Slice of Life by Stephen DeForge

Forty Seconds to Seal the Deal

It was our first game in the Massachusetts State Championship and we had to play a very good Dorchester. This team consisted of players like Liam Ryan, Connor Sweeney, and Ryan Fullam. Both teams battled through the first half of the game. After that my team popped into two quick ones before the period was over. And then the show began at the end of the third.

With about four minutes left in the third. Maybe it was three minutes. I hopped out onto the ice and got back into my zone. Before I knew, I noticed Dan Wiseman had the puck on the half wall ready to break out the puck. I shot off to the center of the ice and slowly skid over to the left. Dan and I and very good friends and we think alike on the ice so once I say boards he knows to give me that indirect pass of the boards for a homerun finish. I quickly collected the puck and it was off to the races. I was one on one with the goalie and I had zip time to think about what I was going to do. I stepped in slowly and quickly took a snap shot that went five hole on the goalie and I came streak up the boards doing the Steven Stamkos Fist pump.

The puck dropped and Tommy Duggan collected the puck and I swung from the left boards to the middle. He ace me a beautiful saucer pass that went through three Dorchester forwards. I got the puck and turned and shot down the ice finding myself on a one on one with the Dorchester defenseman. I saw the other Dorchester defenseman in the side of my eye and he quickly got back in the play as well. I put the puck on my back hand and foolishly both defenseman turned their shoulders towards it and I put it through one of their legs and jumped over one of the other’s stick and quickly collected the puck before the Dorchester goalie could dive out and get it so I quickly deked to the right and went back hand roof dog on that goalie to seal the deal. The game was pretty much over as we won of a score four to nothing over Dorchester.