The 4 V 2 Two Touch Game from TJ Manastersky is fun game that brings energy and enthusiasm to your practice. It also works on your Power Play and Penalty Kill concepts. There is one major constraint to the game, players can only touch the puck twice before they move it. If a player breaks the rule and touches the puck more than twice, they are required to skate all the way around the ice while the game continues.
TJ Manastersky shared this game with the IHS Community while he was an Assistant Coach at Union College. TJ is the Current Head Coach at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Setup
- Back to back nets in one of the zones.
- There is a 4 on 2 on each side of the net.
- The 4 forwards are trying to score by only two touch passing & shooting, while the defenders are trying to take the puck away and make a two touch pass to their 4 forwards in the other zone.
- If you handle the puck with more than two touches you must skate around the outside of the ice.
- When the coach blows the whistle, the next group jumps in and the current group takes a rest.
Coaching Points
- Players without the puck need to realize that their teammates are limited in what they can do with the two touch, so they must work to get open and support their teammate.
- Before you get the puck, you need to keep your head up and scan the ice to know what your options are before you get the puck.
- Defensively, players need to keep their sticks on the ice to take away passing lanes and be ready to pounce on the forwards since the forwards are limited with what they can do.
