Arctic Thunder (20 page)

“How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you've come from?” Everyone turned as Mike stood. Gulping, he said, “You know, if it hadn't been for Victor and Donnie and my dad, none of this would be happening. Victor said that to me, you know, about knowing where I came from, and it really got me thinking about life and what was important and everything else. Before that I was being a bit of a jerk, too, hating Inuvik and only thinking of myself and my … well, the friends I used to have in St. Albert. I started to think about what makes me, well, me.

“Some of my heritage is Zulu. Did you guys know there was a Zulu chief many years ago named Shaka? He was the first great Zulu chief. The reason he was great was because he pulled all the Zulu people together as one. And as one, nobody could beat them. They had just been all these individual tribes before — individual with no power.” He stopped and saw Victor and Ben exchange glances.

“Shaka was fearless, and by making all the tribes see they were more powerful working together, the Zulu became the most fearsome group in all of South Africa. Together they came up with new battle strategies and all kinds of stuff to beat their enemies. We're all kind of like that. Some of us were mad before. Some of us didn't understand each other. Now we're a team and we see how great we all are. If we play together the way we're all getting along here tonight, nobody, not even St. Albert, is going to beat us.”

Bobby stood and looked directly at Ben. “Coach, I know we haven't really talked about this yet, but I think it's time. I think …” He glanced at Mike, then back at Ben. “I vote that ‘Shaka' be the captain of Arctic Thunder.”

Donnie jumped to his feet. “So do I!”

Tommy stood along with Gwen. “So do I!” they said together.

One by one the players rose to their feet and repeated, “So do I!”

“Well, everyone, it's settled,” Ben said. “Mike … Shaka, congratulations. You're the first captain of Arctic Thunder.”

“Ya!”
everyone cried.

Mike shuffled his feet, trying hard not to show how pleased he was.

As everyone settled back around the fire, Victor rose to his feet. Everyone grew silent. “This all makes me very proud. Arctic Thunder is a strong team in body and in spirit. Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Zulu, and others are all gathered together. Different cultures but strong cultures, ones that know the land and have relied on their ties to it to survive. The Inuvialuit came from Alaska and survived thanks to the life given by the sea and the land. They relied on each other, with the women fishing, the men hunting, and families working together to survive. The Gwich'in are also people of the land. They, too, have endured hardships like harsh climate and horrible disease that reduced their numbers greatly. But the Inuvialuit and the Gwich'in are strong cultures. We're cultures of the North, and we survived. Our cultures have survived and our numbers have grown with our strength.

“The Zulu culture is a strong culture, too. It's also a culture that has lived with the land and undergone great hardships. And the Irish —” he smiled at Ben “— is another strong culture full of heritage and pride. Joseph, Mitchell, Donnie, Gwen, Mike, Mark, all of you, it's important that you know and understand your cultures. It's important that you can speak your language and practise your traditions. That's how you'll learn to understand yourself, and that's where you'll gain the strength that will go with you to St. Albert where I know you'll kick some butt!”

Mike studied the fire, lost in his own thoughts. He was going to play lacrosse again. This time against St. Albert!

CHAPTER 23

T
he plane trip south was a riot. Some of the boys had been on a big plane before and others hadn't. If anyone was nervous, it didn't show. Ben had his hands full, but thankfully there was help from a few parents who had agreed to come along for the tournament. Other than the odd peanut or cookie thrown at a teammate and the noise level that at times became unbearable for some of the other passengers, there were no major disasters.

When they arrived in Edmonton, two vans were waiting to take the players directly to their hotel in St. Albert. Ben had told Mike that he didn't want the team to face too many distractions before the upcoming tournament. They would have time to visit the West Edmonton Mall and other sites before they flew home. As it was, their game against St. Albert was the next afternoon. The
St. Albert Gazette
and the
Edmonton Journal
had already contacted Ben to see if they could interview Arctic Thunder players. With reservations Ben had agreed but only after their first game with St. Albert was out of the way.

The noise level escalated as the vans drove through the city. When the boys spotted the West Edmonton Mall, they went berserk.

“Oh, man!” Tommy shouted from the back. “Donnie farted again!”

Ben turned to scold Tommy and try to settle things down.

