October 3, 2015

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, just 2,733.6 miles away from Norfolk, Virginia, were three men.

Hockey players, to be specific.

They have just arrived at the place they must call home for the new season: America’s Finest City: San Diego, a city in Southern California, the last major city before the Mexican border.

Although they are in a new, foreign city, they do not feel out of touch or lost because they have each other from Norfolk. At least they escaped from the team before it sunk into the East Coast Hockey League. Well, in reality, the Anaheim Ducks shifted their American Hockey League affiliate from the Norfolk Admirals, lending the team over to the Edmonton Oilers as their ECHL team. And who is the Ducks’ new AHL affiliate?

You guessed it: The San Diego Gulls.

Their home ice is the Valley View Casino Center. It is called “The Nest” by the organization and the fans. It is a humble, small, oval-shaped, blue and white-striped arena built in the 1960s. On home game nights, the blue stripes light up and the run-down arena is buzzing. You cannot miss the palm trees disseminated around it.

Well, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves now. We’ve got plenty of information to cover before approaching the inaugural season’s opening night.

---

In the front of the small, one-story house nestled in the residential area of Del Mar, a coastal city in the San Diego county, is smooth, black front door. On the other side is a person or two or three that are significant.

"This is my room, this is my room!" a rough, sharp voice is heard from inside the house.

"Okay, Joseph, you can take that room,” another voice, sweet and tender with a Swedish accent, replies.

"I guess I’ll take this room…," another voice follows, one that is unsure.

And that last voice belongs to Brandon Montour. A man of good height with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. His attire consists of a black shirt with jeans and socks.

He is gazing around the new bedroom: a small, cute room with a wooden wall and a mirror closet to his right, the door against the wall to his left, and a window with a chair in front of him on the other side.

He warily steps deeper into the room, catching sight of the television that is perched on top of the wooden dresser in between the two windows that are now facing him. Now to his left is a bed that is laid out toward his side with a night table on each side, and a closet across from the television.

Right away, another man bounces happily into the room. This is Max Friberg. He is small in physique with piercing blue eyes, blond hair combed to a side, and a sweet, “W”-shaped smile. The clothes he is wearing is a gray, long-sleeved sweater vest over a navy blue polo shirt, jeans, and socks.

Max’s eyes quickly graze the room before saying his opinion: “Oh, this is a nice, big room!” He turns to face his teammate and roommate. “Good choice, Brandon!”

“WHAT?” that familiar, harsh voice explodes from the other side of the hallway. Following after is another man. All know that this is Joseph Cramarossa. He has striking, mint green eyes under heavy eyelids, black hair piled on top of his head, thick facial hair around his jaw, including a mustache, and tan skin as well. His apparel consists of a striped gray and blue shirt, black jeans, and no socks.

Joseph quickly skims the room with crossed arms before replying, “Not as big as mine.” He then swiftly turns around and swaggers out of the room.

Max follows Joseph into the hallway; Brandon comes after him.

As they are strolling through the sunshine-filled hallway fixed with a blue surfboard sticker extended on the floor, Max begins to speak: “Alright, now that we picked out our rooms and toured the house, it’s time to unpack! Fun, fun, fun!” He rushes into the foyer and turns to face the two. “And we must be quick, we have another friend coming to live with us!”

Brandon and Joseph halt in their tracks with puzzled looks at their roommate. “Who?” they ask in unison.

“Nicholas Ritchie.”

“Why can’t Ryan stay with us?” Joseph asks, holding a hand out from his crossed arms. He is referring to Ryan Faragher, a goalie of the Gulls.

“Because he’s not under the contract of this house,” Max replies promptly. “At least he’s got one for himself.”

Brandon eyes Joseph. “I heard he’s gonna have a new roommate.”

Joseph’s eyebrows lower at him. “Who?”

Brandon shrugs. “I dunno. Someone from another team.”

“Hm.” Joseph faces Max. “Why can’t Gibs stay with us?” And now he is referring to John Gibson, another goalie.

Max steps over to his friend. “Oh, Joseph--” He pats his shoulder. “--as long as we have each other, everything will be alright!” He lets go and signals the two to continue moving. “Now come on, let’s grab our stuff!”

Notes

E.1 "Welcome to America's Finest City"
Part 1/6
Episode 1/20