3 on 3 advice

[insertnamehere]

I'll be playing in a bit of a 3 on 3 league (cross ice games) this spring and summer, provided there's not a 3rd provincial shutdown affecting hockey, and I'm looking for advice basically on what adjustments others have made when playing 3 on 3. 

Obviously I've played some 3 on 3 in practice or just ice rentals, but never in a manner as competitive as an organized league.

Any discussion about 3 on 3 is welcome!

[SaveByRichter35]

37 minutes ago, insertnamehere said:

I'll be playing in a bit of a 3 on 3 league (cross ice games) this spring and summer, provided there's not a 3rd provincial shutdown affecting hockey, and I'm looking for advice basically on what adjustments others have made when playing 3 on 3. 

Obviously I've played some 3 on 3 in practice or just ice rentals, but never in a manner as competitive as an organized league.

Any discussion about 3 on 3 is welcome!

Spend your game days drinking lots of water lol

[CJ Boiss]

1 hour ago, insertnamehere said:

I'll be playing in a bit of a 3 on 3 league (cross ice games) this spring and summer, provided there's not a 3rd provincial shutdown affecting hockey, and I'm looking for advice basically on what adjustments others have made when playing 3 on 3. 

Obviously I've played some 3 on 3 in practice or just ice rentals, but never in a manner as competitive as an organized league.

Any discussion about 3 on 3 is welcome!

Since 2-on-1s happen all the time, I make sure that *everyone* on my team knows that I want them to take away the pass, unless I'm actively yelling at them to take the shooter. I'm also more aggressive about playing the puck, because it's much harder to turn the puck over on a pass when there's only 3 opponents on the ice.

Keep a close eye on the backdoor, and work on that explosive lateral movement, you're going to be doing a lot of it.

[Edit] Just saw this was cross-ice, and... fuck if I know. Losing your faceoff dots and crease and lines is a big enough challenge as is; make sure you're tapping off your posts, that's your only lifeline to knowing where your net is.

Edited April 15, 2021 by CJ Boiss

[mr_shifty1982]

My advice, don't do it. 

[CJ Boiss]

Actually though, it's going to feel more like you're playing on an ODR. Can't trust the lines on the ice to tell you where your net is - which probably won't have pegs to grip the ice, and could well be pushed up against the boards, making shots which miss the net way more dangerous in terms of rebounds and also eliminate any kind of behind the net play - and going cross ice will mean you can't relax like you can if you were playing with a full sheet, because guys can and will shoot at you from literally anywhere.

If you want easy stoppages in play, or to slow things down, try putting rebounds towards centre ice. If the puck doesn't hop whatever barrier they've put up to divide the games, guys will play more conservatively and have fewer options to move the puck because there are no boards.

And don't go out of your net to play the puck. Not enough time or space to do so reliably.

[loki1416]

We do 3on3 tourny's all the time. Half ice with a barrier going across center ice separating the ice in half. We did do the cross ice (ONCE) like your doing and it sucked. You'll feel like you get no breaks because your so confined into the action. Don't get me wrong, it's fun as all hell, but it is a massive workout. My Apple watch stopped counting cal's and just kept flashing "PLEASE STOP".

Things I've learned:

Shots can (and will) come from any where at any time

Aggressive depth is NOT your friend (unless clear break-away). I stay in the conservative to defensive depths. 

Water water water water. Want a drink but can't get a break for it? Make one. Hold the puck in your glove while you drink (fuck the players, they arn't people) and drop it when your ready. Worst case, let it go in and stand in the way while you drink so they can't get it out. Seriously though, drink as much as you can before/during/and after. Your going to be using a lot of energy.

You can be part of the game! Your close enough to take shots, so have some fun with it. Especially since your playing cross ice, that's not far to shoot. The other goalie may not be ready for it the 1st time you shoot!

Energy conservation is important depending on the format being played. Ours are 3 games over 120mins with at least an hour break between sessions. Then we come back for the finals: 1st and 4th play/2nd and 3rd play-the two winning teams play for 1st/2nd-two losers play for 3rd/4th. These games are longer than the first session as your only playing 2 games but total time is still 120mins.

