TEAM
PLAY~ OFFENSIVE
ZONE ~ SPECIAL
TEAMS ~ SKILLS
~ LINKS
~ HELP
Defensive
Zone Coverage
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Legend:
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Yellow - opponents shooting
area.
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Green Dots - opponent.
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Blue Dots - our team.
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Black Line - direct line
of sight from opponent to our goalie.
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Here, any of the opponents
could have the puck (it doesn't matter much for this example).
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Basically, as a defender,
you want to be directly between your goalie and your
check (the player you are responsible for).
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You do not want to be
between your goalie and the puck. This is very important.
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Once you have selected
an opponent to check, you MUST stay with your check no matter where they
may go.
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For instance, if you are
covering their defencewoman and she skates into the corner, then you must
stay with her into the corner.
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There are three situations
to be aware of here:
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1) Your check is outside
of the shooting area;
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In this case, you should
be within about 6 feet of your check (again, between them and your goalie).
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Basically, you want to
keep them from getting into the shooting area, so you hold your ground
and don't let them get by you (as best as you can).
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2) Your check is within
the shooting area;
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Here, you need to be hip
to hip with your check, such that you are between them and your goalie.
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Be prepared to raise their
stick when the puck gets near you (raising their stick too early, say if
the puck is in the corner, could result in an interference penalty, so
timing is important).
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Don't let them get any
closer to the net than they already are, simply hold your ground the best
that you can.
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3) Your check is behind
the end line;
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Generally, you do not
go behind the end line to cover your check.
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Since they are behind
the end line, you want to prevent them from passing the puck in front of
your net or skating in front of your net.
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Never, Never, NEVER FOLLOW
the puck carrier behind the net - stay in front of your net and mirror
their position behind the net. The exception to this is that if you
are both fighting for the puck equally, then you can go behind the net
(or end line). But, following them behind the net without impeding
them in any way puts you completely out of position.
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