Page 37 of The Callahan Effect

The second line stayed on long enough to keep Inland Northwest pinned in their own end before Coach pointed toward Caleb Danvers.

"You're up."

Caleb, Cameron Oates, Hunter Flint, Aidan Keane, and Reid Holloway jumped over the boards together, bringing a completely different style. They weren't looking for highlight-reel plays. They worked the corners relentlessly, finished every legal check, and forced the opposition to fight for every inch of ice. Cameron won an offensive-zone faceoff cleanly, Hunter snapped a quick shot through traffic, and Caleb flattened one of their defensemen against the end boards, drawing an appreciative roar from the students behind the glass.

"They're wearing them down," Ryan observed beside me.

Coach gave a slight nod without taking his attention from what was happening on the ice.

"Exactly what they're supposed to do."

Our line climbed over the boards again thirty seconds later.

The pace never eased.

One shift blurred into another as every line contributed in its own way. Marcus's unit generated sustained offensive pressure. Caleb's line disrupted everything Inland Northwest tried to build through the neutral zone. Noah and Tyler handled the toughest matchups against their top forwards, while Owen and Cole moved the puck quickly enough to keep us attacking instead of defending. Aidan and Reid brought fresh legs every time they stepped onto the ice, keeping Oscar's crease remarkably clear whenever play drifted into our end.

Midway through the opening period Inland Northwest finally broke through.

Their defenseman released a low drive from the blue line just as two forwards crossed in front of Oscar. Noah managed to tie up one of them, but the second screened Oscar at precisely the wrong moment. By the time the puck emerged from the traffic, it was already behind him.

The arena fell strangely quiet.

1-1.

Nobody panicked.

Ryan gathered us as we waited for the officials to prepare for the next faceoff.

"We stick with our game," he reminded us. "Nothing changes."

Nobody argued.

The remainder of the period became a relentless battle. Every line answered the challenge. Marcus's unit spent nearly a full minute cycling the puck deep before Inland Northwest finally escaped. Caleb's line answered with several crushing but clean hits that slowed their transition game, and Oscar settled into the kind of rhythm every goaltender searched for, swallowing rebounds and directing traffic with calm authority.

By the time the horn sounded to end the period, both teams looked exhausted.

Inside the locker room Coach allowed everyone enough time to catch their breath before the lights dimmed and video clips appeared on the monitor.

"They're chasing hits instead of protecting space."

He paused the video as two Inland Northwest players converged on Luca along the boards.

"Watch what happens here."

The image remained frozen.

"Two defenders. One puck."

He pointed toward the open ice they'd abandoned.

"Every time they overcommit, they're giving us space somewhere else. Move the puck before the contact arrives. Trust your support. Make them pay for every mistake."

Lauren McKenna stepped forward.

"Keep your feet underneath you through the neutral zone. Don't coast after releasing the puck. Beat them into open ice."

Nolan Pierce rewound another sequence.