As discussed in the Power Play article, being assertive with what we do, and having a plan is very beneficial when we’re on the ice. If you get to the faceoff circle and wait to see which direction the puck goes before you take your first step, this article is for you.
Traditional Setup
The traditional setup usually has a righty as a right wing, and lefty as a left wing. In beer league, there may be more off-wings (lefties playing right wing, righties playing left wing) but traditionally, we line up in the offensive zone like this:
This Alternate Setup
In the setup suggested in this article, a slight adjustment may be necessary. We want the wing lining up at the board (left wing in this article) to be a righty (off-wing). For forward lines with three lefties the strategy must be adjusted for this side. In the traditional lineup, a lefty on left wing and a righty on right wing, would mean the wings to swap the position in which they line up at the faceoff circle:
We want the wing at the boards to be right handed to protect the puck and be able to shoot quickly. This will be discussed below.
First Steps
The faceoff should not just be for the center. The wings can take their first steps when the referee’s arms twitch. In this faceoff strategy, wings have a set first step that they can take whether the faceoff is won or lost:
The left handed wing on the inside portion of the ice cuts in front of the opposing defender going forward. The right handed wing on the board side will retreat, getting away from their check, and going around behind the center. This sets up for better positioning for any result of the faceoff.
Faceoff Loss
If the faceoff is lost, we must get into a position where we can 1) defend their attack and 2) forecheck. We accomplish this quickly as the RH wing retreats (to have more defensive momentum) while the LH wing goes forward to apply pressure (forecheck).
The LH wing will end up causing chaos with the opposing puck carrier while the RH wing and the center retreats slightly.
Faceoff Win
On a faceoff win, we have a set play to execute. Center wins the puck back to the retreating RH wing as the LH wing moves forward, sees the faceoff being won, and heads to provide a goalie screen. As the screen is set, the RH wing takes a shot on goal, LH wing has body position to get another attempt on a rebound:
An alternative would be if the center wins the faceoff to the defenseman lining up on the left side. The defenseman can delay the shot slightly by moving laterally to give the LH wing to set up the screen. Shot on goal can end up with a rebound. LH wing has body position to get the rebound here as well. If the shot gets blocked, the RH wing has defensive momentum to join the defensive effort in the ensuing rush.
Conclusion
Again, this is only a variation of the faceoff we might take in the offensive zone. Having an agreed upon plan for the three forwards gives the entire line assertiveness and confidence in the execution without the worry of “if something goes wrong”. The worst that can happen is us losing the faceoff, but this set play has a plan for that.