The Griffs 2 V 2 Game from Coach TJ Manastersky was shared 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. Griffs 2 V 2 can be used to emphasize neutral zone transition and fundamentals of rush attack.

Setup

• Move nets to the top of the circles as shown in the diagram & videos.
• Setup a 2 on 2 in the neutral zone.
• Each team has 2 defenseman behind their net, just above the face-off dots.
• The forwards in the neutral zone do not need to use their defenseman. However, if they do, it creates an automatic D to D pass, and the defenseman who first received the puck will join the 2 forwards in the neutral zone to create a 3 on 2 rush. The defenseman with the puck tries to hit one of the 3 players to begin the rush.
• The activated defenseman is allowed to stay for the rush but must go back to their original position after the rush is completed.
• After the coach blows the whistle to change the lines, the forwards leave the ice, the defenders become forwards in the neutral zone, and two new players for each team become defenders.

Coaching Points

• Players with the puck need to communicate with each other to get open and provide support. 
• On the rush attempt, it is beneficial to have a middle lane drive, wide lane support and the puck wide so there are multiple options off of the rush.
• Defenders need to make sure to keep their sticks on the ice to block passing lanes and angle the opposition.