~ Face Off  ~ The Slot and Shooting Area  ~ Offside  ~ Plays  ~ Pinching at the Blueline  ~ Position and Movement

The Slot and Shooting Area
 

The green area shown here is THE SLOT. The low slot is nearest to the net. The high slot is farthest from the net.	The blue area shown here we'll define as  THE SHOOTING AREA. Not really a hockey term, but it will be for our team.  If you find yourself with the puck within this area, we want to see you SHOOT THE PUCK.

If you find yourself on a breakaway, try taking a wrist shot just BEFORE you reach the hash marks in the middle of the slot.  At this distance from the net, you have a good chance of scoring since the goalie cannot come too far out of the net to cut down the angle.  As you get closer, less and less of the net will be visible and therefore less of a chance to score.

You can try deking the goalie, but if you don't know what you're doing, you're almost sure to fail.

The key to a breakaway is to know EXACTLY what you are going to do BEFORE you reach the blue line, and then execute that play, of course.
 
 
 
 

The Puck-Eye Deception 1

Diagrams are not to scale, they are just for descriptive purposes.

(for a left-handed shot)

In the diagram above,  your eyes see an equal amount of open net on each side of the goalie.    However, the puck sees more of the left side of the net. So you should shoot to the left of the goalie for a better chance of scoring.	In the diagram above, your eyes see more open net  on the right side of the goalie. However, the puck sees an equal amount of open net on each side of the goalie. So you could shoot to either side with equal chance of scoring.

In the diagram above,  your eyes see an equal amount of open net on each side of the goalie.    However, the puck sees more of the right side of the net. So you should shoot to the right of the goalie for a better chance of scoring.	In the diagram above, your eyes see more open net on the left side of the goalie. However, the puck sees an equal amount of open net on each side of the goalie. So you could shoot to  either side with equal chance of scoring.

The Puck-Eye Deception 2

(something else to consider while passing or shooting when an opponent is in front of you)

In the diagram above you are trying to  pass or shoot the puck towards the target. Your eyes see a clear path to the target, but the puck does not. the opponent is not in your way, but is in the way of the puck. A bad time to pass or shoot.	In the diagram above you are trying to  pass or shoot the puck towards the target. Your eyes do not see a clear path to the target, but the puck does. The opponent is in your way, but not in the way of the puck. A good time to pass or shoot.