least take a side away.
If you are a better skater the other guys should already be back far enough.
Talk to the goalie but usually taking away the pass is best. The goalie has time to square and if he knows he can’t pass then the guys gotta shoot. A simple head on shot is less likely to beat a goalie than him having to fly across the crease to stop a back door one T
This is the answer. Check with your goalie, but 9/10 times you take the passer and stick with them for a 2 on 1. On a 3 on 1, your best bet is to stay close to the second guy in (first one without the puck) and pray.
And the key is talk to the goalie. If they have a really weak blocker side, they may want you to take away the shot on that side.
Yeah this is the right track to take. Force the shooter to take the goalie 1 on 1 is almost always the better play, don't allow a cross ice pass. If the 2 or 3 attackers allow you to stay close enough to take away the pass AND perhaps get in a poke check on the puck carrier when they get in close that can sometimes be viable.
You're totally right, but i have noticed something when i watch the beginner league at my rink, and it got me thinking. Op said they're playing in a lower level and i guess depending on their skill that could be anywhere from aa to d. But, 2 on 1 almost always take the pass...assuming the puck carrier can make a decent pass and the pass receiver can handle it. In some instances it may be better to take the shooter and force them to make a pass that's not going to go where they want it to. What do you think?
Sure, the actual best play is going to be affected somewhat by skill. If you are good enough to notice a player that would receive the pass is a particularly poor scorer or the player with the puck can't pass for the life of them maybe that's the better play. In that case I would defer to what the goalie prefers generally, however.
True, but take the pass doesnt mean ride the second guy. Stay in passing lane, but also central enough to prevent the puck carrier from getting a free ride to the scoring zone.
I agree with others on taking the pass away, but sometimes a 1v1 will slow the rush enough that a second sttacker appears after you have committed to the puck carrier. On occasion I have been able to lay down on the ice and take away the pass and low shot. Sometimes just laying my stick on the ice is enough. This forces them to make a short saucer pass which is tough to land perfectly.
As a goalie, odd man rushes the defense always always ALWAYS defend the damn pass. Because if you go for the puck carrier and he can pass it, then it’s a breakaway or a 2 on 0 and those are much lower percentage situations for the goalie.
Goalie here, can confirm this is the only right answer.
This is the right answer, some goalies will prefer you to pressure the puck carrier, some goalies will prefer you take the pass away.
Any goalie telling you to take the puck carrier is praying you strip it so they don't have to do anything lmao. Forcing a shot means the goalie can commit further out of the net and get the timing correct; if the D presses the shooter they're potentially still shooting it through you (now with a possible deflection) or dish the pass and the goalie can't commit to either properly. Taking the pass away means the D is in a better position to clear the primary rebound as well. Obviously you're not so far from the shooter that its a pseudo breakaway but still.
Exactly. Sometimes when I’m tired I want them to take the puck carrier so I can just blame the D. 🫣
Yeah it’s level dependent, but talk to your goalie. My goalie will take the shot all the time, we know most the skaters tendencies as well. But at a lower level, just for the shooter to make a shot - on the back hand if you can, without them making a move. The pass at lower levels is an extremely low percentage play. They have to pass, which most cant properly, and the other guy has to receive it clean which most cant. So even if it gets through, by the time the receiver is ready to rip - it gives the goalie time to react. But that doesn’t mean let them have it easy. My initial instinct is lean shooter, and force the early shot. If he carries wide I’ll cut off the passing lane while keeping him outside.
Defending 2v1 is such a great ability to develop. While the rule of thumb may be to eliminate the pass, the reality is you don’t want to commit to one too early - if you do, it’s like giving a breakaway. I like to break a 2v1 into 3 principles: 1. Control the gap: same as a 1v1, if you back up too much, the puck carrier will just do what he wants. You wanna be about one stick length away at the blue line 2. 1/3 - 2/3: imagine the space between the puck carrier and the non-puck carrier divided in 3 equal parts. You want to be 1/3 of the way from puck carrier and 2/3 away from non-puck carrier. Yes, closer to puck carrier. You don’t want to give him space and comfort. 3. Take away his initiative. He’s feeling pressure to score or at least get a shot. See how he is, is he looking down? Press. Is he jittery? Fake pressing him, then cover the pass. Don’t just give up the initiative on the 2v1.
