DZ FACEOFFS
RISK OF TAKING DZ FACEOFFS
(Aug 2009)
Defensive zone faceoffs represent a substantial defensive risk. Indeed, after winning a defensive zone draw, your team will allow more shots on goal in the next 30 seconds than if you had lost a faceoff in the neutral zone.
When you lose a faceoff in your own end, opponent shots on goal go up so quickly that it’s as though you gave the other team a 10-15 second power-play. For several seconds, the rate of shots allowed is as high as it is on a 5-on-3.
The prospect of this level of defensive disadvantage, particularly late in a one-goal game, must give coaches nightmares.
DZ FACEOFF FORMATION
Most beer league teams still use the basic center ice faceoff formation in all positions on the ice. While it works fine for center ice and the attacking zone, it is not a very good setup in the defensive zone.
The traditional faceoff alignment, a few positions have to skate through other players to reach their assigned coverage area. In addition, none of those routes takes the player into an area where the puck is likely to be. Finally, a shift in the attackers position further challenges defending players to gain a positional advantage.
The attacking team has an area of uncontested ice after the faceoff (highlighted in grey). In addition, cleanly won faceoffs result in both the RW and RD having open space to get an uncontested shot from within this grey area before the defending player can reach them, or even try to block a shot, since they are coming from an off angle.
Alternative Defensive Zone Formation
An alternative lines up players with their coverage area, and the shooting lane.
This formation, the wingers (who need to cover distance quickly after a faceoff) can jump more quickly because they have the same initial skating pattern regardless of whether or not the faceoff is won or lost, and they’re not asked to engage with other wingers in the event a puck battle ensues in a contested faceoff.
The following takes place in this formation:
· Defensemen engage immediately with opposing wingers
· Wingers move immediately
· Wingers move directly at the opposing defensemen
· Wingers always remain in the shooting lane
· Strong side winger (LW in the example) moves through the soft spot to steal soft faceoff wins
· Both wingers gains speed for quick breakaway in case of a clean win.
The biggest challenge in this system is that it puts pressure on the strong side defenseman (LD in this example) to retrieve pucks in a faceoff win, so it’s not a good system if your defenders are weaker skaters on your team.
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