The Meat Grinder is my favourite drill of all time, mostly because of how fitting its name is. Meat Grinder is a small area game that's ultra competitive, challenging, exhausting, and intense. It's a game that can only be played fast, so it's an excellent drill to run the day before a big game in which you expect the competitive juices to be flowing. 

Setup

• two teams, one goalie
• stagger the teams in four lines, dark team on the left half wall, light team to the left of the net, dark team to the right of the net, light team on the right half wall
• place pucks in between two of the lines - don't let anyone stand behind the net
• blow the whistle and chip pucks in every 20 seconds or so - keep the shifts short

Rules

• 2on2 mini-game
• teams have to pass to either one of their lines to gain possession before they can score
• players in line can pass back to the competing players, rim pucks, or shoot bad angle shots for rebounds
• play short games up to 3 or 5 depending on your level

Key Concepts: Attacking

• playing fast - there's no time to dust the puck off, skate it, pass it, or shoot it
• support the puck - tell your players to come to the puck if they don't have it
• get to the net - this is where the goals are scored, so get there and stand your ground

Key Concepts: Defending

• stick on puck - the game will move fast, so keep one hand on your stick
• follow through with the body - your stick is on the ice but your eyes are up
• one on one defending - communicate and stay with your man / woman