Page 39 of The Callahan Effect

The third period became exactly the kind of battle Coach had predicted.

Inland Northwest threw everything they had at us, rolling all four lines and forcing Oscar to make several outstanding saves as they searched desperately for an equalizer. Every shift became a grind. Marcus's line spent nearly a minute pinned inside our defensive zone before finally clearing the puck. Caleb's unit answered with a bruising shift that burned valuable time off the clock, while Noah and Tyler continued matching up against Inland Northwest's top line whenever Coach wanted our best defensive pair on the ice.

With just under four minutes remaining, Inland Northwest pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker.

Coach leaned over the boards.

"First line!"

The five of us jumped over together.

The pressure inside our zone was relentless. Oscar smothered one rebound before Tyler cleared another loose puck into the corner. Noah blocked a slap shot that echoed through the arena before Ryan tied up their captain long enough for me to intercept a pass near our own blue line.

The empty net beckoned from the opposite end of the rink. I had a shot. Instead, I banked the puck safely off the boards into neutral ice and Ryan reached it in full stride. He crossed center ice and slid the puck into the abandoned cage.

3-1.

The final two minutes disappeared beneath a wall of noise as Evergreen celebrated every blocked shot, every clearance, and every save.

When the final horn sounded, years of rivalry gave way to tradition.

We gathered around Oscar before lining up for the traditional postgame handshakes, exchanging brief acknowledgments with the same players we'd spent three periods hitting, shoving, and fighting for possession. The rivalry would resume the next time we met, but once the horn ended the game, respect took precedence.

Evergreen had opened the exhibition schedule with a hard-earned 3-1 victory.

As we skated toward our bench, Coach stopped me with one hand against my shoulder.

"Excellent debut."

"Thank you, Coach."

"You trusted Ryan and Luca instead of trying to create everything alone. That's what I wanted to see."

His approval carried more weight than the goal or the assist beside my name on the scoresheet.

When I stepped off the ice and entered the tunnel, Jack was waiting near the equipment room. He raised both thumbs, his face bright with excitement, and the satisfaction that swept through me had very little to do with the final score.

***

The locker room buzzed with the satisfaction that came from opening the exhibition schedule with a hard-earned victory. Beating Inland Northwest, even in an exhibition game, mattered. It gave us confidence that everything we'd worked on during practice could succeed against another team, and judging by the grins around the room, every one of us understood exactly what the win meant.

Laughter drifted from one end of the room to the other as players replayed the biggest hits, argued over penalties the officials had ignored, and congratulated Oscar for the saves that had protected our lead.

Coach's postgame address carried a hint of satisfaction beneath his usual measured delivery. He praised our discipline, highlighted several areas that required improvement, and reminded us that Monday morning would bring another demanding practice.

By the time I showered and changed into jeans, sneakers, and an Evergreen hoodie, most of the team had begun filtering out of the building. Ryan called across the room that several of the guys were heading downtown for burgers before remembering I already had plans. His grin widened, earning knowing looks from Luca and Caleb before all three disappeared into the hallway laughing.

Whatever conclusions they'd reached, they kept them to themselves.

I appreciated that more than they probably realized.

When I stepped into the corridor, Jack was waiting exactly where he'd promised, leaning comfortably against the wall outside the equipment room with one shoulder resting against the painted cinderblocks. He looked up as soon as he heard the locker room door open, and the smile that found its way across his face made the entire afternoon feel brighter than it already had.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

He shook his head.

Worth every minute.