Unorthodox Narration Piece

Sitting on the bench at Driscoll Rink,

unable to breathe and sweating uncontrollably. You watch as the bench door closes, then reach for a water bottle. You gulp down a few sips then stand up. Watching as an opponent races off on a breakaway, he scores. Your head drops in disappointment. As you stare at your skates, you say with great determination, “This game is not over.”

You pick your head up and look at the scoreboard. The team is losing by a goal with seven minutes remaining in the game. You slide your way to the front of the line on the bench. As you prepare to jump on to the ice, you gaze back at Coach who looks just as anxious as you are. A teammate skates to the bench and calls for a change. You hop on the ice and skate into the defensive zone to help out. As you get into the zone, you look around and quickly examine where you should be. Positioning yourself at the top of the left wing circle as the puck is passed to the defensmen you are assigned to cover. Skating towards him as he winds up for a slap shot.

The puck hits your shin pad with a loud thud and bounces into the neutral zone. You are now in a full out foot race with the defensmen. Running out of breathe, you know the game now rests on your shoulders. You gain inside position on the defensemen and gain control of the puck. The defensemen falls down as you get a quick burst of speed. Now it is just you and the goalie, one on one, if you score the game will be tied.

Everything now seems to be moving in slow motion as you focus in on the goaltender. You advance up the ice, gasping for air. As you approach the crease, the goalie dives for the poke check, but misses. You have a wide open net to shoot at. As the puck leaves your stick, you hold your breath. The puck goes top shelf. The parents loud applause fills the rink, you celebrate as if you had won the lottery. You are a hero.

Eventually your team scores again, and win three to two. But it couldn't have happened without you. You smile with great pride as you get dressed in the locker room. A job well done.