Blaise MacDonald and Len Quesnelle walk you through important elements of neutral zone play, diagram a variety of team drills and then run through them on ice with UMass players, giving you everything you need to employ their tactics with your team to gain a quicker transition on offense.
Among the drills diagrammed and demonstrated are a variety of neutral zone regrouping options, face-off tactics, counter-attacks and other tactical skills. The regrouping drills range from simple passing between defensemen, to 5-on-0s, all the way to complex 5-on-5 drills.
The discussion on face-offs includes a variety of tactics and attack options that can be utilized on the offensive and defensive ends of the neutral zone and at center ice. Counter-attack concepts include making the puck work for you, moving the forwards low and slow through the neutral zone and having a quick attack mentality to turn your opponent's mistakes into scoring chances.
All the drills teach the importance of moving with speed through the neutral zone, having proper timing, holding correct positioning, and supporting your teammates. Coaches MacDonald and Quesnelle focus on how you can capitalize when opponents have poor positioning or line changes and thus create scoring opportunities. By employing their tactics your team will put more points on the scoreboard and more notches in the win column.
This video is ideal for coaches of players at the Pee-Wee Level (ages 11-12 years) and older. Aspects of the video are also suitable for AAA and AA designated Squirt Level players (ages 9-10) years.
By employing the neutral zone tactics of UMass Coaches MacDonald and Quesnelle your team will be able to move quickly through the zone and put more points on the scoreboard and more notches in the win column.