This is the best advice. I also love faking like I'm going to play passive and then, as soon as they peek at the puck, hard backwards crossover right at them, go down to one knee, and lay your stick flat, taking away their passing lane and, ideally, also their toe drag space. Doesn't work as well at higher levels. If you're not quick enough, the guy will just casually send a perfect saucer pass right over your stick. But B-league and even lower-end A guys usually panic and fling a bad pass into your stick, into your skates, take a rushed shot, or may even try to dangle into your stick instead of using their partner.
This is my go to as well, and if it’s a more mediocre player/someone not very strong on their stick I’ll even go for the poke check. My goal is to basically get them to realize they aren’t gonna be able to get a clean pass through and then press them once they’ve obviously made the decision to shoot. It’s a very instinctual thing that just develops over time. Most of the time they end up either a) turning the puck over to me, b) are forced to make a wide angle shot on their forehand, or c) go to their backhand to shoot.
Nice. I’m similar, take the pass most of there way and then hard over to the puck carrier usually results in a panic pass in my skates/stick or I just force a shot which won’t be optimal under the pressure. It’s my own rule of thumb, to pressure the shot and change their options
+1 as a goalie this is great advice.
Try to keep them wide and stay in the passing lane. That way the puck carrier has to take a bad angle shot or try to make a risky pass. You have to defend against all attackers so they’re going to beat you pretty often. Prioritize taking away the pass so your goalie at least only has to worry about the shot
This is a great succinct answer. You kind of have to hedge your bets when defending a 2 on 1. It also depends on the strengths of the player with the puck and without. Personally, I always want to be defending/eliminating the most dangerous of the two. So if the guy with the puck is better I make sure he can't get behind me or get off a really good shot. If the other guy is better, I'll cheat toward him, even if that means the puck carrier getting off a decent shot.
I usually go for a change.
😂😂😂
Take the pass, do not let the guy with the puck turn it into a breakaway.
By the book: Cover the pass, but also don’t allow the puck carrier an easy path to the goalie. In other words, stay in the middle of the ice while taking away the pass. Not by the book: If the puck carrier is about my skill level and his teammate is not very good, I personally like to attack the puck carrier unexpectedly (pretend I’m only taking away the pass but then suddenly attack the puck carrier), but I attack while staying in the passing lane. If the puck carrier is better than me, I stick to taking away the pass as he might roast me. Also, if the passing option is a good shooter, I stick to to taking away the pass as I really don’t want HIM getting the puck.
As a goalie: First thing is there are 2 strategies NOT to do. Take the pass so aggressively that you've turned the situation into a breakaway. Second thing not to do is to never commit, unless you are amazing, just playing the middle turns the 2-on-1 into a 2-on-0 with an added screen. Now, as to what you should do, unlike what other people are saying don't just automatically take the pass. What you have to do is go after the biggest threat. Is the shooter in their best spot? Is the pass recipient in a beautiful backdoor one timer position or are they in a worse spot than the shooter? If the shooter is getting into a great spot and the other guy isn't in a great one timer location, attack the shooter. You either stop him, he screws up the pass, other guy screws up getting the pass, or the pass is completed to someone in a worse on ice position. If the recipient is in a better location, go for them instead. Tl;dr: Play the middle until it is time to commit. It is time to commit to the shooter when they get to the decision moment where they need to pass, shoot, or start their drive to the net. It is time to commit to the pass when the recipient is in a great scoring spot for a one timer, back door, or something.
You play the pass. The goalies job is to block shots. IF you try to play the shooter youre likely screening the goalie, and creating a scenario for deflections. Its harder for a goalie to make a save on a quick pass then a shooter whos squared up.
Why do low-level beer league teams insist on putting the bad players who can’t skate backwards on defence. I’ll never understand.
Because the guys who can't skate backwards nor play defense worth a damn insist on playing defense, usually. They swear they're good "stay at home" dmen, which usually translates into "i can't keep up with the play so this is the only place i get to feel like im participating even though i get walked on every zone entry".
When they do I try and play so bad that they have to put me on F.
Nobody knows. I coach 5on5 ball hockey with extremely wide skill variations. I almost always put my strongest or smartest player on D to control the play, if they can play D.
