2-3 Press Forecheck

Objective: All-out territorial pressure: two forwards hunt below the dots while three across the blue line pinch everything that touches a wall. Setup: F1 and F2 deep on the puck; F3 and both D form the line of three at the offensive blue. Opponents attempt a breakout. Execution: F1 takes the retrieval body-first; F2 arrives a beat behind on the puck — the classic two-wave steal. Any rim or wall pass = the strong-side D pinches DOWN the wall to kill it; F3 slides back to cover his ice. Trigger to bail: puck carried past a pinching D with speed — F3 sprints back as the lone safety and everyone else backchecks through the middle. Coaching points: Use it when: down a goal, offensive-zone faceoff wins, tired opponents. What beats it: a clean D-to-D and a hard flat stretch pass — so F2's route must always shadow D-to-D. Pinches END plays: through the hands, along the wall, no fly-bys. This system is a bet — five men below the puck creates goals and gives up rushes. Sell out or don't run it.