The 1 and a Half is a 1-2-2 with a trigger. F1 hunts and F2 floats in the middle of the ice as a half-forechecker — if F1 forces a bad touch or the puck stalls, F2 jumps and we are suddenly attacking with two.
Reading the diagram Net we are attacking at the top, their blue line at the bottom. The **X** with the puck is in the corner.
- **F1** angles the retriever on the strong side (red arrow). - **F2** is the half-man just off the middle of the ice, above the circles. He is not committed to a wall — his job is to read F1's pressure and either jump the puck or fall back into the wall spot. - **F3** is low in the strong-side circle covering the wall and the middle behind F2. - **D1 and D2** hold the blue line.
How it plays out The whole play hinges on F2's read. F1 forces a rushed touch, F2 attacks it, and F3 backfills the space F2 vacated. If F1 does not win the puck, F2 stays home and the shape is a standard 1-2-2 again — nothing is lost.
What to look for
- F2 is a read, not a route
- F3 backfills whenever F2 attacks
- Only jump on a rushed or stalled touch
Coaching cues
- Half man — read then jump
- If F1 wins the wall, go
- Backfill behind the jump
Common mistakes
- F2 jumping on every puck and hanging the D out
- F3 following F2 and leaving both walls open
- F2 sitting too high to be a factor
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