Page 36 of The Callahan Effect

Every conversation we'd shared during practice disappeared beneath instinct as the pace exploded around us. Luca pressured the puck carrier behind the goal, Ryan closed off the passing lane through the middle, and I moved toward the right-side boards to prevent an easy clearance. When their defenseman tried to send the puck around the glass, Tyler stepped down from the blue line and knocked it back into the corner, keeping our first shift alive for several more seconds before Inland Northwest finally cleared the zone.

The opening minutes became a blur of hard skating, sharp passes, and bodies colliding against the boards. Their forwards attacked with speed whenever they gained possession, forcing Noah and Tyler to retreat quickly before closing the gaps near our blue line. Oscar remained composed behind them, directing traffic whenever a player drifted into his sightline and steering rebounds toward the corners rather than allowing anything dangerous to settle in front of the crease.

Inland Northwest had no interest in welcoming Evergreen's newest transfer.

Their captain introduced himself less than two minutes into the game by driving his shoulder into mine and pinning me against the glass after I'd released the puck to Ryan. The impact rattled my shoulder pads and sent a shudder through the boards, but it accomplished little beyond making the crowd louder.

I pushed away from the glass and turned toward him.

He grinned beneath his visor. "Welcome to Spokane."

I grinned back.

"I already like it here."

His grin disappeared.

The next several shifts became even more physical. He finished every check he could reach, and I answered by refusing to give him the reaction he wanted. There was no point retaliating and handing Inland Northwest an early power play. Coach had spent too much time emphasizing discipline for me to throw it away because another player wanted to test whether the Florida transfer could handle being hit.

Halfway through the opening period, Ryan intercepted a pass just inside our blue line and flew up ice. Luca accelerated through the center lane, drawing one defenseman with him, and I drove along the right boards as Ryan carried the puck through neutral territory. Their second defenseman shifted toward Ryan, expecting him to continue toward the middle, but Ryan waited until the gap opened before sliding the puck toward Luca.

Luca controlled it without breaking stride, held it long enough to pull both defenders toward him, then sent a well-timed pass across the ice into the space ahead of me.

Everything slowed.

I gathered the puck near the right faceoff circle and cut toward the slot before the nearest defenseman could recover. His stick swept toward mine, but I shifted the puck inside his reach and drove between him and his partner, using the opening Luca had created.

Their goaltender came out aggressively, lowering his stance and taking away the near side of the net.

I delayed the shot for one extra heartbeat, dragged the puck across my body, and waited until he committed before snapping a wrist shot over his blocker.

The red light flashed.

The arena erupted with enough force to make the glass vibrate.

I barely had time to lift my arms before Ryan crashed into me from one side and Luca from the other. Noah Kessler and Tyler Rasmussen reached us a heartbeat later, the five of us colliding against the glass as the crowd erupted around us.

"That's how you make an entrance," Ryan yelled.

"Luca laughed, giving the side of my helmet an affectionate shove. "Not bad for your first game in green."

The officials gave us only a few seconds before directing everyone back toward center ice.

As we skated past the bench, Coach Patrick Callahan reached over the boards and caught my shoulder with a firm tap.

"Great finish," he told me. "Now recover."

I stepped through the open gate and before I'd even sat down, Marcus Turner, Ben Walsh, Ethan Cruz, Owen Calloway, and Cole Whitaker vaulted over the boards for the next shift and hit the ice. They established pressure inside Inland Northwest's zone, forcing their defense to ice the puck after Ben won a battle behind the net and Ethan fired a shot that rang loudly off the crossbar.

I leaned forward on the bench, breathing hard enough for every inhale to burn my lungs.

One goal.

My first game in Evergreen colors.

My first appearance in front of the home crowd.

It felt exactly like the beginning I'd imagined when I'd committed to Evergreen.