Page 264 of On His Team

The next two minutes disappear into clears, changes and Minnesota trying to get us trapped in our end. Nobody gets much. Nobody gets comfortable.

With a little over two minutes left, their goalie goes to the bench.

Six skaters.

Minnesota calls timeout, and Fuller has the board out before we reach him.

“Reeve takes the draw. Laurens, Mackey, stay inside. Blue high if we get possession. Do not chase the empty net.”

The official whistles us back.

Benson crouches over the dot. The puck drops. Minnesota gets possession and keeps it. They work it high, down the wall and back across while we stay inside. Mackey takes a shot somewhere around the hip. Benson gets his stick into another one. Percy kicks one wide through traffic.

We clear it once. They come right back. Under a minute. Their winger sends the puck behind the net, and Percy looks over his shoulder.

“Back.”

Their weak-side forward is already coming down. Mackey gets his stick into the lane, but the puck clips his blade and slides through the crease anyway. Minnesota collects it on the other side. They throw it straight back into the middle. Percy makes the first save with his shoulder. The rebound drops directly into the slot. Half the net is open. Their center gets there. Shoots. Percy throws his right pad across. The puck hits it instead of the net.

Our bench makes one sound.

Mackey gets to the rebound and sends it hard off the glass. It clears.

Nineteen seconds.

Minnesota has to turn all the way back. They come through center one more time and dump the puck behind us. Blue gets there first. The net at the other end is empty. For half a second, I think he’s going to turn and shoot. He doesn’t. He puts his body between the puck and the first Minnesota player and pins it against the wall. Another guy joins them. Blue keeps his skate on it.

Four.

They dig.

Three.

The puck stays there.

Two.

The horn goes.

For a second, I just stand there.

The clock says zero.

Then Mackey hits me from behind hard enough that I drop onto one knee.

The bench empties.

Percy disappears under a pile almost immediately. Stanley gets to me and grabs both sides of my helmet, screaming directly into my cage. I can’t understand a word.

Owens is somewhere near the crease getting mauled by everybody who can reach him. Benson hits Stanley from the side. Blue gets there a second later. I get back to my feet and look at the scoreboard.

Camden 2.

Minnesota 1.

Then somebody grabs me again.

We’re playing for a national championship.