DESCRIPTION: This 1-on-1 game is played simultaneously at both ends from opposite corners. Goalies in nets. Start with players facing one another at the face off dots. A puck is placed on the dot. On whistle players bump and compete for body position to shield the puck but are not allowed to touch it. On the coaches command players release and look for loose 2nd puck up ice that has been spotted ahead of them. Players race up ice for a chance to score against the goaltender. Players must stay on their ice side. Players join opposite line to get into the bear pit again.

KEYPOINTS: This game is effective in developing comfort with close contact in open ice. Reinforce good body position and keeping hands in tight. Reinforce solid play within the rules of the game and comfort in using the body correctly. Visual scanning “head up and on a swivel” and bodily awareness are cues to add during this game. Use the body as shield, gain strong position, get low, power position, quick starts. Encourage correct back checking if beat to the puck from the mid-ice/corridor out. Remind players to see the net offensively, and to read checking pressure. Take body position and a skating lane when racing for the puck.