Clear is the honest option. There is no quick up, no post, no swing lane — so we do not force one. The puck gets moved to open ice under control, the forwards clear out of the congestion, and we regroup again.
Reading the diagram: D2 has the puck and moves it back on the dashed line to D1 in open ice. The forwards do not stand and watch. F2 loops down through the middle and swings out wide, F1 curls underneath and comes back up the far lane, and F3 stays low as the immediate outlet. Every route clears the crowded middle and re-establishes width, so on the next look there are three separated targets instead of three forwards standing in the same lane.
A clear is not a giveaway. The puck stays on our sticks; what changes is the shape. Turnovers at our own blue line come from forcing plays that were never there.
What to look for
- If nothing is open, reset — do not force the neutral zone
- Clear the middle and re-establish width before the next look
- Puck stays under control: reset, do not blindly throw it away
- F3 stays low as the immediate short outlet
Coaching cues
- Nothing there? Reset
- Clear the middle, get wide
- Under control, not away
- Come again with speed
Common mistakes
- Blind flip up the middle that turns into an odd-man rush
- Forwards standing still while the D resets
- Everyone bunched in the same lane on the second look
- Panicking and forcing the puck into pressure
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