Beginner Tips to Start Winning Games

Some new players, myself included, have problems winning scoring goals or winning games at all. This guide will give some tips to new players on better ways to play.

This guide will work from the assumption that the player knows nothing about hockey (or the terminology). But, it can also be good for those familiar with hockey.

I'll be filling out and updating these sections in an on-going process.

Goalie

If you're a hockey fan, throw out everything you know about goalies and how they work when playing this game. It's better to think of the goalie as a small, animated pong paddle than an actual goalie. Any shot that hits the goalie's hitbox will be blocked. So, no matter how many times you shoot at the goalie, he will make every save.

Some other things to keep in mind with the goalie is he's the only character that can't be hit (unless you count the Zamboni). He can, and will, check everyone else, though. Even his own teammates. Best to stay clear of both goalies no matter what side you're on. The goalie will also never cover the puck... or play the puck at all.

When first starting, it may seem impossible to make goals. But, by using the other team's defense (or lack of) against themselves, you can start making more goals and make the opposing goalie sad:

Referee

This guy is annoying and useless. He exists only to get in the way of shots. Since there aren't any penalties in this game, feel free to slug him.

What he is good for is being an obstacle:

Chances!
LOL JK

Offense

Once you gain control of the puck in either your ice or neutral ice, the both teams will make a rush to the opposing team's goal (except for a player or two who will chase you).

Teams rush to goal except for one chaser.

This is both handy and irritating, depending on what side you're on. The best thing to do is play keep-away until you reach opposing ice either by carrying the puck along the boards (walls of ice rink), passing to open players, or even backing into your own zone to burn some time. Generally, from what I've seen, the puck-holder is ignored until you reach enemy ice except by the chasing player.

Delaying for better team position.

Once you reach enemy ice, it gets a little more tricky. Like stated above, this isn't a normal goalie you're facing. You've got to get around him to make a goal while avoiding being checked by the enemy team. And even when you get to the enemy ice, your team may be in bad position. Looping around the net can give you extra time for them to develop:

Bad team positioning, all shots are blocked. Looping around the back of the net gives your team more time to position themselves. The AI never really seems to do this, but it's pretty effective.

Fortunately for you, there isn't much of a concept of defense (formations, tactics, etc.) for the AI. Which can often leave the goalie by himself, like this:

3v1: Goalie's worst nightmare.

In real hockey, this is the worst possible scenario for a goalie. But, because this isn't a normal goalie, we've still got to get around his hitbox to make a goal. There are about three ways to do this:

• One-Timers
  
• Rebound shots
  
• Sniper shots

One-Timers

Basically, shooting the puck around the goalie by catching him out of position. This is the bread-and-butter of hockey attacks in this game and you should try to set these up as often as possible.

Wide open net where a defenseman should be badgering the reciever or blocking the passing lane. (In real hockey games, you'll sometimes see defensemen laying their sticks down or even sliding across the ice to block this passing lane)
Sharper angles work too. Bottom players too busy playing Pokemans to help their goalie.
IRL one-timer.

To do this, you have to wait until your teammate is in an open position. Once the goalie is out of position and the path to your teammate is open, quickly pass the puck to the open teammate and then immediately fire the puck into the unblocked portion of the goal.

You can note that, as soon as you shoot the puck (either to pass or shoot) the goalie immediately drops to make a save:


This further opens the goal for one-timers as the goalie is down and out of position to block your other teammate.

Rebound Shots

Sort of what it sounds like: you take a shot at goal which bounces off the goalie, only to follow it up with another immediate shot either by the same or different player. This is more tricky to pull off, but can be a good idea when you can't set up a one timer because your teammate's passing lane is blocked. This shot requires pretty quick reflexes as you have to make sure that you regain possession of the puck immediately after the first shot. The goalie will slide towards the other goalpost after blocking the shot. You then take an immedate shot to the opposite end of the net or goalpost to score.

Initial shot bounces off goalie and redirects to blocked player.
Shot to opposite goalpost for a score.
IRL rebound shot

Sniper Shots

Probably the hardest to pull off. This is a one-man shot that gets around the goalie. Because the goalie's hitbox and speed are limited, it is possible to shoot a puck near the goalposts and have it go in (or deflect off the goalposts into the goal). In my experience, this is really only successful when using the 'sniper' class (thouch, it can be done with any class). But, using this class leaves you more vulnerable to being checked and losing puck possession. To make this more effective, you can charge up the shot for a quicker release, giving the goalie less time to react (but putting more pressure on you).

100% intentional. No luck involved. I swear.

Occasionally, you can also catch the goalie in his check animation where he will slightly move out of the net. This can help you when making one-man shots, but requires lightning reflexes.

