How to Use Defence to Pinch

Hockey is played five on five. The first challenge is to make use of all 5 participants on your team in the play. The second challenge is to employ the same five individuals to outman their five people by smartly transferring members to determined parts of the playing surface at the best period.



When the puck is in their end the routine line up will be your 3 forwards, (the two wingers and the center) down low, playing against their 2 defenders and their centreman. Your two defenders will be at their points, being contained by their wingers. If every one sticks with their man, and isn't out-matched, the attacking team (you) won't get any chances.



You will have to outwork or out-skill the other team to have a scoring chance. A technique to achieve this is outman them at vital instants of the play. Having the D-men pinch is a way to do this, but if you don't do it right its dangerous because it will give the defending team a chance to break out of their end and create an odd man rush.



Envision that the puck is in the right corner. Their D is there, scuffling with with your RW for the puck. Their left winger is between the hash marks and the blueline, watching your D on the point and the melee for the puck in the corner. If their defenseman chips the puck up the wall to their LW, he can move up, make a pass to their center, or chip it off the wall behind your D-man.



Your right D-men pinch can force the winger by awaiting their defenseman's pass to their winger, and pinch in on him, keeping the puck in their end.



The peril is that their winger gets the puck past your right D, skates past him, and breaks out with the center on a 2 on 1 against your remaining defender.



The secret weapon to success is to make the pinch, but assure that the pinching defenceman is covered. Its most desirable to utilize a system. The perfect system is where the right D pinches down to to top of the face off circle/hash marks, trying to keep the puck in. The left D drops over to take the right D-man's position on the right point. Your LW comes back high and covers the left defender's place in case the pinch doesn't work.



If the pinch does work your winger is close by to the high slot for a pass or rebound. The center will likely be in the deep slot, and the right winger may be in the corner. Depending on how the pinch performs and how talented your right D-man is with the puck he may get a shot himself, or circle back towards the left D's spot.



Its doubtful that their right defenceman, who was on your left winger, followed the wing back to the point, so if the pinch works your winger is most likely wide open. If the pinch doesn't do the job he's in place to cover their right winger, who was previously covering your left D. Your left D-men pinch is on the right hand side now, so even if the pinch doesn't deliver the results you have a chance for your left D-man to keep the puck in at the blue line, or defend against a two on two with your left winger taking the place of the missing defenceman.



Its key for the three attacking players to understand the system. One defenseman pinches assertively, playing the man before the puck. Second D slides over to the first D's point. The opposite wing drops back.



Its possible to use a forechecking strategy where the wingers go deep and the center stays high, in which case the center (being the high forward) covers for the D.



The merits of doing this in rec hockey is that the other team usually won't detect the technique straight away, meaning they won't respond to it quickly. Rushing the opposing team will push them to make quick passes. Rapid passes are often not accurate, and end up in turn overs or icings. Some of those turn overs go right up the middle to...the opposite winger/high center covering for the D.



Dont forget, in beer league its uncomplicated things that mount up to many more victories. The more you're in their end, the fewer scoring opportunities they get. The more you rush them in their end, the worse their break outs, and the fewer scoring opportunities they get. Take 1 or 2 goals a game off your season goals against totals and you turn a losing season into a winning season.