Up and Coming
Chapter 33
I walked down the long tunnel toward the ice, trying to calm my nerves.
"Let's fuckin go boys!" Called Mike from behind me.
I tapped him on the shins with my stick blade, and stepped out of the tunnel. I heard the crowd roaring, and I took a run at the ice. The first thing I felt was my skates making contact with the ice, and then digging in. I sprayed ice chips behind me as I dug in, and made a loop of the ice, picking up a puck on the blade of my stick.
"Jake!" Mike tapped his stick on the ice for a pass, and I fed him with a strong saucer pass across the ice.
I picked up another puck, as Lady Gaga's Applause began to play, and the wild filed onto the ice for warmup. I stickhandled, and took a low shot toward the net. I heard someone calling my name, and looked behind me. Emmi was pounding on the glass, and I flipped a puck over the glass to her. Shay smiled, and held up the camera.
"Jake!" I received a pass, and began to skate in toward the net.
I faked a shot to the glove side of Jonathon, and when he dove to the side, I flipped the puck into the top blocker corner.
"Way to go Jakie!" Called Dustin, and I smiled.
I looked up into the stands at the Butlers again, and saw Colette. She pointed to my head, and I smiled, shaking my head.
Shay laughed, and I skated out toward center ice to line up for our breakaway competition. It was something we had agreed to do every warmup, where we each got one shot to do the craziest thing we could think of.
"Jake! You're up!" Called Mike, and he pushed me to the front of the line.
I picked up a puck, and began to skate down the ice. I saw Jon's eyes on the puck, and I deked to the right. He followed the puck, and at the same time, I picked it up on the blade of my stick, raising it above my head and doing a spin on my skates. Jon dove for the other side of the net, and I put the puck through my legs into the corner he had just left.
I skated around the net, and did a fist pump, heading back toward the blueline, as Mike took a puck down the ice. He put it through his legs, did a spin, and backhanded it into the bottom corner. I tapped my stick on the ice in appreciation.
I stopped at the blueline, and got down on one knee, starting my stretching routine. Mike pulled up beside me, and started to stretch as well.
"Did you hear that we nave to wait for 15 minutes on the ice before the game? Apparently there's some kind of show." He said to me.
I shook my head.
"I don't know anything about it though." He told me, before getting up and skating away.
"Let's fuckin go boys!" Called Mike from behind me.
I tapped him on the shins with my stick blade, and stepped out of the tunnel. I heard the crowd roaring, and I took a run at the ice. The first thing I felt was my skates making contact with the ice, and then digging in. I sprayed ice chips behind me as I dug in, and made a loop of the ice, picking up a puck on the blade of my stick.
"Jake!" Mike tapped his stick on the ice for a pass, and I fed him with a strong saucer pass across the ice.
I picked up another puck, as Lady Gaga's Applause began to play, and the wild filed onto the ice for warmup. I stickhandled, and took a low shot toward the net. I heard someone calling my name, and looked behind me. Emmi was pounding on the glass, and I flipped a puck over the glass to her. Shay smiled, and held up the camera.
"Jake!" I received a pass, and began to skate in toward the net.
I faked a shot to the glove side of Jonathon, and when he dove to the side, I flipped the puck into the top blocker corner.
"Way to go Jakie!" Called Dustin, and I smiled.
I looked up into the stands at the Butlers again, and saw Colette. She pointed to my head, and I smiled, shaking my head.
Shay laughed, and I skated out toward center ice to line up for our breakaway competition. It was something we had agreed to do every warmup, where we each got one shot to do the craziest thing we could think of.
"Jake! You're up!" Called Mike, and he pushed me to the front of the line.
I picked up a puck, and began to skate down the ice. I saw Jon's eyes on the puck, and I deked to the right. He followed the puck, and at the same time, I picked it up on the blade of my stick, raising it above my head and doing a spin on my skates. Jon dove for the other side of the net, and I put the puck through my legs into the corner he had just left.
I skated around the net, and did a fist pump, heading back toward the blueline, as Mike took a puck down the ice. He put it through his legs, did a spin, and backhanded it into the bottom corner. I tapped my stick on the ice in appreciation.
I stopped at the blueline, and got down on one knee, starting my stretching routine. Mike pulled up beside me, and started to stretch as well.
"Did you hear that we nave to wait for 15 minutes on the ice before the game? Apparently there's some kind of show." He said to me.
I shook my head.
"I don't know anything about it though." He told me, before getting up and skating away.
