Pinch, Catch, Fire

Objective: D shooting variant: pinch down on the rimmed puck, catch it flat off the wall, walk off and fire. Setup: Rimmer with pucks in the corner, D at the top of the zone, screen forward at the net. Goalie live. Execution: Corner player rims the puck hard around the wall toward the D's side. D reads it and pinches DOWN the wall, catching the rim flat on his backhand. Two quick steps off the wall to change the angle, then a low shot through the screen. Coaching points: Pinch as the rim leaves — hesitate and the puck beats you to the spot. Blade flat and angled against the wall to kill the rim's spin. Never shoot from the wall seam — the two steps off it open the lane.