Teams that go from defense to offense will keep their opponents off guard and creat more scoring chances. Once you have control of the puck it is important to keep control of the puck rather than just dumping it in and working it hard to get it back.

#1 Defenseman have several options when they gain possession of the puck in the neutral zone: they can move it quickly to a forward, pass it to their defensive partner, skate the puck into the zone or dump it in. What seperate the first three options from the last is puck possession.

#2 Quickness and speed are very important when regrouping. Dont just stand around waiting for the defenseman to skate with the puck or hit you with a pass. One good option is for the strong side winger to post up along the boards, while the center and weakside winger criss cross to change lanes. Creating movement will make it harder to defend against the rush.

#3 All three forwards need to hustle out of the zone to get on-sides. They must also work to get into passing lanes. Even as your crisscrossing or cutting across the ice, pivot so your always facing the puck carrier to present him or her with a good target ( with your stick on the ice) and still be able to lead the attack with speed.

#4 Defenseman should always back up their partner in the neutral zone, and should always keep their feet moving and their head up to survey the zone for the best option to get the puck into the offensive zone.

#5 You work hard to gain control of the puck during the course of the hockey game...so dont give it away when you dont have to. Be creative and work with your teammates when you have the puck in the neutral zone rather than just dumping and chasing all the time.