No Goalies? No Problem! We have all been in that situation before… show up to a rink and you find out some bad news… no goalies were able to make it. Instead of just playing “post” or just going through repetitive, boring drills, the team at IHS assembled a list of 10 games to play without goalies. These games will engage players, work on fundamentals and keep competition levels high. Plus players will love them!
These games are great for when:
- There are no goalies available
- The goalies need a break
- The goalies are working with a goalie coach
- Small skill groups
- If the practice is broken up into stations and you don’t have enough goalies for each group
- You want to help your team practice good habits (playing with head up, moving to space, stick on the ice, communicating)
- Pond hockey, ball hockey, roller hockey, etc.
The games below are great for any situation, any age, and any skill level. At the bottom of this list of 10 games, we will also give you 4 important habits that players should work on in each of these games.
10 Hockey Games to Play With No Goalies
1) Hit The Tire / Corner Tires
Hit The Tire is as simple as it sounds! Instead of shooting at nets with goalies, a player scores a goal by hitting a tire on the ice. Coaches can replace nets with tires or you can add a couple of tires on each end. This game will encourage awareness, puck protection, moving to open space and creativity.
Hit The Tire Variations:
- Coaches can place 1, 2 or multiple tires in the playing area.
- Can play with any amount of players (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, 5v5).
- Can be full ice, half-ice, or station.
- The smaller the tire, the harder it is to hit! You do not have to use a tire. Any object (cone, garbage can, rock, etc. will do).
- You can allow players to score goals by hitting a particular tire, or any tire.
2) Keep Away Game
Keep Away is just as it sounds, keep the puck away from the other team. In the video above, we have 3 vs. 1 Keep Away from The Battery Hockey Academy. Players that keep their head up, communicate with teammates and move to open space will be successful.
Keep Away Variations:
- Can play with any amount of players (2v1, 3v1, 3v2, 4v1, 4v2, 4v3, 5v1, 5v2, 5v3, 5v4)
- Can be full ice, half-ice, or station.
- The smaller the tire, the harder it is to hit!
- You do not have to use a tire. Any object (cone, garbage can, rock, etc. will do).
- Can require a team to hit a certain goal (example - 3 passes in a row = 1 point, or you must pass the puck off of the boards at least once, etc).
3) Back to Back Nets
1 vs. 1 Back to Back Score on Either Game was first posted on Twitter by Dave Breen (view the original post here). We tried this game after we saw Dave's post and noticed that the kids loved it and that the setup of the game encouraged puck protection, edgework and creativity.
Back to Back Nets Variations
- Can play with any amount of players (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, 5v5)
- Can be half-ice, or station.
- In this game you can add goalies if you have them.
4) 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 Gates Battle Game
The 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 Gates Battle Game is a competitive game where 3 players go against each other and battle to get the puck through a gate. This game is tough because it is a 3 person battle game. The nature of the game will encourage puck protection and creativity because two players will be coming to take the puck from you!
1 vs. 1 vs. 1 Gates Battle Game Variations
- Can play 1v1v1, or 2v2v2
- Can be a station or half-ice
- Can make the gates large or small. The smaller the gate, the harder it is to score.
- You can make one "center gate" worth 2 points.
View 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 Gates Battle Game Details
5) Gates of Buffalo Passing Game
The Gates of Buffalo Passing Game is a fun game where players work to score as many goals as they can by passing through the "gates" before the coach blows the whistle. You can not pass through the same gate twice in a row. Teams need to move to open space, keep their head up and communicate to be successful.
Gates of Buffalo Passing Variations:
- Can be half-ice or station.
- Can make the gates bigger or smaller. The smaller the gate, the harder it is to pass through.
- Can add objects in the playing area to encourage players to skate and pass around.
View Gates of Buffalo Passing Game Details
6) Gates of Buffalo 3 vs. 3
The Gates of Buffalo 3 vs. 3 Game is a fun game where players work to score goals by passing through the "gates" against another team. You can not pass through the same gate twice in a row. Teams need to move to open space, keep their head up and communicate to be successful.
Gates of Buffalo 3 vs. 3 Game Variations:
- Can be full-ice, half-ice or station.
- Can make the game 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4.
- Can make the gates bigger or smaller. The smaller the gate, the harder it is to pass through.
- Can add objects in the playing area to encourage players to skate and pass around.