Slight opening when goalie is in his checking animation.

Defense

Puck possession is, obviously, one of the most important concepts in hockey. Sadly, the enemy team will get puck possession either by checking your puck-holder, winning face-offs, or intercepting your passes. As stated above, there isn't much of a concept of defense. That also applies to your team. Just like the enemy team, once the opposing team gains puck-possession, your entire team will rush to your goal.

Defending in the attacking zone

Ideally, in real hockey and this game, keeping the puck in the enemy's territory (the area between the blue lines closest to their goal) is a top priority. If you lose possession in enemy ice, a good idea is to try and immediately attack the puck-holder. Switching to a player close to the enemy puck-holder and checking him will often let you regain puck possession while most of your team is close to the attacking (enemy) zone. This lets you regroup quickly to go back on offense.

A note on checking
Be careful when checking larger players. Right now, the game seems to be set up so that around 6-8 checks in a row to a single player in a short timeframe will trigger a brawl. This may or may not be good. If you're down points, it may be worth the risk to gain the man-advantage.

Defending in the defending zone

When the opposing team has the puck in your end (defending zone) there are two general ways to go about defending:

• Blocking passing lanes
  
• Pressuring/checking the puck-holder

Blocking passing lanes

Pretty much what it sounds like: be an obstacle. Put yourself in a position to assist the goalie or prevent the enemy players from passing the puck:

Enemy shooter has no openings and will either have to retreat to neutral ice or lose the puck!

It does require being aware of what your teammates are doing. But, getting in the way of a pass will gain you an interception. In general, get in the way of everything they're trying to do. Hopefully your teammates are doing what they should be doing: pushing the enemy into a corner while blocking off their passing lanes:

Good defensive play. Closes off the passing lanes and pressures a turnover of the puck.

A note on dumping the puck
Sometimes just getting the puck out of your zone is important. If things just seem too chaotic and you don't have a good play, try just dumping (shooting without the intention to score) the puck into the enemy zone (and since there are no rules [icing], there's no penalty for doing it). It might seem pointless as the goalie will absolutely block it, but this gets the puck to their side of the ice and relieves your defense. You might even regain control of the puck in the offensive zone. But, at the very least, it gives your defense time to reform from a sticky situation:

When things get too crazy, there ain't no shame in flinging the puck away

Pressuring/checking the puck-holder

Exactly what it sounds like: beat the crap out of the puck holder until he loses the puck. This may not be a great idea if the puck-holder has an open passing lane. But, once you regain the puck, the enemy team will retreat to their own goal.

Checked and stripped of the puck.

BE CAREFUL!
You can check everyone in this game, except goalies. That includes your own teammates! Try not to knock out your own teammates, or you'll just look silly:

Fights

Sometimes hockey players need hug time.

Fighting triggers after a player gets hit 6-8 times in a row in a certain amount of time (depending on the difficulty). At that point, everybody drops the mits (except goalies) and battle it in a sorta team-deathmatch brawl. The last team standing wins a temporary man advantage, leaving an enemy player spazzing out on the ice for 30 seconds.

If you end up as the last-man-standing on your team, facing off against two or more enemy players, you're probably out of luck. One option is to try and separate their team a bit by using the goalies. The goalies don't fight, but they'll still check players who get too close. I don't think this does any damage, but can keep some of the players at bay while you pick them off with your last guy. It probably won't work, but you'll have a better chance than taking them all on at once.

Terminology

Basic Hockey Terms

Hockey has a lot of terms, but most of them don't apply to this game. Here's a rundown of the ones that are used, or could be used, in this game:

• Boards: The walls of a hockey rink.
  
• Checking (hit): In this game, hitting a player. Normally to disrupt puck possession of enemies.
  
• Crease: Blue paint area in front of goal.
  
• Defensive Ice/Zone: The area stretching from behind your goal to the nearest center blue line (see graphic below).
  
• Deke: The act of tricking or “psyching out” enemy players to get them to make bad moves.
  
• Drop Pass: Passing the puck to a teammate behind you.
  
• Enforcer (goon): A player who specializes in being the tough guy. Usually the strongest, heaviest, and hits the hardest. Very useful in fights or when checking. Also least accurate.
  
• Faceoff: Fight for puck control at the beginning of play (when the ref drops the puck).
  
• Hat Trick: Three goals by a single player in a game.
  
• Man Advantage: When a team loses a player (in this game, due to losing a fight), the opposing team gains an advantage from having more active players on the ice.
  
• Neutral Ice/Zone: Area between center blue lines (see graphic below).
  
• Offensive Ice/Zone: Area between the ice behind opponent's goal to the nearest center blue line (see graphic below).
  
• One-Timer: Immediately shooting the puck after getting a pass.
  
