What this is The Dive is an inside activation. Rather than following the wall, the D reads that the puck carrier is protected and cuts straight into the middle of the zone for a quick look at the net. It is a short, high-value activation that punishes defenders who have their eyes on the wall.
Reading the diagram F3 carries the puck down the wall — the red arrow. D1 reads the protected puck and the solid arrow shows him diving off the line straight into the slot inside the faceoff circle, arriving as an inside option. F1 and F2 hold the net-front and slot so the diving D has a clear lane, and D2 stays home as the only man back.
Key ideas One D goes, one D stays. The dive is a straight line to the inside ice, taken only when the puck is safe.
What to look for
- Only dive when the puck is clearly protected
- Cut straight to the slot, not along the wall
- The other defence stays home as the man back
- Forwards keep the inside lane clear
Coaching cues
- Read the puck before you jump
- Straight line to the inside
- One goes, one stays
- Stick on the ice arriving
Common mistakes
- Diving into a contested puck and getting caught
- Both D leaving the line
- Cutting behind the puck carrier and killing the lane
- Arriving with no stick ready
Keep going
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