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Girls Select 15 PDC Practice Plan

By USA Hockey, 07/11/18, 12:15PM EDT

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See what drills the coaches ran at camp


Practice Plan Details

Small-Area Games

80 Minutes: Warmup (10 min.), Stations (4 x 13 min.), 1 SAG (18 min.)

Objectives: Shooting and scoring – catch and shoot; shooting in stride; quick touch; rebounds; change angle of shot to move goalie.

Equipment needs: 6 nets, pucks, 1 shooter tutor, 2 mini tires, 9 barriers.

Warmup: Three Pass & Shoot

Key Teaching Points: Give good receiving target; Work with teammate to create good passing option; patience; communicate; creativity (escape, pass fake, push/pull).

Split players into four groups of 8 in each corner. Players in four lines. Line X1 starts as the shooting line. Shooter makes 3 passes with the 3 passing lines in any order they choose, ending with a shot.

Player should transition to face the puck, turn hips and toes up ice (in the direction they plan to go once they receive the puck). Players in line must push/pull or pull/push prior to passing puck back to give X1 time to get open. Play rebound off the final shot. Drill repeats with X2 as the shooter. Players rotate lines clockwise.

Progression: Add pressure

Add defender with stick upside down for light pressure on X, forcing them to get open and make plays.

Goalies: Track the puck and finish every save.


Three Shot Drill

Key Teaching Points: Catch and shoot; quick touch; move to puck; underhandle; Create passing lanes.

Stationary O catches and shoots first pass from X. O skates left or right around circle towards net, and has a quick one-touch shot from pass No. 2 from X. O backpedals to create time and space and receives pass No. 3 for shot. X can move behind net to opposite side of net for passes 2 or 3. Allow creativity/movement.

Progression: Add pressure

Player behind O backchecks on shot No. 2 and puts pressure on O to get open for pass/shot No. 3.

Goalies: Post play; identify threats.


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Zone Entry w/Backchecker

Key Teaching Points: F1 drives to net with speed, eyes up. F2 should be a disrupter -- net drive for tip, then screen the goalie. F3 creates width/depth, filling lanes and layers; backcheck to middle. Three Xs move and pass with each other in neutral zone while O tries to steal the puck. Give Xs a point for takeovers and Os two points if they steal the puck. On coaches whistle, the Xs attack net and O backchecks. Four new players come into neutral zone and play 3v1.

Progression: Encourage different zone entries (crosses; delay; escape) and add second defender on hashmarks that takes ice and angles puck carrier to outside.

Goalies: Read play and communicate with backchecker; cover all pucks.


Quick Shot Drill

Key Teaching Points: Drive bottom hand into ice to stay on top of puck; move hips around puck; quick one-touch to get puck on net; stop on rebounds.

Player O moves above goal line to make a pass to X who is moving toward net for a quick one-touch shot on net. Play out rebounds. Players should switch role (O & X) and nets.

Progression: Barrier Rebounds

Key Teaching Points: Move body around puck. Use a quick touch. Shoot for top corners.

One player faces the net while a teammate passes a puck hard off the barrier in front of net to simulate a rebound. Player facing net must retrieve/corral puck and release shot quickly.


Catch, Move Goalie, Shoot

Key Teaching Points: Show good target (show them/tell them). Shoot in stride, change angle of puck to move goalie/open space to score.

Coach should instruct players/goalie on how to move the goalie and the need to change the angle of the shot with quick deception of the stick. After discussion and demos of moving the goalie, start drill.

Player O1 skates from center red line to blue line, catches puck from teammate on forehand or backhand. O1 drives toward net, changes angle of shot (quick push/pull) and shoots quickly.

Progression: Add defensive player

Add defensive player X at hashmarks who angles with pass to outside and pressures player O1.

Goalies: Stay on feet. Shuffle. Read shooter's stick.


Small-Area Game: Hunt the Puck

Key Teaching Points: Hunt the puck to regain possession. Move to support puck offensively, look for quick shots, capitalize on rebounds and score.

Play 3v3 with two rules:

  1. Team without the puck must hunt the puck and outnumber the opponent on the puck. Be aggressive, attack, make a play, and regain possession. Cannot contain or defend the net front if the puck is in the corner. Must go hunt the puck.
  2. Team with the puck must take the initial shot from inside one of the boxes (play out rebound from your team). Players should move to the puck to support it to make a play to the front of the net (no one should be standing still in one of the boxes). Encourage players to make plays behind net to the weak side and then move puck to player in front of the net.

On transition/change of possession, the roles swap and team that lost possession must hunt the puck and team gaining possession looks to make offensive zone play to score with initial shot coming from inside the box.

Goalies: Gain depth and beat plays on your feet.

POINTS: 1 point for quick-touch shot on net, 2 points for a goal.