The Pittsburgh Attack drill from Wes Wolfe allows teams to practice transition, reloads, breakouts and rush entry.
Setup
- Part 1: Start the drill with 2 defenseman, 3 forwards and one forechecker.
- On the whistle, the coach dumps the puck into the corner, and the 2 defenders and 3 forwards work to break the puck out against the one forechecker.
- The original forechecker and one of the defenders return to the line / bench.
- Part 2: 2 defenders jump out into the middle of the ice and work to defend the rush, making it a 4 on 2.
- Coach lets the 4 on 2 play out for a while.
- Part 3: On the whistle, 3 new forwards jump out to center ice, while one of the forwards playing in the 4 on 2 backchecks out to center ice, lifts the stick of the coach, and dumps the puck into the corner to forecheck against the new group of forwards trying to breakout. The 2 defenders that originally played the 4 on 2 retrieve the puck and work to breakout the puck. Drill is continuous.
Coaching Points
- Offensive team - support each other and keep sticks on the ice to give your teammates passing options.
- Defensive team - keep sticks on the ice to block passing lanes, angle and keep players to the outside of the ice.
- Forechecker - keep stick on the ice and angle to disrupt passing options.
- Backchecker - backcheck through the middle of the ice and lift the stick of the coach to seperate them from the puck.
Variations
- Can have 1, 2 or 3 forecheckers. It is suggested to start with 1 to dial in your teams breakout concepts.
