Tell them that when they are in the offensive zone, it is important that they do not send all three forwards in deep in the zone. Always keep a third man high. That way if the puck is turned over and they make a quick breakout pass, the chances of an odd man rush against your team are greatly diminished.
If you want to get a little more technical about it, suggest that the third man (or designate a specific position to do this) mirrors the puck at about the top of the faceoff circles (puck on the left side = man on the left side, puck behind the net = man in centre of the ice, etc.).
There are several benefits to doing this: 1) if the puck is turned over and a breakout pass is made to one of the opposing forwards the third man can put pressure on him, as well as be in a position to backcheck and keep your team from being outnumbered.
2) If your team gains full possession of the puck, the third man is in a great shooting position. Defensemen usually like to stay close to the front of the net to clear rebounds and keep forwards from screening, so if you have a man higher in the zone there are going to be plenty of opportunities to get him the puck with enough time to shoot (if your lucky the defenseman will provide a screen)
3) If one of your defensemen decides to pinch into the zone, it will be obvious which forward should cover for them, again limiting odd-man rushes against (or at least making them 3 on 2's instead of 2 on 1's)
Sorry to go on so long. I hope this helps a little.
|