Key Terms
- Centering: Passing to a teammate who is in front of your opponent's goal
- Forehand: When a player shoots or passes with the bottom hand pushing the stick forward
- Backhand: When a player shoots or passes with the bottom hand pulling the stick forward
- Clear: Getting the puck out of your zone to prevent your opponents from scoring
- Cutting Down the Angle: When the goalie comes out to force a player to shoot farther away from the goal (If the goalie comes too early or too far the offensive player may go around them to score an easy goal.)
- Dribble: (also known as stick handling or puck handling) Using both sides of the blade to control & move the puck
- Face-off: Games begin with a face-off between centers where the puck is dropped between them. All other players must begin outside the center circle. The object of a face-off is to pull the puck back to your side. Both players' sticks must start on their side and remain in contact with the floor until the puck is dropped. Face-offs may also occur in a team's zone.
- Goal: Each score is worth one point. A goal counts when a puck crosses the goal line. A puck kicked or hit by the hand into the goal is not a score.
- High sticking: Penalty called when a player lifts the blade above the waist, winds up, or follows through when attempting an illegal shot (slap-shot)
- Hooking: Illegal use of the hockey stick to "hook" another player (This is a penalty.)
- Icing: When a player on the defensive side of the floor sends the puck down the length of the floor and it crosses the designated line without being touched by a teammate
- Offside: When players move or cross out of the designated areas assigned to their position
- Penalty: Consequence given for roughing, high sticking, hooking, or other misconduct fouls that are illegal (The player charged with the penalty will sit out of the game for a designated period of time - usually two minutes in official hockey. Any player who accumulates five penalties during a game will be disqualified from playing.)
- Power play: When the team with all their players (full strength) has an advantage over the team charged with a penalty that now must play with less players (short-handed)
- Roughing: Play that endangers resulting in a penalty ( Examples of roughing may be slashing, contact with the goalie, pushing, blocking with the body, or tripping.)
- Shorthanded: When a team must continue playing with fewer players because of a player serving a penalty
- Slap shot: An illegal shot in floor hockey (A slap shot involves the swinging of the stick behind, slapping the puck, and the follow through which brings the stick high.)
- Stick handling: Using alternating taps of both sides of the blade to move the puck, also known as dribbling or puck handling
- Sudden death: When two teams are tied at the end of a game and the next team to score wins and ends the game.
- Wrist shot: When a player uses a flicking motion to move the puck (The stick remains in contact with the floor. There should be no back swing or high follow through. This is the best shot for speed and accuracy in floor hockey.)