How to Run the Umbrella Power Play System in Ice Hockey

In ice hockey, having a successful power play strategy is essential to becoming a winning hockey team. A power play occurs when one of the players on the opposing team takes a penalty, giving the other team an advantage in the number of players that they have on the ice. One strategy that a lot of winning hockey teams like to use is known as the umbrella power play.

The main focus of the umbrella power play is to overload the top of the zone near the blue line with players. This way, it is likely that players can pass the puck around the top of the zone and hopefully get a lot of shooting opportunities.

The set up of the umbrella power play is fairly simple. When a team is on the power play, they typically have five players to work with, so they need to be set up in a specific manner in order to optimize their power play. There should be three players lined up near the blue line; one player should be a little bit higher then the top of each circle and the other player should be between them. The players up top should stagger their positioning slightly so that it makes it harder for defensive players to cover them and potentially intercept the passes that they make amongst themselves. The remaining two players should remain down low in the zone and act as either an outlet passing opportunity or a screen for the goaltender. Which player should serve which purpose depends on what side of the ice that the puck is on. For example, if the puck is on the left side of the ice at the time, then the low player on the left should move toward his or her corner and give the players up high a passing lane outlet. At the same time, the player on the other side of the ice should move toward the center of the ice in front of the goalie an attempt to screen the goalie of tip any potential shots. All of the players on the power play serve very important roles, so everyone must be on the same page for the umbrella power play to work.

Sources:

USA Hockey
Composite Hockey Sticks