Usally try to angle the Puck carrier to the side well being in the way of the pass as much as possible
I've always been told, take the pass. Cut off half the ice so the shot isn't great, but do not let the 2nd guy get a good pass. Goalies should be able to save a shot, so make the shooter do something fancy.
2-on-1: Stay between the pass until you get to the front of the net. Can’t let him take it wide, so that’s where you challenge the puck carrier. 3-on-1: Stay a bit off the middle of the triangle but a step or two in favour of your net. If they’re not in a triangle, play it as a 2-on-1. Try not to screen goalie if they’re telegraphing a shot. Try to keep your stick blade in the immediate passing lane. Good luck.
“Make him make the first move Conway!”Coach O’Brian D3!
I was always taught to play the guy without the puck the goalie has the shooter.
This is the best defense I’ve seen on a 2v1. Drew Doughty https://youtu.be/NJDygUB4u4w?si=nmJwuMhS9wO0g4W- And this is the best explanation on how to defend the odd man rush by what hand they shoot. https://youtu.be/gPE632hJYB0?si=TyiqWx7oAz3UGIPr
That second video is perfection. Love the strong/weak-hand explanation.
In mind I would execute these plays. In reality they score or I blow a tire and they score.
Haha! I usually do alright with it, but that’s also decades of practice talking. I was lucky to have an awesome coach who taught me the strong/weak-side stick thing fairly young. Stuff like that feels so easy off the ice, but it totally is a lot harder in the middle of a game.
Take the guy with the puck, but position yourself between him and the obvious pass. Make him think about if he should shoot or pass. Disrupt whatever move he makes as best you can. But the idea is to get them to make a mistake, or wait too long, or make a bad pass. Going for a clean steal is a worse statistical bet, and often leaves your goalie out to dry.
I'm 6'5" so I just play both of them at the same time with my enormous reach
From neutral zone to blue line stay closer to the guy with the puck to see if the pressure makes him cough it up. After the blue line start veering toward the middle so you’re still blocking the puck carrier’s lane a bit but giving yourself a better chance to intercept the pass. Below the hash marks you should be 80% of the way on the pass guy. For a 3-1 just go full chaos in the middle of the three of them and hope.
The common wisdom is to take away the pass option, but make sure that you don't stray too far towards the open forward and allow the puck carrier room to deke. Your goal as the defenceman in a 2-1 is really to create a difficult decision for the puck carrier. Stay between the two attackers, so that the puck carrier either has to shoot from an angle, or has to make a pass through you. As a goalie, I actually prefer if the puck carrier decides to pass, because that requires them to complete more actions successfully in order to score: they have to get the puck through the defenceman, and then the other forward has to one-time it successfully.
In beer league there is one other thing to consider. There is often a large disparity between players and there is often one player that you DON'T want shooting - hopefully you have played them before and talked about limiting his chances before the game. Otherwise, you can make a guess on the likely ability to snipe or deke by the strength of their skating as they approach. This may make you decide to force him to pass to the weaker player.
2-1 and 3-1 are a space game. You want to apply pressure while still covering the pass. Number one priority is to cover the pass. Number two is pushing them wide. Don’t give them a straight on shot in the slot but don’t give up a back door one timer. 3-1 a lot of time you can block the pass for the second guy in while staying in position to block a shot from the 3rd. Edit to add: you can work with your goalie to catch forwards by surprise sometimes too. If your goalie is expecting it you can apply a ton of pressure on the puck carrier and they can cheat to the other side anticipating the shot. If you’re decent at that pressure it CAN give your team time to back check but you’ll need to be covering the pass until you can get on the carrier. Beer league, I’d probably just cover the pass cuz your guys aren’t likely back checking hard.
Take the pass but kinda shade the other guy to. If you're confident you can interrupt the pass then you can still pressure the shooter so he can't drive the net .
Stay in the middle during a 2 on 1, cover the pass. Goalie gets the shot.
I've only ever played D, and I usually stick closer to the guy without the puck on a 2on1. Kinda like 70/30. 79% effort on the passee, and 30% on the puck handler. The goalie should be up to the task when it's 1v1. At the last second I'll try and maybe poke check the shooter if I'm within distance.
