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 Bruce Crowder of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

High-tempo one-on-one drill

by Coach Bruce Crowder, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

The keys to this high-tempo one-on-one drill are for the defensemen to work on breakout passing and on gapping, the forwards to work on sprinting to the breakout position and exploding out of the zone, and for both positions to develop their one-one-one skills.

This drill goes from both ends on the coach's whistle. It begins with the defense (D, see diagram) in alternate corners of the rink with pucks while the forwards (F) are outside the blueline on opposite sides. On the coaches' whistle:

The defenseman skates with the puck behind the net while, at the same time, the forwards are sprinting down to the breakout position.
The defenseman makes the pass to the forward, who is coming into the face-off circle area.
The forward skates with the puck out to the neutral zone and over to the far blueline. The forward then curls back towards the end that he or she broke out of.
The defenseman who gave the pass follows the forward all the way up the ice and plays that man one-on-one back into the original zone and tries to defend against the forward being able to take a good shot on goal.

Expansions on this drill:

The coach can blow the whistle when the first group gets to the far blueline. Now, instead of having only four players working the drill, there are eight.
The forward and defenseman can exchange some passes coming out of the zone before moving into the one-on-one rush.
The defenseman, after making the breakout pass to the forward, can take on the other forward from the other end in a one-on-one rush.

Bruce Crowder is in his fifth year as coach of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks' hockey program. Coming into the 1995-96 season, Crowder had a 73-65-15 overall record. His past three teams have advanced to the HOCKEY EAST finals at the Boston Garden and three of his five teams have won 20 games. barrier. In 1994, Crowder's River Hawks were selected for the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Michigan State in the first round and lost in double overtime to the University of Minnesota in the second round. Crowder has been named the Bob Kullen/CCM/HOCKEY EAST coach of the year in 1994 and 1996. He also received the Clark Hodder Award as the New England Hockey Writers Association's Division I coach of the year and was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award (NCAA Division I national coach of the year) in 1994. Crowder came to the River Hawks program in 1990-91 and served as associate coach/head coach designee under Bill Riley, Jr. after working as an assistant coach from 1986-90 at the University of Maine. A former National Hockey League player with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins (1981-85), Crowder scored 47 goals and 51 assists during a 243-game career. He played college hockey at University of New Hampshire, helping the Wildcats to an ECAC Division I title in 1979 and two NCAA tournament berths (1977 and 1979). He played in 135 games and had 133 (47-86) points. Crowder received his bachelor's degree in physical education from UNH and a master's degree in education administration from Maine.