Modern 3v2 Rush Attack: Middle Lane Driver & 3rd Player Reads
How to play middle lane driver on the offensive rush
Welcome to part two of our two-part series breaking down how to approach a modern 3v2 rush attack.
Part #1: Rush Fundamental & Puck Carrier Reads
Today we are going to dive into middle lane driver details and F3 reads.
Middle lane drive (Commonly known as “F2”)
The middle lane driver (#88 Martin Necas, White) skates the puck up the middle to threaten and hold the defenders in the middle. This allows outside space for his teammates.
The F1 puck carrier becomes #22 Brett Pesce. He receives the puck in the wide lane and curves his route to threaten the middle/net.
The F2 middle driver passes and jumps/moves to the next pocket of open space. Necas first tries to make a mini-2v1 against the near defender then realizes that the defender is beaten. He then moves toward the back post to create a 2v1 against the next defender. He receives the puck back then shoots and scores.
Off D1’s Heels, Re-Route + Stop at the net
As we discussed in Part #1, modern routing has the middle driver working off the strong side defender’s heels and using the dots ice geography as a guiding principle.
If the pass doesn’t come, re-routing back toward the net is what should happen next. Once at the net… stop! While it’s a simple concept, stopping at the net is often a missed detail by players.
Here is a great example by Brendan Gallagher (#11 white). He goes through the near side dot, the pass goes high to F3, and he re-routes back to the net.
Timing Entry
Timing an entry to continue momentum is another key piece to making the most of an entry. Notice how there is a gentle push, shaping of his route, and extended back leg so he can hit the line with momentum.
While getting depth for the team is great, there is more that the middle driver can do along the journey:
Picking the strong side defender
By playing off the defender’s heels the middle driver naturally will be able to get a piece of the defender if they play passive. Here is a great example of driving through D1’s stick.
Getting Inside Positioning with Stick As a Target
When arriving at the net a player should work to get their stick and body in a position for passes, tips, and rebounds. I love this example of getting underneath the defender at the net.
Scan timing
As we’ve discussed before, scanning is critical when it comes to making great plays. If there is a hard pass it’s hard to scan, but if an area or soft pass is played then the middle driver can scan to see the play. If the pass is quick, scan immediately upon reception.
3rd Player Reads
The 3rd player has some simple reads to make to understand their next best move.
Is there backpressure? Where is it coming from?
What is D2 doing? Where is the passing lane?
In the example below, we see F3 correctly reading that there is backpressure and that D2 is going with the middle driver. Because of that, he sprints to the back post.
Also, shout out to the middle driver for getting the puck off the wall for the middle entry. This detail sets up the play nicely.
Traditionally, F2/middle drivers do the hard work and don’t get much of the reward. Modern hockey has the middle driver doing hard, smart work and being the vital detail that unlocks offense for themselves and their team.
Further Reading