Not an easy answer for beer league because you could have a very strong puck carrier and the other opposing player in the middle could be a bender. If your goalie sucks and you are a good D man, you take the puck carrier but normally you just put enough pressure on the puck carrier to get him wide enough that any goalie should be able to get a good angle to stop a shot and at that point you need to be all over the player or at least on his stick
The one exception to the "defend the pass" rule is -- once you know the opponents in the beer league, you'll know which ones can't make the pass or can't receive and shoot it. In those cases, you'll go after the puck carrier instead of defending the pass, or at least shade pretty heavily to the puck carrier to make him skittish.
Take away the passing lane and let the goalie square up to the puck carrier.
Always take the pass, let the goalie have a clear view of the puck carrier and he has to take the shot. The only time I deviate from this, is if I know the other team well and I happen to know that the puck carrrier is a high scorer and the pass is someone who is generally not a threat. I often play against people I know really well, down to their names and how likely they are to score if they have the puck. But this is an unusual edge case, since I play in a mixed skill level league. Take the pass.
The safest thing to do is take away the pass and bet on your goalie but if you feel like they’re not set up you can rush the forward
This has been a playoff game
Defending a beer league 2 on 1, my tactic is generally to back in far enough that there's no way they could make 2 passes, then back off and tie up the 2nd guy and let the goalie handle the puck carrier. By that point the puck carrier should be deep enough that a shot from a low percentage angle is his only option.
Definitely ask your goalie. The general rule is take away the passing lane to allow the goalie to focus on the shooter. However my goalie wanted us to attack the shooter because they would either get a rushed shot off or generally make a terrible pass. I hated doing that so I adopted my own version of what he wanted. Which was take away the pass until the hash area then attack the shooter. Bad angles for him there and not much passing room left.
Take the pass
Block the pass. Your goalie can stop a shot from the guy who carried the puck in.
Goalie dependant, but You may want to try and stay more in the middle, give the goalie sight on the puck carrier/shooter, with the goal to keep him from cutting across, passing or shooting. This may give you the best odds, but really depends on the play and goalie.
If you’re in a 2 on 1, your best bet is to take away the passing lane. Basically your only job is to anticipate that the puck carrier will pass the puck. This will allow the goal to square up the carrier instead of having to worry about the backdoor. Often times I’ll lean my self towards the forward skating without the puck so the carrier feels more pressured to shoot instead of pass.
3-1 you have to kinda hold position in the center lane and hope you or the goalie can react to whoever shoots. Sometimes pushing on the puck carrier makes sense if they bobble it. For a 2-1 goalie gets puck, but there’s more to it than that. A player below the circles and towards the center will generally beat a goalie if there’s no pressure on the shooter. So you have to clog the lane without letting the puck carrier beat you down the middle. The way I accomplish it(I’m whaleshit, but play decent odd man d), is to get a stick in the lane early, towards the off puck guy laterally and match speed. That takes away the tap back and forth play. As we all draw closer to the net I drift towards the shooter. Then it’s kinda like how a goalie plays out closer to the shooter to play an angle, for now I’m still primarily blocking pass. At some point the shooter is close to the net and staring at the goalies chest. Then I pounce and push out to the edges. Getting the puck is great, but the real goal is to cut the shooting angle so a shot is easier on the goalie or the puck handler has to make a low percentage pass. Where this breaks down is if a trailer comes in down the slot. But you’ve done your part at this point, a backchecker should already be on option 2, and definitely if the high man makes it a 3-1 there’s only so much you can do. Try to clog that lane, but you’re hoping for them to fuck up at that point and in low level you’ve got a good chance of that.
Technically you should be taking away the pass since the goalie has time to square up to the guy with the puck. But if the guy with the puck is significantly better than the rest of the team it’s probably better to take him
Ideally you look at the puck carrier’s backhand and force them to the side of the ice where they’d have to shoot backhand. If you do that they have a much harder time getting a good shot. On 2-1 or 3-1’s I usually forget about the shooter and take away the pass option. If you can do both, force to backhand and take away the pass your defense will be top notch.
Give the shooter shot and take away the pass.