[seagoal]

Leave your normal expectations and standards in your bag in the locker room.  This is not hockey, it's a game on ice with sticks and pucks and hockey gear meant to destroy goalies while having fun.  

This is a great opportunity to build some emotional and mental resiliance by learning to laugh at yourself and showing some levity. 

[coopaloop1234]

13 hours ago, seagoal said:

Leave your normal expectations and standards in your bag in the locker room.  This is not hockey, it's a game on ice with sticks and pucks and hockey gear meant to destroy goalies while having fun.  

This is a great opportunity to build some emotional and mental resiliance by learning to laugh at yourself and showing some levity. 

It's also a massive way to get practice shots for guys who never get a true practice. You're going to see more shots, breakaways, 2-1's, 3-0's, etc then you'd ever see in any normal game. Use it for what it is, a chance to work on your conditioning, because fuck me man, you're going to be bagged.

I normally play in a 3v3 league during the summer on a designated small rink. So I'm a bit more fortunate than most in that I get some designated markers. Doesn't mean that my angles aren't all completely off for the first few games. How you set yourself up when the puck is at the face off dots on your end is a lot different on a smaller rink.

[Colander]

2 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

....I normally play in a 3v3 league during the summer on a designated small rink. So I'm a bit more fortunate than most in that I get some designated markers. Doesn't mean that my angles aren't all completely off for the first few games. How you set yourself up when the puck is at the face off dots on your end is a lot different on a smaller rink.

Never played it but would love to try  - although I am betting once would be enough for me...

So, based on the quoted part of your response, what happens when you return to real hockey? Do you click back into the benchmarks on the ice? Any good or bad habits you bring into the 200 feet rink?

[coopaloop1234]

26 minutes ago, Colander said:

Never played it but would love to try  - although I am betting once would be enough for me...

So, based on the quoted part of your response, what happens when you return to real hockey? Do you click back into the benchmarks on the ice? Any good or bad habits you bring into the 200 feet rink?

I normally play for two teams in the summer. One 5v5, one 3v3.

It's a bit of a struggle to switch back and forth. Though, one benefit of playing on the smaller ice is that the amount of room for sharper angle shots is reduced significantly so you only really face shots in an area that would resemble between the face off dots on a properly sized rink.

[ThatCarGuy]

Personally I love 3 on 3 but it’s normally half ice 3 on 3. There are divider boards that’s the place in the center of the ice which means it’s pretty easy for me to get shots and occasionally goals on net. 3 on 3 is one of my favorites because it tests how well you can play your depth and how hard you can battle to make a save. 

[Maxpower29]

I absolutely hate playing 4 on 4 or 3 on 3. I've only been playing ice goalie for a few months but it definitely kills the fun for the night for me. Breakaway and 2-1 city all night. That or everyone just gets an extra few seconds in the pure slot to rip the puck at you. 

I am in not spot to give advice because I'm not that good yet but I do play very deep in the net when it's 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 just because we usually play a shiny type game so people look to pass. I find it makes them in an awkward situation if you almost force them to shoot. Everyone loves to pass

[insertnamehere]

Thanks everybody. First 3 on 3 game of the season tonight, I've been taking it easy all day knowing that I'm gonna need the energy. 

[keeper_13]

One great thing about 3 v 3 play is that it is a great chance for you to build up your scouting book on players.  Much easier to notice tendencies of players when there are only 3 of them on the ice against you.  Yes pre-hydrate, yes buy yourself breathing breaks however you need to, yes expect to get scored on a lot, but remember to gather intel!  Especially against good shooters.  This one guy I played against had a rocket of a shot, but he'd glance down before taking it.  Once I realized that, every time he glanced down I'd skootch out an extra foot or so, and I stopped every single shot he took against me for the next two seasons.  When he moved away I told him how I had done it - I wish I could show you the look on his face!  Most satisfying.