Double Goals Game - Royal Road is a fun and competitive 3 vs. 3 small area game that allows players to score goals by passing through the gates, or scoring on a goalie. The gates in this version are set up in the "Royal Road," the area in the middle of the ice in front of the net. This setup allows for players to shoot quickly after a pass and go for 2 point plays!
Setup
- Set up two nets in a zone (as pictured in the diagram).
- Set up two "gates" in the royal road (the middle of the ice as pictured in the diagram) with cones or tires.
- Split up the teams and play 3 vs. 3 with 2 goalies. The game can be modified to be 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4.
- Keep score! Teams can score 1 point if they pass through a gate, and 1 point if they score a goal.
- Encourage 2 point plays, which would be a pass through the gate, followed by a quick shot on net.
- Cheer! Players at the blueline should cheer on their teammates and help keep score.
Coaching Points
- Keep Your Head Up: This game is all about awareness. The offense should look to score in different ways and the defense needs to be aware of the gates in the royal road.
- Don't Cheat: Defense should not stand right in the middle of the gate, and goalies should not only look for the pass to come. If the defense or goalies are cheating to block a pass, the player with the puck should fire a shot on net!
- Be Deceptive: Players with the puck on a rush should use deception to keep the defense and goalies guessing if they will pass or shoot.
- Communicate With Your Teammates: This is a fast-paced game and important for teammates to communicate with each other.
- Jump To Space: Offensive players need to work on jumping to open ice to be a passing or shooting option for their teammates.
- Keep Stick On Ice: Defense can block passes and angle with their stick on the ice, while offensive players can give teammates a target to pass to.
Variations
- Game can be setup to be 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 for cross-ice. Can also modify this to be a full 5 v 5 ice game.
- Can give different values for the goals (passing through a gate, skating through a gate, and scoring a goal are all ways to score points). For example you could give 1 point for a pass through a gate and 2 points for a goal.
- Can make the gates larger for beginner players and smaller for higher skilled players.
- Can use washable markers as gate markers on the ice if you do not want the tires or cones getting in the way.
- Can place the gates in different areas of the zone. View Double Goals Game with the gates in the middle of the zone.
