3 on 3 - Playing D

Second in a series of intermittent posts about the tactics and strategies of 3 on 3 hockey.

The three skaters of an inline team have quite a bit of floor space to cover and a number of roles to fulfill.  Perhaps the most basic tactical formation is '2 up and 1 back', where the two wings are regarded as offensive roles and the centre is regarded as defence.  Generally speaking, one of the wings takes the puck into the offensive zone, the other gives support, and the D remains always between the opposition and the goal.

Generally speaking, a line of three skaters will rotate through the D role during a shift, allowing the D opportunity to carry the puck up rather than pass it off to a winger.  The nearest wing should take up a supporting role, and the other drop back to become the new D.  Thus, D is on the lookout for opportunity for a counter attack.

When the puck is in the offensive zone the D moves up to about half way, with the intent of either providing a 'reset' option if an attack bogs down, a 'lock' to keep the puck in the offensive zone if the opposition tries to chip it out, and a potential sniper for a shot from the point if left unchecked.  The temptation, of course, is to pinch down into the attacking zone and try and overload the opposition by rushing the net or stealing the puck on the boards.  The danger in doing so is, of course, that the puck will get behind the adventurous D allowing a breakout and rush for the opposition (as they should in theory be facing that way and thus get a headstart over the stranded D in the mad scramble back).

I have found that playing D the most valuable skills are backwards skating, poke checking, position identification (ie, try and keep the attackers on the outside lanes) and the ability to keep both the play and the 'high' attacker (there'll usually be an opposition player who stays around the centre or even back in their attack zone, waiting an outlet pass from defence or to steal it on a reset for a rush).  This last is best achieved by constantly moving across the floor so that one can keep one's opponent and the play in one's view at one glance.

For the 'easiest' position in the team to fill the role still has a lot of tasks, failure to perform any of which can have dire consequences for the team.  Prime responsibility therefore lies in preventing the opposition getting a free shot on goal.  All the rest is a bonus.