Power play: umbrella and overload

Setup

1. Five power-play skaters against four penalty killers and a goaltender, in one end. Full equipment for everyone and full goalie gear in the net. Spare players wait at the blue line to rotate in.
2. Overload: LD on the strong-side point, LW on the half-wall, C low near the goal line, RW at the net front and RD on the weak-side point.
3. Umbrella: one player at the top in the middle (LD), shooters on both flanks near the tops of the circles (LW and RW), one in the bumper spot in the high slot (RD) and one at the net front (C).
4. These are common structures, not rules: one way to set up, and your team can shape them around its shooters.

How it runs

1. The coach dumps a puck in. The penalty killers try to clear it; the power play retrieves it and sets up the overload.
2. Work the strong-side triangle (point, half-wall, low) until a lane opens, or swing the puck across the top to the weak-side point for a shot.
3. After about 8 minutes, switch to the umbrella: the top player moves the puck flank to flank for one-timers while the net-front player screens.
4. A rep runs until a goal, a clear past the blue line or about 40 seconds. Killers may clear the puck the length of the ice: no icing is called against a shorthanded team.
5. Rotate units every two or three reps, with water and rest between.

Coaching points

• Shoot only when the goaltender is set. The screen stands at the top of the crease, not in it.
• Receive and move it on in a second or two: quick passes stretch the box.
• Show a stick target before the pass arrives, so the passer knows where to put it.
• Point shots go low and through traffic, so they can be tipped or produce a rebound.
• Read the pressure: when a killer chases, the open player is usually behind them.

Common mistakes

• Holding the puck on the half-wall until the box has reset.
• Players standing still; nobody moves into an open lane.
• Forcing a pass across the slot into a stick.
• Nobody high to chase a clear, so the killers get a breakaway.