“I actually did this time!” Donnie cried gleefully. “Taste the wrath of the Donster!” The windows of the van were quickly rolled down amid howls and groans. Ben actually stuck his head out the window at one point. The flight had been slightly turbulent, and the “Donster” was mighty ripe!

It was late afternoon by the time the team was checked in at the hotel. A quick supper was arranged at Boston Pizza, and Ben made sure the team was quickly settled in for the night. No one complained. They were excited but apprehensive about the next day. It was well after midnight before Mike finally fell asleep.

The team had a late breakfast the next morning and then bussed to the Servus Place Sports Complex, which had three ice surfaces, two indoor soccer fields, a running track that went around the top of the building, an exercise and weight area, and a pool with water slides. When the boys stepped into the main arena where the opening ceremonies and their first game would take place, their mouths dropped open. They looked down on rows of red high-backed seats encircling the playing surface. Mike told them the arena could hold twenty-five hundred people, not including standing room.

David gasped. “This is unbelievable! More than half the population of Inuvik could sit here and watch us play.”

“And it's going to be pretty full for the first game against St. Albert,” Ben said. “The home team against a team from the Northwest Territories in the opener will be a big draw. It's going to be a bit distracting, guys, but we have to get over that and concentrate on the game.”

Joseph wandered over and stood beside Mike. “This is where St. Albert's Junior A hockey team plays, isn't it?” It was more of a comment than a question.

“That's right, Joseph,” Mike said.

“Man, I blew it!” Joseph shook his head as he took in the seats and huge clock hanging over the playing surface. He turned to Mike. “You know what, though? I think this means more to me than anything else could. I won't let you down, Mike. I have a lot to make up for, and it's going to start here. Maybe I'll get another chance at hockey and maybe I won't, but I love this.” He held up the lacrosse stick he was carrying. “For some reason this feels right.”

Mike nodded. “I feel the same way, Joseph. Once you get lacrosse under your skin, it's hard to shake. Wait until you get your first big hit this afternoon. Wait until you score your first goal. It only gets better.”

The boys didn't have much time to talk. They were soon hustled under the seats to a dressing room where they stored their equipment. After a short wait, the festivities began.

The opening ceremonies were a blur. The teams were led in by people carrying their club names on banners. When the Arctic Thunder players were announced, they marched onto the floor and received the loudest ovation next to the one St. Albert got.

It was all very emotional for Mike. The guys from St. Albert spotted him and waved. Spencer, Cayln, Taylor, Ryan, and the rest of the guys came over and shook Mike's hand. It was a bit awkward, too. Mike was incredibly happy to see his old buddies, but he didn't want it to appear that he was favouring them over his new teammates. He felt a little stiff standing there and was relieved when the guys had to go back to their spot for the national anthem and a speech from the mayor of St. Albert. It all ended quickly and then it was time to get dressed for the game.

The team elected Tommy and Bobby to be assistant captains, and with ten minutes left before faceoff, Ben voiced his final comments. “Okay, guys, listen up! This is your first game. Things are going to seem a lot faster than in practice. Just stay calm and keep your heads in the game and you'll be fine.” He paced across the room, then turned to the players. “When they have the ball, we run back and box it up. When there's a loose ball, it's ours. We win it.” A buzzer sounded outside the dressing room. “That's it, guys! Time to get on the floor. And remember, this isn't a practice against your buddies anymore. The hitting is for real. So keep your heads up and don't be afraid to hammer somebody out there. Let's go!”

“Let's go, man!” Mike shouted.

“Let's go, Inuvik!” Tommy yelled.

As they ran through the tunnel and out under the harsh lighting on the floor, some of the boys couldn't help but stop and stare. The seats were almost full, and it seemed as if they were surrounded by a sea of faces.

“Get moving, Donnie!” Mike yelled at the big boy as he jogged past. “Snap out of it. You gotta get warmed up!”

The warm-up went quickly. The mayor returned to the floor, and the captains were called to centre for an official faceoff. Mike met Spencer with the referee, and they shook hands awkwardly.

“This seems pretty weird,” Spencer mumbled under his breath.

“I know,” Mike said, “but I'm gonna knock you on your butt!”

