BEGINNER SET PLAYS

1A. Pass Low - "Pick Shooter - Bench Side" ("Sneak") 

• The goalie gets pulled and the ball is passed to the far-side away from the bench (eventually getting it low), with all players occupying their respective defender.

• The extra attacker comes off the bench out of the offensive door, on their proper floor-side, and cuts through the middle.  The ball carrier on the far-side reads the defense and passes to the cutter if they are "naked," otherwise the cutter stops in the middle and picks east-west for the same-handed shooter.

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  • If the middle defender closes the gap on the shooter (Option #1), the passer also has the option of the "roller" (Option #2) or the point player, who finds a soft spot at the top (Option #3). 

  Variation

  • Variation:  Instead of cutting back to pick for the strong-side shooter, the player cutting through the middle can stop in the middle.  The point player then comes and seals for them and they pop up into the point position for a shot (See "Middle-Point Cycle" 6-on-5 Play #3A).

• Note:  This is the set-play used most often during a "delayed penalty" situation or as a "sneak" play.  During a "sneak," the crease player on the bench-side needs to run hard to the bench as the play is developing, in order to get the goalie back onto the floor.

1B. Pass Low - "Off-Ball - Overload"

• The point player passes to the opposite-handed shooter, who passes to the same-side crease player ("getting it low"), which triggers the play.

• The ball carrier carries it up to the mid-boards, while the player in the middle sets a pick on the off-ball crease defender and "rolls" to the net (Option #1).  

• If this player is covered, the off-ball crease player should be open at the mid-board soft spot (Option #2), otherwise the off-ball point player also seals the off-ball high defender and the shooter fills into the point position (Option #3).