Jake Maddox - Backup Goalie

CHAPTER 1

Jamie bent down and untied his skates. Then he carefully retied both of them, lace by lace. The hockey season was about to start, and Jamie wanted to make sure he was really ready to go.

The Comets first opponents of the season were already out on the ice getting warmed up, but Jamies coach kept his team in the locker room for a few extra moments.

All right, boys, Coach Warren said.

Jamies friend Jill cleared her throat. Immediately, Coach Warren got an embarrassed look on his face.

The coach quickly corrected himself. I mean kids, he said. Sorry, Jill. All right. Its time to hit the ice. The Spartans are going to be a big, physical team. Since this is the first year you are allowed to check in games, I know they will try to use their size to their advantage.

Yeah, but weve got the speed! Jamie yelled out.

Thats right, Coach Warren agreed. Well need to use our quickness to avoid their checks and to help us score. Lets get out there and go!

All the players got to their feet at once.

Most of them reached up and snapped their chin straps on their helmets. That made the locker room sound like popcorn popping in a microwave.

Jamie scanned the room.

Just about every player on the team was his size. That meant they werent nearly big enough to be considered a physical threat on the ice.

The only exception was Brett, the goaltender. He was one of Jamies best friends, along with Jill.

Brett was the biggest guy in their school. He was nearly a head taller than everyone else. He had a thick, big body, too, so he really blocked the net.

It was tough for the Comets opponents to get anything past him.

Brett was also one of the quietest kids in school. He was really shy, so he liked wearing the mask and all the padding in goal. It was sort of like wearing a costume.

The faster people tried to fire pucks at Brett, the faster he blocked them and turned them away.

Brett had a great attitude about playing goal. It was a hard position to play, and there was a lot of pressure, but Brett was always calm. He never worried too much about goals he gave up, or anything that had happened in the past.

Ill stop the next one, is the only thing he would say.

The Comets burst onto the ice and skated around their defensive zone, getting warmed up.

Coach Warren dropped a pile of pucks on the ice, and the players jumped into their pregame routine of drills.

As the Comets forwards and defense players scooted around the ice, they fired pucks at Brett from all directions.

Brett would flip out a pad here, flash a glove there, or knock the puck to the corner with his stick.

Jamie kept an eye on their opponents, the Spartans, as he warmed up.

The Spartans were huge. Jamie felt like the other guys were twice his size. But as he had expected, they didnt seem as fast as the Comets.

Finally, the horn blared. It was time for the game to start. The Comets gathered around Brett at the goal.

As they always did, the entire Comets team stood together around the net. They crowded in around Brett.

Jamie was the teams captain, so it was his job to say something that would inspire the players.

Okay, you guys, he said. They might be bigger than we are, but they cant catch us. And weve got the ultimate big guy in goal. So lets go show them what the Comets are really made of!

CHAPTER 2

The Comets broke out of the huddle. Then they skated off toward the bench area.

Most of the players gave Bretts huge leg pads a swat with their sticks for luck before they skated away.

Jamie was last. He and Brett had a special routine they did before each game.

Hey, big man, Jamie said, just like always.

He skated around Brett as he talked.

What are you gonna do? Jamie yelled.

Jamie always hoped Brett would yell the next line. But he always just spoke it, calmly and quietly.

Stop the next one, Brett said.

And after that? Jamie barked back.

Stop the next one, Brett said.

As the referees whistle blew, Jamie spun around in front of Brett and swung his stick at Bretts leg pads.

The pads thundered. Thooomb!

Brett didnt move an inch.

Jamie whizzed out to center ice. As the center on the first line, he would take the opening face-off.

Jill was the right wing on Jamies line. A player named Marcus was the left wing.

Jill and Jamie had played on a line together since their second year in hockey.

The first year, Jamie played in goal. He struggled with the position, and he longed for a chance to use his speed.

Then Brett moved to town and wanted to play goalie. Jamie was more than willing to give it up.

Jamie had found his perfect position at center. Jamie led the team in assists almost every season. Either he or Jill always led the team in goals.

Jill had grown up playing with the boys, and she was one of the best players in the league. She kept playing with the boys even after a girls program was started.

This year, since checking was allowed, Jills parents had wanted to put her in the girls league instead. They were worried that Jill would get hurt.

But Jill didnt want to switch to the girls team. Plus, because of funding cutbacks, this year there were only two girls teams. One was for girls ages 12 and under, and one was for girls ages 1618. There wasnt anything for Jill, who was 14. So she ended up staying on the boys team.

For five years, Jamie, Jill, and Brett had dominated the South Central League. The Comets had won the league championship every season. They had won the regional championship twice.

They had even gone to the state tournament and done well, too.

Their goal was to win the state championship. They felt that this could be the year.

Just as the referee got ready to drop the puck to start the season, there was a bunch of noise behind the Spartans bench.

The Spartans coach was yelling at the referee. The coach was waving some kind of booklet in his hand. He looked mad.

The referee skated over toward the Spartans bench. As team captain, Jamie skated with him.

Im sorry, sir, the Spartans coach said, but is that a girl out there?

He said girl like it was some kind of a bad word, Jamie thought.

Everyone looked out at Jill.

Yeah, shes a girl, Jamie said.

Well, Im sorry, son, but she cant play in this game, the Spartans coach said. He pointed at the booklet he held and added, It says so right here.

CHAPTER 3

The referee grabbed the booklet and opened it. Jamie read the cover: The Official Rules of the City South Central Boys Hockey League. The referee flipped through the pages.

Here we go, Rule 7, the referee said. Female players shall only be allowed to play if there is no girls team available for them in the City South Central Girls Hockey League.