04/09/96 - 11:20 AM ET - Click reload often for latest version

Each week, USA TODAY will feature a leading college coach providing tips on improving hockey skills. This week's guest coach is Ron Anderson of Merrimack College.

Warrior one-on-one passing drill

by Coach Ron Anderson, Merrimack College

This is a drill used at the Merrimack College Warriors Hockey school for players ages 8-14 years old. Its primary functions are to develop passing and puck control on both the forehand and backhand, and learning to read and react to one-on-one situations (shooter vs. defender; shooter vs. goalie).

All but eight players will begin in one corner of the rink with a supply of puck in the opposite diagonal corner. Two players will station themselves on both the defensive (A) and offensive (C) bluelines, aligned with the faceoff dots while another two (B) are positioned on the red line near the boards and two others (D) are on the on the closest blueline and aligned with the supply of pucks.

The drill begins with player No. 1 passing the puck to player A at the blueline as he or she breaks out of the corner.
Player A passes the puck back to player No. 1, as he or she nears the blueline.
When player No. 1 gets the puck, he or she passes it forward to player B at the red line, while continuing to race toward and around player B.
Player B passes the puck back to player No. 1 before he or she reaches the line, and player No. 1 immediately sends the puck forward to player C and continues to skate forward to the offensive blueline.
Player C passes the puck back to player No. 1 before he or she reaches the blueline.
Once receiving the pass at the blueline, player No. 1 skates in for a shot on goal and a rebound (if there is one).
After the shot, player No. 1 picks up a puck in the corner and proceeds one-on-one with player D acting as a defenseman. Player No. 1 carries the puck in the zone between the cones and the boards.
If player No. 1 beats player D, he or she get to take a shot at the goal and retrieve the rebound (if there is one).
Once the cycle has been completed, player No. 1 skates up the middle of the ice to take of as player A while the defender on the drive goes to the breakout corner. Proceed from position A to position B, C, and D as each new player breaks out.
The drill continues with each breakout player (No. 1, 2, 3 on diagram) taking off once the preceding player has received the pass from player C.
The drill can be reversed and started from the opposite corner after each player has gone through the cycle once.

Ron Anderson is in his 13th season as coach of the Merrimack Warriors of HOCKEY EAST. He is the winningest coach in Warrior hockey history, having a career record of 220-189-17 entering the 1995-96 season. Anderson guided three consecutive teams to Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) titles (1987-89). He was named the ECAC coach of the year in 1987. In 1987-88, the Warriors went 34-6 and advanced to the NCAA Division I quarterfinals. Since becoming the MC coach, Anderson has seen his program go from Division II to Division I and move from the ECAC to the HOCKEY EAST (1989-90). Anderson, a native of Moncton, New Brunswick, played his collegiate hockey at Boston University as a forward on the 1971 and 1972 teams that won back-to-back NCAA championships. He played professional hockey with the Boston Bruins.