1. D1 begins drill skating with puck and makes cross-ice pass to F1
2. D1 follows play up ice to take 2-on-1 coming back
3. F1 carries puck through NZ and passes to D3, then curls deep into zone
4. F3 cuts cross ice above F1 and receives pass from D3
5. F1 and F3 attack D1 on a 2-on-1
6. After play clears zone, D3 starts drill moving the other direction.

• Hard, crisp passing
• Don’t rush, timing is important
• Perform at game speed
• D: Move up tight with play
• F: must get shot on goal

For younger players especially, this drill can be a challenge to get the timing down properly. They tend to want to go as fast as they can and not wait for their teammate to join them on the rush. The forward (F3) cutting cross ice to get the pass from D3 needs to anticipate the speed F1 is coming with and accelerate quickly enough to get up to speed. And, F1 needs to adjust the depth of his curl so he’s not too far behind or blowing the zone before F3 can control the pass and start moving up ice.

2-on-1’s are great scoring opportunities but they often go to waste when players take too much time to decide if they should pass or shoot. Every 2-on-1 should result in a shot. Period. The rule that I teach my players is that if they haven’t made a pass by the top of the circles, they’re shooting. This doesn’t cover all situations but it minimizes those 2-on-1’s where you end up with nothing.