Check out these drills from Jenna Trubiano's 2023 TCS Live presentation on Late Game Offensive Tactics.
Jenna “Tribs” Trubiano is the Head Coach of the University of Michigan Women’s hockey team. A previous player and captain with the Wolverines from 2013-2017, Tribs also served as an Assistant Coach after graduating. She recently completed her second season as Head Coach.
This past season, Michigan found itself in many close games and had success scoring goals in the final two minutes. During her presentation on Late Game Offensive Tactics, Trubiano ran drills focused on battling in the corners and zone entries, emphasizing the importance of winning battles and quick entries with puck possession for late-game success. Use these drills help to generate offence with the clock ticking away.
MIRROR POSSESSION 1V1/2V2
DESCRIPTION
Mirror possession game in corner/behind the net.
- Option 1: One player starts with puck close to net on the outside close to the wall. The other player stays on the defensive side, mirroring the puck carrier’s moves trying to strip the puck away. The puck carrier must protect the puck, avoid the pressure from defender and look for a passing lane. Play until the whistle, the defender strips the puck and recovers it or the puck carrier makes a pass to the coach. Progress to 2v2 and 3v3.
- Option 2: Start with chip to the corner by coach to start fore check off of a puck recovery. Progress to 2v2 and 3v3.
KEY POINTS
- Puck carriers use your body to protect the puck. Use evasive maneuver to create time and space.
- Checkers, one hand on the stick, trying to strip the puck while using quick feet to keep good defensive position to take away time and space.
ZONE ENTRY A
DESCRIPTION
- F1 enters the zone, curls back up the wall before banking puck low to F2 ,who has cut in behind to support.
- F1 then heads to the net. F2 drives puck low towards net or behind the net. F2 has options: pass to F1 in slot, drive the net and shoot or back door play to F3, go behind the net for a quick wrap or slot pass to F3.
- On rush F3 drives to the net to be an option then adjusts to F2.
KEY POINTS
- Attackers away from the puck work to get open.
ZONE ENTRY B BEAT THE SHRINK
DESCRIPTION
- F1 enters the zone, curls back up the wall before banking puck low to F2 ,who has cut in behind to support. F1 then heads to the net.
- F3 drives to the net in case there is an attack off of the rush and stops at first post. – F2 fakes coming up the wall drawing defenders in and quickly cycles the puck behind the net to F3.
- F3 escapes out the other side away from pressure and can try a quick wrap to create a hot puck situation in the slot, bank it quickly up to the D for a shot or hold and look for support players coming across through the slot.
KEY POINTS
- Attack off of the rush if possible. If F1 turns back up the wall, defenders will shrink their 5 skaters low and to the strong side to protect the slot.
- F2 can look for D trailer right away or start low cycle to change sides and beat the defensive pressure.
LOW TO HIGH CYCLE
DESCRIPTION
- F1 drives the puck deep down the wall. F2 cuts across behind F1 to support. F1 cycles puck up the wall to F2 who turns puck up the wall.
- F3 comes in wide for dot lane drive then adjusts to what F2 does with the puck. F1 can go to the front of the net to screen or go low behind net for back door pass.
- F2 can pass quickly to either D, pass to F3 in slot or curl in and shoot.
KEY POINTS
- Lots of talk. Get loud!
- Read and react.
- Pucks and players to the net. Crash net for rebounds.
- If defenders collapse quickly to defend, get puck up to D and go to the net.
ODD MAN RUSH ATTACK TRIANGLE
DESCRIPTION
- After entry, F1 drives wide then cuts back, freezing the D and pulling him out. F2 drives the net for a pass/deflection then sets up screen.
- F3 enters wide in dot lane, 2 steps back ready for wide pass after entry. This forms the Attack Triangle. When F1 curls, F3 must adjust his skating to create a new passing lane option for F1.
- F1 can look for a trailing D, pass to F3 or curl in and shoot through the F2 screen.
KEY POINTS
- Everyone reads F1 entry and adjusts their skating pattern to what F1 does.
- When rush gets deflected to the outside, look for Trailer then look to get pucks and players to the net.
EMPTY NET FO 6V5 A
DESCRIPTION
- Empty net, 6v5 face off. Center digs puck back, LW jumps in behind center to pick up loose puck, kicks it back to the D then goes to the high slot.
- D2 immediately gets off of the wall and starts slide towards middle waiting for screen to set up.
- D2 can shoot if he has an open shot lane, shoot for LW stick in high slot, pass to D2 for one timer or if pressured quickly pass to C on wall to beat pressure.
- D1 is up near face off in case a loose puck pops into that area, then backs out into a shooting position. Inside RW holds up their forward then goes to the net to screen.
- Extra F, holds up their other forward then sets double screen or looks for a passing lane for back door pass.
KEY POINTS
- Face off must be won cleanly or create a scrum/loose puck behind the center.
- LW jump off of the wall on the puck drop looking for the loose puck.
- RW jump inside of their forward on the puck drop in case loose puck goes in behind their centerman.
- Look for quick shot with screen. If shot lanes are blocked off, spread out into high umbrella 3 high-1 slot-2 net front/corner players low.
EMPTY NET FO 6V5 B
DESCRIPTION
- On a clean face off win. RW drives under their center to the net for a back door tip or rebound. Center blocks their center then slides to the wall as a passing option.
- LW delays their winger then gets into a high tip position in the high slot. Outside forward slows down their winger then goes to net to screen.
- Weak side D drives down the dot lane to net looking for a tip or rebound. RD needs to find a shot/pass lane past the shot blockers.
KEY POINTS
- Quick shot with traffic if it is there and low forwards screen and crash net for rebounds.
- If no quick strike option, slide into a high umbrella 3 High 1 Mid/high slot 2 net front/corner.
CONTINUOUS CANNON 3V3
DESCRIPTION
- Team that recovers dump in from Coach is on offense the other team defends.
- When the defenders recover the puck, they move it quickly to their team mates at the blue line, creating a change of possession so that they can attack quickly.
- Previous attackers must now organize quickly and defend.
KEY POINTS
- Quick transition from O to D.
- Quick decisions.
- Puck support.
- Quick sort outs in transition.