• Playmaker: A player that usually assists in setting up goals (usually by passing to snipers or open players). Good all-around player, but lacks the buffs of a Enforcer or Sniper.
  
• Rebound: Puck bounces off the goalie, goalposts, or net.
  
• Save: Stopping the puck before it crosses the goal line.
  
• Slapshot: A “powered up” shot. Fast but less accurate.
  
• Sniper: Players with the most accurate shots. In this game, they are the weakest players and are most likely to lose puck control when checked.
  
• Zone: Area of ice separated by blue lines.

Ice Rink Zones and Spots

Parts of Ice Rink

The teams switch sides every period. So, the rule of thumb is, whatever side your goalie is on is the defensive zone.

Difficulty Settings

About picking your team

Despite what some may think, there are no team-based bonuses. In fact, there aren't any differences between the teams at all in terms of their AI or abilities. They're all governed by the same set of variables listed below. So the Canadian, Russian, or Finnish team won't play any better than the German, Czech, or even North Korean team (regardless of their real-life IIHF world rankings).

This might still be somewhat difficult and confusing because, as of writing, your AI team will always play just as well as the enemy AI (and just as badly). So your goalie will miss easy saves just like the enemy goalie. The main advantage you have is… you! Your manual control of the players gives you a significant advantage over the enemy team on easier modes. Just don't put too much faith in your AI partners on easy.

Difficulty differences and management

If you've made it this far, chances are you're finding 'easy' a lot more manageable to play now. Time to move up the difficulty ladder!

Currently there are five difficulty settings: easy, medium, hard, very hard, and pro. The difficulty settings change several AI variables, which can really effect how you need to play. Some of the AI variables affected are:

• Checking probabilities.
  
• Passing probabilities.
  
• AI aggressiveness.
  
• Shot chances (as in, how likely they are to take a shot, not score a goal).
  
• The rate and chance of punches during a fight.
  
• The goalie's “mass” (I'm not 100% sure what this variable does, but I have a good idea).
  
• Check limit until a fight is triggered (ranging from 6-8 in a given timeframe)

On the higher difficulties, expect the opposing team to play much more aggressively. You're more likely to be pressured as the puck holder and checked at any time by the enemy (to prevent brawls from constantly happening, the limit that triggers a fight is increased on higher difficulties). Compensating for this requires quicker reflexes, but can be managed by the same advice above. Focus on keeping puck control and keeping the puck in the enemy ice. Once the enemy gets puck control, they'll pass much more frequently to avoid being checked.

You'll also find that goals are a lot harder to make. The goalie, on the higher settings, is able to move faster and change directions faster. This makes luring him out of position even more important as he's able to snap back to block most one-timer attempts:

Pretty good one-timer setup, right?
Not against spider-goalie! (Seriously, he moved to make the save in about 12 frames)

In general, things just become more chaotic. To get goals on these levels, you'll need to pull off some pretty crazy rebounds and have luck on your side. Puck possession is still what's important: the longer you hold the puck, the more chances you have to put it in goal.

Congrats!

Hopefully, by now, you're playing a lot better and are on your way to the pros!

[Kozzy]

Amazing guide

[Venus]

thank you so much; I honestly was dumbfounded as to how I had 115 shots on goal and scored once. I was actually angry at the game and even tried the tutorial to no success.

[bLac2(scumbag)¾drunk]

Solid analysis of the game, cheers

[Safety Protocols Disengaged]

This guy knows how to hockey

[pUke]

oh, what a guide! I am lucky to be a professional NHL hockey 1995 player 😂😂😂 I just had to change eye movements from top-down to left-right... works fine 😂😂😂👀😄

[Battle_1]

Nice guide bud. I'm looking through to see if any tips on getting more brawls started,I'm working on the last achievement. 3 fatalities in 1 game. It seems like the players won't die in brawls in tournament mode where you can set more time to have more fights. I'm gonna check the other modes. I lost 2 good players trying to get the achievement in franchise mode ..had 2 fatalities and 1 disabling injury

[IIXIII]

One cheap way to get goal, is to do laps around the goal until everyone is chasing you and behind the net>pass to a guy in the slot and score on the way 'round

[Suds]

thanks for the guide. I just got my ass handed to me on my first game vs easy 4-0 where I quickly discovered by the 2nd period I cannot simply shoot it past this goalie. Appreciate the guide. Fun game.

[MrNuts70]

Great guide, but man ohh man is this a tough game to just jump into and play. I remember the NES/SEGA games being way more easy to play. Ohhh well.

[ṔU̡И͞ISHE̵D ̧S̀И̡AK͏E]

>Pictures of the Leafs during one of their dark periods
TRIGGERED