Spencer grinned as the boys bent for the faceoff. Spencer being captain for the home team drew the ball back before picking it up and handing it to the mayor. Mike and Spencer shook hands again and wished each other good luck before jogging back and rejoining their respective teams. It was game time!

Ben started Mike with Mitchell and Tyler, along with Joseph and Mark as shooters. Kneeling for the faceoff, Mike glanced up to see Ryan Domino smirking at him from the other side of the ball. “Ready to lose, Mike?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing, Domino.” Despite his smile, Mike felt a cold, queasy tempest in his stomach.

The referee backed away and blew his whistle. Ryan dug in and pulled the ball behind him where Cayln was waiting. Mitchell seemed to freeze, and Cayln darted past, throwing a quick pass up to Taylor.

“Box it up!” Ben shouted.

Taylor whipped the ball across to Spencer, who threw a pass over to Scott. Shifting his weight forward, Scott stepped into a shot that rippled the net before Donnie even moved. The fans and the Rams' bench erupted in cheering.

“Time, Ref!” Mike yelled at the referee. “Time out!”

Blowing his whistle, the referee pointed at the Inuvik bench to signal who had called a timeout.

“Run it in!” Ben cried. “Run it in!”

Mike led the way, and they huddled around the front of the bench.

“Okay, everybody,” Ben said, “that was your one wonderstruck goal. You're over it. Now let's get our heads into the game and settle down. Beat them to the ball. Let's go, Thunder!”

The boys all stuck their gloves into a circle and cried, “One, two, three, Thunder!”

“Let's change things up,” Ben said. “I want Tommy, Gwen, and Bobby, with Joseph and Ricky as shooters. Hustle out!”

Tommy lined up across from Taylor to kneel for the faceoff. When the referee blew his whistle, Tommy pushed Taylor away from the ball. Blowing his whistle again, the referee signalled that it was the Rams' ball. Tommy straightened, puzzlement in his face as he jogged back to his own net.

Taylor scooped up the ball and raced into the Inuvik end. With a burst of speed he slipped into the corner, spun, and passed the ball to Spencer, the shooter. Spencer faked a shot and moved the ball across to Scott. Arctic Thunder had a box set up and were doing a good job of keeping the Rams outside. All at once Brady and Cayln crossed in front of the net, switching sides. Cayln posted up and spun for a pass. Brady, who was incredibly fast, jogged behind the net and out the other side. The manoeuvre confused the Thunder, and no one stuck with Brady. The pass from Scott hit Brady's stick flush in the basket, and he quick-sticked the ball at the top corner. Donnie reacted rapidly, flicking his big stick across, but he only partially blocked the shot. It tipped off the end of his stick and into the net. The Rams were up 2–0, with only two minutes off the game clock.

“You've got to switch, guys,” Ben said to the players as they came to the bench to change up. “You've got to switch and talk to each other out there.” There was a bit of chaos, and the Thunder only sent four players out for the next faceoff.

“Not enough guys, Dad,” Mike said, heading for the gate.

Ben grabbed Mike by the jersey. “Hang on a second, son. Let's see if Dennis can win the draw.”

Backing up, the referee blew his whistle. Dennis dug down and leveraged the ball toward his own net so that Mark could scoop it up.

“Break, Mike, break!” Ben said, pushing Mike out of the box. Mike sprinted as fast as he could toward the Rams' net.

“Ball, ball!” he cried, looking over his shoulder. Dennis spotted Mike and launched a long-range pass as hard as he could down the floor. Glancing over his shoulder, Mike accelerated, judging that he would have to run at top speed to receive the pass. He was right, and his timing was perfect. His heart leaped into his chest as he realized he was going to catch the pass and have a breakaway. As the ball touched down in his stick, Mike didn't see the Rams player come off the bench late. With a sickening thud Mike took the hit in the most vulnerable position possible — arms stretched above his head, looking back, catching the ball. As he crashed to the floor, the ball popped loose. The Rams player scooped it up and threw a long-range pass of his own to Taylor, who caught the Thunder off guard with the sudden change of direction. In all alone on Donnie, Taylor faked high and bounced a shot between his legs and into the net — 3–0 Rams.