Overload Hockey
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Power Play: Overload

Load four skaters to one side of the ice, win the strong-side triangle, and swing the puck to the weak-side point for the shot.

F1F2F3D1D2PP OZ OVERLOAD
F = forwards, D = defence (our five power play skaters) / Net we are attacking is at the top, blue line at the bottom / Dashed line = pass or shot option / Solid arrows = movement / Black dot = puck

The idea

The Overload puts four of our five skaters on one half of the ice. Instead of spreading out and asking players to make long, risky passes, we crowd one side so every option is short, fast, and supported. The penalty killers only have four bodies, so if we can pull three of them to the strong side, the weak-side point and the back door open up.

Reading the diagram

The net we are attacking is at the top of the board and the blue line is at the bottom. Red circles are our five power play skaters.

F3 is the half wall on the strong side, and that is where the puck starts (black dot). F1 sits at the net front on the same side, ready to tip, screen, and hunt rebounds. F2 is the bumper in the middle of the ice between the circles. D1 is the strong-side point at the blue line and D2 is the weak-side point.

The dashed lines are the two first-look options off the half wall: the quick feed up the wall to the net front, and the seam pass inside to the bumper. If neither is there, the puck goes back to D1 and across to D2 for a one-timer with F1 and F2 screening.

Why it works

Everything happens in a tight box, so pucks get moved before the box can rotate. It is the best structure for a unit with one strong half-wall playmaker and a net-front presence.

What to look for

  • Four skaters on one side; only the weak-side point stays away from the puck
  • Half wall is the trigger: shoot, feed the net front, or hit the bumper
  • Net front never leaves the paint until the shot is released
  • Weak-side point is the release valve when the box collapses

Coaching cues

  • Short, supported passes only — no cross-ice hope plays
  • Half wall pulls the puck to the middle before deciding
  • Bumper stays in the seam, not behind a stick
  • Point shots go through traffic, not around it

Common mistakes

  • Standing still on the wall so the box can set
  • Net front drifting out of the paint
  • Forcing the seam pass when the killer has already sat in it
  • Weak-side point drifting so low there is no reset option
Keep going

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