The hockey forecheck is a system or strategy designed to gain possession of the puck.
The Neutral Zone Forecheck is the name given to a variety of formations used to defend against the team’s opponent gaining the offensive zone. This is not to be confused with the Offensive Zone Forecheck, which is any number of formations used to regain possession of the puck after entering the offensive zone.
Any coordinated system that the opposing team uses to try and disrupt the break out can be called a forecheck. The goal is to turn over the puck, gain possession, and generate a scoring chance.
Generally, using the 2-1-2 and the 1-2-2 are the best all around forechecks that everyone knows. They often make the most sense.
the first two forwards (no matter their position), work together to get to the puck, get possession, and support one another to keep it. Meantime, the third player, should stay in the high slot and look for a pass. Don’t crowd the net. The third player (F3) should be willing to shoot. The non-shooting forwards should get to the net for a rebound, tip in, deflection, or pass.
IMPORTANCE OF PRESSURE
Transition Prevention is a two-part process: Forechecking in the offensive zone and Zone Entry Prevention in the neutral zone.
Forechecking teams prevent a zone entry 78% of the time if they pressure the puck carrier at the time of the zone exit, but just 46% of the time if they do not.
Pressuring the player making a zone exit forces him to make a worse zone exit.
The player breaking out manages to carry the puck out with possession just 4% of the time, vs. 19% when they do not face pressure.
The key effects of pressure on a forecheck are forcing turnovers and encouraging bad exit types
THE FIVE FORECHECKING SYSTEMS
There are usually five types of forechecks:
· 1-4 conservative trap – This is your basic 1990’s Devils trap.
· 1-3-1 conservative trap – This was the trap that came out after the lockout. Most teams use this as a trap, but it can be used aggressively to force turnovers at the blue line.
· 1-2-2 forecheck – This is what Alain Vigneault used. It is designed to clog the neutral zone and force turnovers for transition and counter attacks.
· 2-3 left wing lock – This isn’t really used anymore, and is more of a 1-1-3 where F2 is staggered.
· 2-1-2 – An aggressive forecheck, used in the John Tortorella era
1-4 CONSERVATIVE TRAP
The most conservative forecheck is the 1-4, also known as the trap.
The 1-4 is designed to prevent rushes and breakaways towards your goaltender.
1-2-2 MODERATE FORECHECK
One of the most common forechecking strategies is the 1-2-2 system.
One forward plays in the defensive zone to take away passing lanes and pressure the puck carrier to make a poor decision or force the puck carrier to pass into a specific area where other forecheckers are waiting to close off the routes into the offensive zone.
the basic idea of the 1-2-2 is to funnel the offensive team to the outside and away from center ice.
1-3-1 AGGRESSIVE FORECHECK
The 1-3-1 can be both a defensive schematic and an aggressive one. It all depends on where the puck is located in the offensive zone and whether or not the opposition has complete possession.
Passive: if the puck is not in deep and the other team has clear possession of the puck. this instance you do not want to forecheck. Instead trap the neutral zone and wait for the puck to be brought up ice where and attempt to turn the puck over.
Aggressive: the puck is in deep and the opposition’s d-man doesn’t have clean possession.
The point of this type of forecheck is to force the puck carrier to make a long pass since there is, ideally, no room to carry the puck through the neutral zone.
Teams will often counter this by using a hard pass into the neutral zone that one of the waiting forwards will tip into the offensive zone.
Generating offense is heavily reliant on the defense. Using the better passing defenseman as the drop back defenseman in the 1-3-1 gives the team an edge in turning the play in the opposite direction.
(Nov 20, 2010)
The main difference between this tactic and others is the number of forecheckers.
If the puck is in deep with two opposing skaters cycling, most teams are sending in 1 or 2 forecheckers, this formation calls for three. If there are three skaters cycling in their own zone, this system needs 4 forecheckers.
The goal is to outnumber the other team on the puck at all times.
2-3 LEFT WING LOCK (MODERATE/AGGRESSIVE)
The Left Wing Lock looks like a basic 2-3 formation where once puck possession changes in the offensive zone, the center and right winger forecheck the puck carrier aggressively and the left winger heads to the half-boards to give the low forwards a high option should they recover the puck.
Like other schemes, this is designed to force the puck to the boards and stand up the attack at the blueline.
Post lockout, few teams still use a left wing lock.
What’s great about this system is that there is always an offensive player used as a defensive safety valve. This allows your best skaters to be aggressive, but whenever there is a possibility of a transition from offense to defense, immediately you have a third guy high to eliminate odd-man rushes in your goalie’s direction
2-1-2 AGGRESSIVE FORECHECK
The 2-1-2 spread relies on skating, puck pressure, and pursuit from all five skaters.
This system helps produce grade A chances by winning puck possession battles below the dots, but it’s on the players to find twine.
The aim is to create turnovers down low by pressuring opposing defenses.
In this system the defensemen have to pinch and move up into the zone to confront the puck carrier and act as fourth forecheckers.
Since everyone is hunting for the puck in this system, it is crucial that all of your players can backcheck.
Send F1 and F2, usually the wingers, in deep, almost to the goal line, to pressure the first pass. The goal here is two fold: Create turnovers and ensure the opposition cannot break out with speed.
Where it can fail is by not getting F2 in deep enough, making the forecheck look more like a 1-2-2, but way too passive in allowing speed through the neutral zone
The 2-1-2 Split is a forecheck scheme frequently used by NHL teams off OZ or NZ faceoff losses.
In open play however NHL coaches typically favor the safer and more versatile 1-2-2 OZ FC. The 2-1-2 is seen as a bit risky - one great pass can beat three players, leading to an odd-men rush against.
Countering the 2-1-2:
Bump by, find middle, skate north is the way to go in order to create controlled exits against a 2-1-2.
2F/3D SYSTEM
Commentaires