Student Publishing Program ::

Lindsay K.

We Play Until The End

Our skate blades glide through the clean ice like a knife does on butter. The cool breeze runs through our cages and into our faces. Five minutes. That is all we have to get our blood pumping. As the time quickly winds down, the pressure builds and builds. We have one chance, as a team, to prove ourselves.

Fifteen minutes. That is all the time we have to score for the first period. Everything is silent until the puck smacks against the clear, untouched ice. Sticks glue to the ice, bodies collide, and the whistle blows. Our captain rushes the puck past the whole team leaving it to a battle between her and the goalie. The puck bounces into the back of the net and we, the team, jump up and down, in disbelief, screaming. The score is 1-0 yet the opposing team has not let down. A scrum in front of our net, everyone in fear, but the inevitable happens when the puck is loose and the goalie is unaware that it is still loose. They score. Their cheering is like nails on a chalkboard. The score is tied 1-1. Our lead and our spirits quickly dissolve.

Fifteen minutes. That is all the time we have to score for the second period. Whistles blow, the referees give illegitimate penalties, and explicit words are exchanged. Quickly, our assistant captain battles for the puck in a corner and wins. She takes it all the way to the net and roofs it. Once again, we jump up and down, in disbelief, screaming. Giving up is never an option in our minds. We are in it until the very end.

Fifteen minutes. That is all the time we have to score for the third period. Now all we need to do is hold them until the very end. The buzzer sounds and the game is on. The time ticks down slower and slower. “One minute remaining in the game” says the announcer over the loudspeaker. Screams from the crowd encouraging the team to hold the score for just one more minute make our nerves tense and our hearts pulse faster. That is all we need to do. But, a fatal mistake is made and the game changes. At a blink of an eye, the game is now tied.

32 seconds. That is all the time we have to finish. A tie is a tie, but in the end, all we can say is at least we played until the end.

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2009 EDITION]