Line changes may be made any time during the hockey game, provided a team has no more
than six (6) players on the ice at one time (including the goaltender). Often, changes are made on
the fly. This means substitutes enter the game as other players leave the ice, all while play continues.
The moment the player leaving the ice gets within five feet of the bench, his substitute is allowed to
come on the ice. If a player coming into the game touches the puck before a teammate leaves the ice, the
referee may call a "too many men on the ice" penalty.
Coaches will change each player, except the
goaltender every 45-60 seconds of play. This provides each player adequate time to recover and prepare
for the next shift. Unlike other sports, where an individual player will be a substitute for a specific
player, ice hockey often involves an entire line being changed at one time. This type of substituting
allows players who work well together to be placed on the ice simultaneously. Scoring goals requires
precision and timing, which is achieved only by practicing and by being familiar with one’s line-mates.
A power play occurs when a team receives a man advantage because the opposing team’s
player(s) has committed a penalty. The penalized team will play out the penalty "shorthanded". A power
play is a crucial juncture in a hockey game because it creates an excellent scoring opportunity for the
team with the man-advantage. This situation calls for strategies to be used that are unlike the ones
used when both teams are at full-strength.
The team with the man-advantage gains the offensive zone and attempts to
strategically position players in attempt to score a goal. Since the defending team is outnumbered,
the objective is to find the open player in an attempt to score.
The attacking team’s defensemen
position themselves at the "points" (spots just inside the blue line) and either look to pass quickly
to a teammate or take a shot on goal. In addition, the players at the points try to keep the puck in
the offensive zone when the short-handed team is trying to clear it down the ice.
Most teams will use
three forwards and two defensemen on the power play; however, it is not uncommon for teams to use four
or five forwards in an attempt to generate more offense.
Power play strategies are geared toward
creating two-on-one situations, moving the puck to the open player, creating traffic in front of the
goalie, getting off shots and generating rebound chances.
Teams that accomplish these things generally
have success on the power play.
When a team receives a penalty, that team must play shorthanded or a "man-down".
The objective of the shorthanded team is to keep the puck away from the attacking team and not allow
them to set up in the offensive zone, thus, running time off of the clock and "killing the penalty".
When the offensive team does set up in the attack zone, the defending team will try to clear the puck
out past the blue line, and if possible, shoot it the length of the ice.
A shorthanded team cannot be
called for icing, thus, its players will not hesitate to shoot the puck down the entire length of the
ice when killing a penalty.
Teams usually attempt to kill penalties using a "box defense". This strategy
places two defensemen down near the goal and two forwards in the middle of the defensive zone. When a
team receives two penalties, the team will be forced to play two men down (5 on 3).
When this occurs
the shorthanded team will generally play in a triangle formation with two defensemen by the goal and
one forward in the middle of the defensive zone.
Hockey 101 / Hockey 201 / Hockey 301 / Hockey 401 / Hockey 501
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