ChapterFourteen
Noah
Gasping raggedly, I coast toward the bench, slumped forward with my stick braced crosswise on my quads just above my knees.As I reach the bench, I tap my glove against Carter's as he takes the ice in my place.Carter—a 24-year-old with two years on the job who works night shifts, so I rarely see him—is a strapping lad with incredible checking power and a monster of a slapshot.Not great game IQ, but he's got Sampson—a 14-year veteran with a better grasp of game strategy than almost anyone but Noel—at right wing.
I see the dynamic play out in real time as the scrimmage continues.Sampson tangles with a defender just inside their zone, making a hole for Carter to slalom through with the puck and launch a rocket of a slapshot at the net.Connors, the opposing goalie and our second-string netminder, catches it on his chest and bats it away with his stick when it hits the ice.But then, Sampson knew that as soon as Carter crossed the blue line with the puck that he was gonna take a shot, and was counting on it—Tag, the left wing, cruises across the blue line with a defender on his heels, scooping up the puck as it slaps against the boards left of the goal near the red line.Two more defenders rush in, followed by Carter, and there's a scrum for the puck.A defender kicks it loose, and Sampson is there waiting, zipping past the scrum, behind the net, and around front, where Tag has escaped the scrum.Sampson sends a pass skittering across the ice to Tag, who one-times it into the top shelf over Connors' left shoulder.
Connors cracks the butt of his stick against the ice, tipping his head back and shaking it in frustration—even though the play worked exactly as Noel had laid out.
I see Sampson pause near Connors and say something to him with a whack of his glove against the despondent goalie's shoulder pad.
Noel gives a long blast on his whistle."Circle up, gentlemen!"When the rest of the players surround Noel at the boards, he points at the key playmakers in turn—Sampson, Carter, and Tag."Excellent work, guys.Carter, next time make your shot look a little more believable.Try for a corner or top shelf instead of aiming right at the goalie's chest.Tag, that means you have to beright therethesecondthe puck leaves the goalie's stick.You have to be ready for whichever way it goes.Sampson, a little faster around the back of the net.I want the pass-to-shot look almost instantaneous and smooth as silk.We've almost got the play down.Defenders—don't give an inch in the scrum.Fight for the goddamn puck like it matters, because the cops aren't gonna let our guys just have it."
We've run the play half a dozen times so far, with every possible combination of players so everyone is comfortable with it regardless of who's on the ice.Noel gives us a five-minute break and then we're back on the ice in yet another lineup—this time, Adam is at left wing and Carter is on the D-line, protecting the blue line during the offensive rush and making sure the puck doesn't escape the zone.I'm at center the next time we run the play through, with Hurley at my left and Lefebvre on my right.In this run-through, Mackie and Heinrich, the defenders, manage to jumble us up behind the net and get the puck soaring high along the glass and past Juarez at the blue line.
A whistle blast halts the play, and I coast back to the bench.Noel points at the defenders with his clipboard."Good work, boys.That's the kind of aggression we need behind the net.Austin—" he gestures at me, "you had a chance to get the puck around front but you didn't.What happened?"
"My stick was tangled up," I answer."I couldn't get it free before Heinrich got to the puck."
Noel nods."Fair.Even if you kick it and keep it in the scrum long enough to get your stick free, you're keeping the play alive.The second the defense knocks it out of the zone, we're toast.You know they're gonna have Michaels and Colquin on the ice as much as possible, and few of us have the speed to catch either of them if they get away from us, so we have to play defense even when we're in the offensive zone.If Colquin in particular gets away with the puck, he's got a good chance of scoring, and that's no shade to you, Delgado.Colquin is just that good, so we have to play smarter than them.Alright."He checks his watch and then smacks the back of the clipboard against his thigh."That's our time.We're running defensive plays tomorrow.One week to game time, gentlemen!Get plenty of rest, fuel up with quality food, and for god's sake, stay away from the beer!It makes you sluggish and stupid and I need everyone on their A-game if we're gonna keep the trophy in our firehouse this year."
The game last year was a nail-biter, going into double OT.It was a brutally defensive game and we only won thanks to a lucky bounce off the crossbar after a wobbly shot from the circle by Carter.The two teams are evenly matched year after year, with every game up for grabs.It keeps things interesting, that's for sure, and means the last few practices leading up to the game are increasingly intense as we polish up our plays in preparation for the big day.
This year, we're all especially aware of the increased attention the game is getting, so both sides are dialing things up to eleven.I spoke to Captain Miller yesterday—my counterpart at the PD—and he said their coach, Pat Holloway, a retired detective who coaches a high school team one county over, is driving the cops' players nuts with his zeal for extra reps.I know Noel is fighting the same urge to run extra practices, to run practices longer, to craft new plays at the last second—anything to get a leg up.
Tomlin Falls takes this gameveryseriously; it'stheevent of the year for the town, and now that word has spread beyond our region, the hype is turning feverish.The game is long since sold out, merch for both teams is flying off the shelves—all proceeds being donated, of course—and the social media posts promoting the game are garnering tens of thousands of views.We've even had the game picked up to be televised live across the state, with a few channels in Canada and Washington carrying it as well.
I can't help but feel a certain amount of pride at this.Not at anything I did, but that my wife's memory has engendered such a big response.Because no matter how big the game gets, our town makes sure the focus stays on the fundraising and on Taylor's memory.Players from both sides have given interviews to local, county, and statewide news outlets, and everyone made sure to emphasize donating and making sure no one forgets that the whole purpose of the game is to remember Taylor and to raise money for cancer victims.
After rinsing off and changing into street clothes, I carry my gear to my truck, checking my phone on the way.I've got a missed call and voicemail from Dougie—he's running the station tonight, and had a paperwork question; I shoot him a text answer the question.There's another missed call from Jimbo, just checking in and inviting me to dinner with him and Kathy tomorrow.I draft a quick "sure thing" response, but then erase it without sending, as a thought occurs to me.
It's been a busy week and I haven't had a chance to see Morgan at all except a quick make-out session in my car after an abbreviated morning skate—my last solo practice session, now that the game is so close, and she's been prepping her All-Stars for a regional competition in Fairbanks the week after the game ontopof getting her whole roster ready for the pre-show in addition to her usual schedule.We're in regular text message contact—the usual check-in and flirt stuff—but we haven't had an opportunity to connect in person.
Which is a tragedy, considering how we left things.It's not a topic to be broached over text, obviously, but the terrified, agonized expression on her face just before my radio went off tells me it's a major thing for her.Another infected emotional wound courtesy of her shitbag ex.God, I want to punch that guy—several times.Maybe kick him in the nuts for good measure.I know, I promised her I wouldn't.And I won't.But Ireallywant to.
I have to pass near her house on my way home from the rink anyway, so I shoot Morgan a text:
You and Mal home and have you had dinner?
Yes and no, respectively.Do I finally get to see you?
Finally, yes.If it's okay with you, I thought I'd pop by with some dinner.
Can't wait!I was just about to start figuring out what to make, so this saves me the effort.I've already made pasta twice this week, and if Mal has any more dino nuggets she's gonna turn into one.
Dino nuggets?
It's a whole thing for her generation.Chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs.Teenagers these days live on them, more or less.I go through more boxes of the things than I can count.
How strange.I was thinking burgers and fries from Conrad's.Any requests?
Mal won't touch any food that has made eye contact with an onion, and she's obsessed with the cheese sauce from Conrad's.She dips her fries in it.
She's a genius, in that case, because so do I.And noted.Be there in 20ish.
Can't wait to see you.
Same.As much as I'm looking forward to the game, I'm always ready to have my free time back.I'll get to see you more after it's over.
