Ice Hockey is a free online hockey game that runs in your browser with no download and no account. It is a full rink seen from above — two skaters, two goaltenders and a puck — and everything you do comes down to one question: can this shot beat the man in the net. He is not a wall and he is not a dice roll. He slides across the mouth to cover the angle the puck is on, using what he saw about a fifth of a second ago, so a shot from where you are is covered and a shot from where you have just moved to is not. That lag is the whole game. Skate across the slot, watch him follow, and let it go before he has finished sliding. What stops that being a trick you repeat for ever is the price of the movement: a puck released at full speed sprays, so the shot that drags him furthest is also the one least likely to find the corner. Standing still you shoot exactly where the stick points — at a goaltender who has had every chance to get square. The ice does the rest: skaters carry their speed through a turn rather than stopping dead, and an opponent who gets a stick on the puck knocks it loose from both of you, so carrying through traffic is a mistake and getting open is the thing worth doing. Six goaltenders make up the ladder, each of them quicker to read, quicker across and covering a little more of the net. Three periods, and if it is level after them, sudden death.
How to play Ice Hockey
- Arrows or WASD skate in any direction. The five pads under the rink do the same on a phone.
- It is ice, so you keep your speed through a turn instead of stopping dead. Set off early rather than reacting late.
- Skate into a loose puck to pick it up. It then sits on your stick, a little ahead of you, and goes wherever you are pointing.
- Space, or the SHOOT pad, lets it go. The stick drawn in front of your skater is the line the puck will take.
- The goaltender covers the angle the puck is on, but he is reading what he saw about a fifth of a second ago. Move across him and shoot at the side he is still travelling away from.
- A shot released at full speed sprays; a shot from a standstill goes exactly where you point. That is the whole trade — the movement that opens the net is the movement that costs you accuracy.
- Shoot from the slot rather than the corner. From out wide the goaltender barely has to move to be in front of it.
- An opponent who gets a stick on the puck knocks it loose from both of you, so do not try to carry it through him. Get free first.
- A save is cleared out of danger rather than dropped in the crease, so there are no free rebounds — the next chance has to be built again.
- Three periods. If the sides are level at the end, one extra period of sudden death settles it, and the first goal wins.
- Beat an opponent to unlock the next. Progress is kept in your own browser.
Tips
- Do not shoot the moment you cross the blue line. Carry it across the slot first — every metre you move sideways is a metre he has to follow.
- Ease off just before you shoot. A slow shot at the open side beats a fast one that sprays wide of it.
- The far post is the target, not the middle of the net. Aiming at the middle is aiming at him.
- If he is already square and you are not moving, there is no shot there. Skate away and come again rather than firing into his chest.
- Keep your body between the opponent and the puck when you carry it. He only needs to get a stick on it once.
- In sudden death the first good look wins the game, so take the shot you would normally pass up — there is no second period to make it back in.
FAQ
Is Ice Hockey free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no plugin, no sign-up and nothing to buy. The first opponent is open straight away and the rest unlock by winning.
How is this different from air hockey?
It is the real sport rather than the table version: a full rink seen from above, skaters with sticks, a goaltender in each net and a puck you carry rather than swat. There are no paddles and no cushions — the puck is loose most of the time and has to be won.
How do I actually beat the goaltender?
By moving him. He slides across to cover the angle the puck is on, but he is working from what he saw about a fifth of a second earlier, so the way through is to skate across the slot and release while he is still travelling. A shot at a goaltender who is already square is a save almost every time.
Why do my shots miss when I am skating fast?
Because a puck released at pace sprays, and the faster you are moving the wider it can stray. It is the price of the movement that opened the net in the first place — standing still you shoot exactly where the stick points, so easing off before the shot is often worth more than the extra speed.
Can I lose the puck?
Yes. An opponent who gets a stick on it knocks it loose from both of you, and for a moment neither can pick it up. That is why carrying it through a defender does not work and getting free first does.
How do the opponents get harder?
Their goaltender does, in the three ways that decide whether a shot goes in: how quickly he reads the puck, how fast he slides across, and how much of the net his body covers. The goaltender behind you is the same at every rung, so the ladder is the man you have to beat rather than the one you are protected by.
What happens if it is a tie?
One extra period of sudden death, and the first goal ends it there and then. If nobody scores in that either, it stays a tie.