1-1-3 Lock Forecheck

Objective: The lock: one forward pressures, one reads the middle, and the third forward falls back beside the D to make an unbeatable line of three. Setup: F1 forechecks, F2 floats the middle at the top of the zone, F3 'locks' onto the wing alongside both D across the neutral zone. Execution: F1 angles the carrier to a wall and takes away the D-to-D with his stick — he is a steerer, not a hitter. F2 reads the first pass: wall pass his side = he jumps it; anything through the middle = he kills it. F3 sprints back into the line the moment possession is lost — three across the red line means no wide speed and no middle seam. Coaching points: Use it when: opponents beat you wide, or your third forward is your weakest defender (the lock gives him one simple job). What beats it: a chip behind the pinch-less line into space — D must keep their feet moving backward as the line forms. The lock only works if F3 accepts the job — falling back at a sprint, not a glide, every single time.