The Hockey Game

   It was the best day of my life.  Its 16 degrees below zero in Duluth, Minnesota.  It's the middle of February and the last hockey game of the season.  I am about to play the greatest game of my life and I didn't even know it.  I had stepped onto the glassy ice and skated out to warm up.  This was the toughest game of the tournament, St. Cloud vs. Duluth East.  Two very evenly matched teams about to start the game.


   The puck had dropped and both teams were off to a quick start.  Duluth had come hard right off the bat and got their first goal within 4 minutes.  St. Cloud was battling hard to hold the opponents off but just couldn't do it.  They scored for the second time in a row just before the period had gone out of time.  At the end of the first period the score was 2-0.  The coaches were giving a pep talk.  Someone had to step-up and be a leader to get the team going.  Right away off of the face off Duluth takes the puck down the ice, beats out the goalie, and puts the puck in the back of the net for the third time.  St. Cloud is down 3-0.  I decide that I didn't want to go down without a fight.  I win the face off and pass it off to my right wing.  He takes the puck down and gets a hard shot on net.  I go in to get the rebound, and put the puck in the net.  Duluth is now ahead 3-1.
  

   Our team is pumped and now has the momentum to take the game.  I pull the puck back from the face off and hand it off to the defense.  We come down for a rush to try to score once again.  The puck is taken into the corner to look for options.  The puck is passed to me out in front of the net in the slot; I make an attempt to get the puck in the net.  I shoot as hard as I can.  The puck sails in right under the goalie's glove.  The crowd goes crazy.  Duluth East is now only leading by one.


   After a shift off of the ice, I get back out and try to score another goal.  There is a 2 on 3 rushing down the ice.  We get closer, and closer to the goalie.  The puck gets passed off to me; I juke out the goalie, and put the puck inside the net, as my neck collides with the crossbar.  My teammates help me out of the net as we celebrate.  I had scored a natural hat trick in under 2 and a half minutes!  It was the end of the second period with the score 3-3.  Coming into the third period, St. Cloud had the momentum to take the game.  About halfway through the period Duluth East scores their 4th goal of the game to come ahead, 4-3.  St. Cloud had battled back hard but couldn't pull through.  It was the end of the game and Duluth East won over St. Cloud, 4-3.  Even though we lost, it was my proudest moment of hockey.