¶ Description
The 2-3-1 consists of two forwards, two wings, a center, and a full back.
Each position has a specific job, and the details will vary between teams, but the general roles are described here:
Forwards: These players generally stay ahead of the puck, meaning they stay between the puck and the goal they are trying to score at. Their goal is to receive forward passes from the wings, center or full back and drive the puck forwards when they receive it. To help with defense, forwards come back towards the play, still in front of the puck, and interfere with the opponents. They can do this by back picking the opponents, blocking passing lanes and generally causing chaos in the opponents offense.
The two forwards should mostly try to drop at the same time, allowing them to drive the puck forward in pairs, using 2 on 1s (pinches) to beat the opposing backs.
Wings: These two players are the outside two players in the “3” of the formation. Wings are often refereed to as “weak side” or “strong side” wings. A “weak side” wing refers to the wing that is not on the side that the play is on, such as if the play is at or near the left wall of the playing area, the right wing is the “weak side” wing. Conversely, the “strong side” wing is the left wing (same side as the play).
Wings are responsible for covering their side of the formation. The “strong side” wing dives behind the puck and drives the puck forward trying to get it to the forwards that are ahead of them. The “weak side” wing stays ready to receive a swing pass form the center and is also ready to engage the opposing outside player if the other team swings the puck.
Center: The center spends most of their time distributing the puck to the rest of the team. Their main goal is to prevent the opposing players from driving the puck through the center of the formation, and if the other team attempts this, the center should either get the puck and pass it out to a wing or forward, or redirect the opponent towards one of their teammates.
Full Back: The full back, also referred to as “stopper” or “goalie," is responsible for covering any gaps in the midline, meaning they can drop into either of the wing's positions or the center's position. This may result in the strong side wing and full back cycling behind each other constantly, or may result in more of a cycle with the center and full back. The full back may also combine these two and consistently drop in both positions. How this cycle occurs depends largely on how the team wishes to play the formation and on individual player preferences.
The full back can also very effectively starting deep swings, instead of the center starting a more lateral swing.
¶ Demonstration Video
Demo video coming soon!
¶ Real-life Example Video Clip
Add real-life video here (Eric or Tristan)
¶ Quick Reference
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