Feel the Breeze: Chapter Eight!

[C-Breeze 252]

 

Links to Previous Chapters:

 

Spoiler

Chapter One: Out Cold  |  Chapter Two: A Small House  |  Chapter Three: Bully Beware  |  Chapter Four: Ella Grace

 

Chapter Five: The 'C' Word  |  Chapter Six: Game Puck  |  Chapter Seven: Jeep Wrangler

 

Chapter Eight: Hat Trick

 

Shane McGregor had a reputation as the hardest shot in the league, and on this occasion he certainly didn't disappoint. The poor innocent puck rocketed off his stick like a bat out of hell moving with a velocity that was incredible to behold. If you could even see it that was. Fortunately for us, our goaltender did manage to track the fast closing blur and stretched out as far as humanly possible to get a tiny piece of his blocker on it. Just enough to send the puck ricocheting up off the glass. 

The puck flip-flopped on a strange angle and struck hard against the stanchion just above the VHL.com board sign. Everyone on the ice was expecting it to do what it almost always did and drop quickly into the corner, but on this day fate and a cold metal stanchion had other plans. Rather than meekly obeying the normal laws of physics, this particular puck was violently propelled out near the blue line. And so, with all eyes on the corner, I was the only one who managed to catch a glimpse of the tiny black orb as it whizzed past the corner of my eye.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I quickly dug into the frozen surface and pushed off hard with the most powerful stride I could muster. Then another and another until I hit full speed with the puck just tantalizingly waiting dead in my path.

It's funny how our minds sometimes form indelible memories that stick with us for the rest of our lives. I'm talking about those special moments when you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when something spectacular went down. It was like that for me as I gently scooped up the puck like a mother hen guiding her chick on a clear cut breakaway. With nothing between me and the opposing net, I was careful to maintain just enough speed to prevent anyone catching me, but not so much that I might not have time to make a move in tight.

I'd already scored twice earlier in the game, and now here, late in the third, I had a golden opportunity for my first career hat trick... As I drove closer and closer toward the enemy net, I could see the goaltender slowly ease his way out past the blue paint to challenge me by cutting down the angle. This was all well and good as I planned to use his positioning against him, leaving him stranded on an island while I confidently guided the puck around and behind.

Cutting across on a trajectory from near post to far, I feigned losing control of the puck at the last second by intentionally over skating it in the hopes of freezing the goalie on the short side. And freeze he did, as his total focus on the position of the puck caused his cross crease motion to come to an immediate stop, effectively leaving him dead in the water, while I quickly kicked the orb back up from skate to stick. There was nothing left to do but let the fat lady sing as I casually guided the puck into the empty side.

They say you have to be lucky to be good, and whoever 'they' are, they were absolutely right. Hat trick number one! What a fantastic moment and something I was sure to never forget!

[TO BE CONTINUED]

580 Words