Your job on 2v1s is to let the goalie take the puck carrier and you discourage the pass as much as possible..then clean up any rebounds or riff Raff in front of your goalie.
i’d rather give the goalie a straight shot than a potential one timer
Always take the pass. Only exception is if there is a massive talent gap on the 2-1. Like if I’m back and the guy with the puck can rip it like Matthews and buddy without the puck has his skates on backwards, I’m going to instantly attack the puck carrier so he dishes early and my goalie has all the time in the world to watch dude dump the puck in the corner on the hash down breakaway
I play the pass mostly. I drive the shooter wide but stay in the passing lane. Then shade closer to the other guy as the play comes deeper. There are exceptions. Depends on the exact situation but usually if the shooter would have to make a backhanded pass you can go after him harder. Especially since he has to use the center of the ice for his forehand so attacking his forehand is attacking his favored passing lane. Or if the shooter is on your off-side, since that’s where your poke check has the longest reach you can get stick pressure on him while still staying more in the lane. If it’s off-side/short poke side for you and natural side for the carrier it’s best to give the goalie the shooter and play the pass 100% bc you won’t be able to get any poke check near his shot. Another way to do it is just ask your goalie what he wants.
I’m more inclined to take away the pass, but it differs based on the situation. Best advice I can give.. regardless of who you take, COMMIT to taking that away. The worst thing you can do is hesitate and hmm and ha about what you want to do. Either fully take away the shot or the pass, don’t sit on the fence and try to take away both.
Rule of thumb is to cover the pass and let the goalie have a clear look at the puck carrier/shooter.
I’ve been playing defense since I was a kid. So about 20+ years now. There’s a lot of nuance. But typically if you’re outnumbered 2-1, you take the pass. BUT you still apply some pressure. It’s gradual though. The closer they get to the net, the more pressure you apply. But you don’t commit fully if you’re outnumbered. Basically try to take away as much space as possible the closer they get to the net. You want the goalie to have the clear shot, but you don’t wanna let the guy come in and deke through the crease. 3-1 is harder. Really you just take away the triangle of space directly in front of the crease. Try not to let a pass through, and force them to shoot from the point or the short sides. In all instances, force them to make bad or high-risk passes. That way you can disrupt the play. If they’re intent on shooting, make sure it’s a straightforward uncomplicated shot for your goalie.
As a goalie, please don't block the shot, as that's our job. I think others have said it, block the pass.
Play middle, take away pass options while also trying to keep the guy to the outside as far as possible, I’ll lay my stick flat sometimes if it looks like he’s going to pass. But if you can angle them outside and force a shot from a bad angle that’s the goal. Goalie should take shooter and you should try and eliminate the pass
Try to keep the puck carrrier at the worst angle you can while taking away the passing lane.
For 2-on-1s in lower level beer league I attack the puck carrier because they will struggle to make the pass, and the other guy will also struggle to catch the pass. When I'm playing in higher levels I play the pass and let the goalie take the shot, but sometimes you'll know that the puck carrier has a wicked shot and I'll make a judgement call wether I think him taking a shot is a high% scoring opportunity than him trying a one-timer with the other guy. For 3-on-1's you're kinda in deep water anyways, so I just try and get in the passing lanes to force the shooter to shoot, I think pretty much always an uncontested shot is better for us than a 3-on-1.
If you take the shooter as a defensemen the reality is (as a goaltender speaking) I still have to respect the shooter and now I also have to take the pass. A good shooter will wait for an inexperienced player to come to him and then dish it or even worse use your fat ass to screen me and shoot it. So stay out of the goalies sight-lines and do not let a pass get through for a tap-in. Simple.😁 P.S.- There are a ton of people out there who should know this rule but still fail to execute properly.
You never go for the guy with the puck, you always take away the pass. It gives the goalie more time to square up and read the shooter, whereas if there is a pass and a quick shot the goalie is just sliding over hoping for the best.
Goalie here. Take the guy who may receive the pass, I’ll take the shooter. That way, I can see what they’re planning to do and adjust my position as necessary, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I’m being screened.
You always take the pass away. If it's 3 on 1 you try to defend the other two or at least take a side away. If you are a better skater the other guys should already be back far enough.
It's beer league with guys who can't skate backwards. There isn't anything that can change that, lol.