Alleys

Alleys is a term used in hockey to refer to the open zones between defending players which allows players to either skate through or make passes to team mates to progress the puck.

This is also called lanes.

For example, the space between two defenders when a skater moves into the attack zone provides three alleys – 1) between the players, 2) on the outside around the left defender and 3) on the outside around the right defender.