Personal Narrative

State Tournament

This was it.  It’s game time.  I stepped out on to the ice very scared and motivated at the same time.  The parents were in the stands cheering us on.  Meanwhile, the Madison Polar Caps were warming up on the other end of the ice.  The same team we’d lost to 3 times.  That was what scared me so much.  I was only 9 at the time and I knew there was no checking, but some of the kids were really intimidating.  There was this one guy, Number 52, and he had a fast slap shot.  I got hit by it in the ankle the first time we played them and it smarted for the rest of the game.  But we also had a matchup for Number 52.  Number 38.   Jacob Arndt.  He was 5”1 when we played them and currently, he’s 6”1.  When the horn sounded, the coach brought us all in.  “We can do it”, he said.  I kind of doubted that.  But I was still ready to play hockey.

I was on the first shift at right wing.  Paired up with Number 52.  We must’ve looked funny next to each other.  The smallest and the biggest standing right next to each other.  The puck was dropped.  We played the first period pretty well.  It was tied 1 to 1 at the end of the first.  I had the assist on our goal.  My teammate was skating down the ice with one defender on us.  He drove me to the outside and centered it at the last moment.  Luke went top shelf.  It was the first goal of the game.  Our team was pumped and ready for the next period.

Period 2.  It was exciting.  I was on the bench the first shift.  2 minutes later, I was on the ice.  I was on a breakaway and I had a perfect shot.  I missed.  Then a kid knocked me on my butt.  At the end of the 2^nd, it was 2-1 and the Polar Caps were winning.  It was time to score.  We did with 5 minutes into the third period.  I went on to the ice high fiving my teammates.  Back to the center circle.  I was playing center and I could tell the guy on the other guy team was mad.  The referee dropped the puck and immediately cross-checked me.  That was a penalty.  We capitalized on that penalty.  3-2.  I was winning.  Our team was winning.  We kept that lead the rest of the game.  The last 10 seconds were counted out by our teams parents.  5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0!  Gloves and sticks were flying into the air.  We won the state championship!  Our team.  The Waukesha Warhawks.  I held the trophy as high as I could.