- You can make one of the gates worth 2 or 3 points. You will be surprised at how the teams try to creatively go for more points!
View Gates of Buffalo 3 vs. 3 Game Details
7) Angles With Gates Goal
Angle With Gates Goal Game is a game where defenders work to retrieve a puck and skate the puck through a "gate" while a forechecker is coming with pressure. The forechecker should work on taking a proper angle with their stick on the ice while the defender should use tight turns, and deception to make a move to the gates!
Angle With Gates Goal Variations:
- Can be half-ice or station.
- Can make the gates bigger or smaller. The smaller the gate, the harder it is to skate through.
- Can give the forechecker a smaller or bigger head start.
- Can chip the puck in opposite corners.
- Can also require the defender to make a pass through a gate to a coach or other player breaking out.
View Angle With Gates Goal Details
8) 4 Corners Possession Game
4 Corners Possession Game is a fun game where teams work together to pass the puck to their teammates in a set corner. This game promotes awareness as players need to work with their teammates in the playing area and in the corners to score points.
4 Corners Possession Game Variations:
- Can be half-ice or station.
- Can make the "corners" where the other players are small or large.
- Can be 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4.
- Instead of the "point players" being in the corners you can make one center ring that only has two players (one player from each team).
View 4 Corners Possession Game Details
9) Knockout / King or Queen of The Hill
Knockout, also known as King or Queen of the Hill, is a fun way to help players practice puck protection. The goal is to protect your puck while you try to knock out other players pucks from the playing area. Last player standing wins!
Knockout Variations:
- Can be half-ice, station or inside a circle
- Can have as little as 1v1 games or have a full team playing.
10) Finders Keepers
Finders Keepers Game is a fun game where players work to get a puck and protect it until time is called. After time is called, the players with the puck stay in the game and the players without the puck are out. The game keeps going round by round until there is only 1 puck left for two skaters. Encourage teammates watching to cheer!
Finders Keepers Variations:
- Can be half-ice or station.
- Can start with smaller groups or a full team.
View Finders Keepers Game Details
BONUS GAME) If you only have one goalie: Picket Fences
Only have one goalie but want to play a game? We have you covered!
If you only have one goalie but you are looking to keep the game competitive, make sure to give the team that is not shooting on a goalie a challenging way to get points and a major reward if they do get points. For example, the Picket Fences video above, it shows the offensive team shooting on a goalie, while the defensive team works to skate the puck through a "gate." This little modification encourages the defensive team to work just as hard as the offensive team and not just flick the puck out of the zone.
The extra reward for the defensive team could be, if the defensive team scores 2 points, your team will shoot on the goalie and the other team switches to score on the gates. This will also encourage the offensive team to not allow the defenders to skate through the gates so they can keep shooting on a goalie!
Picket Fences Variations:
- Can be half-ice or station.
- Can be 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4.
- The team that does not have a goalie can score points by skating through a gate, passing through a gate, hitting a tire, hitting a cone, or hitting a post. For extra encouragement, if the team scores two times that is not shooting on a goalie, have the teams switch so they shoot on a goalie.
View Picket Fences Game Details
Extra Credit: Draw & Share Your Own Game
Click on the image below to draw and share your own game for free! Make sure to include two teams and a way for each team to score points. Get creative!
Habits To Work On During All Games:
- Head up
- So you can see all of your options and know where the defenders are. You will make better decisions if you understand where the players are.
- Stick on the ice
- This allows forwards to communicate where they should pass too and allows a defender to angle or intercept passes.
- Move to open space with or without the puck
- If you do not have a puck it is important to be an outlet for your teammate. If you do have the puck and you skate to space you will have more time to make a better decision with the puck and you can start to dictate the play.
- Communicate
- Hockey is a team sport! Communicate verbally (on ice talking) and non-verbally (stick on the ice, eyes, body language, tapping stick) to let your teammates know where you are and how you can work together.
Modifications you can make to ANY game if you do not have goalies:
Every full ice, half-ice and small area game can be modified if you do not have goalies. Here are a few notes and ideas to keep your game going with no goaltender:
- Add a shooter tutor to the net.
- Remove nets and only have a small object that must be hit (this can be a tire, cone, rock, garbage can, weighted puck, etc).
- Have "gates" of two tires that players must skate through.
- Flip net down so players can only score by hitting the top of the net.