away and slashed his stick downward in an attempted pass back to his center. Unfortunately for
him, he released the ball too late. Instead of flying through the air it struck the grass with a loud
thud
and bounced up and away, free to anyone who could get a stick on it.
That “anyone” wound up being Jeff. He caught it in his pocket on midbounce, darted around the Bears frustrated attacker, and
fired a pass to Conor.
“Here!” Michael screamed. “Pass it here!”
Conor squared off as if to send it in Michael’s direction. Michael took off, holding up his stick to make an over-the-shoulder
catch. But the pass never came, for after squaring off, Conor pivoted on one foot and lobbed the ball back to Jeff.
Michael, meanwhile, continued to run, holding his stick aloft like a standard-bearer holding a flag. When the ball didn’t
come, he looked back and nearly collided with a Bears defender.
“Watch it, buddy, will ya?” the Bear growled just as Jeff flipped the ball over to Garry.
“Give it here, Wallis — or else!” Michael yelled.
Garry ignored him. He looked to Conor. Conor wasn’t open. Samuel was covered too, and Jeff was too far behind to send the
ball there. That left Garry with three choices: keep the ball and hope he could get a shot off on goal; pass to Evan, who
was coming up behind him; or pass to Michael, who was still yelling at him.
The decision was taken out of his hands when a Bears defender ran forward and stuckhimself to Garry like glue. Since Garry refused to pass to Michael, he sent the ball back to Evan.
“It’ll reach Michael anyhow,” he muttered.
But to his surprise, Evan didn’t automatically toss the ball to Michael. Rather, he twisted away from a Bears midfielder and
fired the ball to Jeff, who was so surprised he nearly missed the catch.
But he managed to control it and get it to Conor. Conor’s stick whistled through the air as he slashed it sideways and rocketed
the ball past the goalkeeper into the net. Goal!
“Yee-haa!” Conor leaped and twirled in midair, drawing laughs from the sidelines and his teammates. Only the Bears were silent.
They didn’t stay quiet for long, however, for once again the Bears center attacker tookpossession on the face-off. This time, he carried the ball halfway down the field before the Rockets midfielders could catch
up to him. Jeff and Samuel double-teamed him but the Bear outfoxed them both, twisting away to feed the ball over to the attacker
on his right.
Brandon was caught napping. The Bear barreled past him and confronted Christopher. The two mirrored one another for a moment
before the Bear faked a throw that sent Christopher moving in the wrong direction. From there, it was just one swift, accurate
throw and the Bears had tied it up 1–1.
As Garry headed back to the wing area for the face-off, he fully expected Michael to threaten him once again. He wasn’t disappointed.
“I’m warning you, Wallis,” the center attacker hissed. “Get me the ball or —”
“Lay off, Donofrio, will you?”
Garry’s jaw dropped in amazement. The retort hadn’t come from Jeff, or Conor, or even Carl.
It had come from Evan!
16
E van’s moment of defiance toward Michael was astonishing — and more amazingly, it wasn’t his last that game!
Over and over, Michael all but ordered his most loyal lapdog to feed him the ball. And over and over, Evan sent the ball elsewhere.
Michael, so used to simply taking the ball and running with it, spent much of his time dancing about in frustration with an
empty pocket.
The Rockets, meanwhile, were busy working different plays the coach had taught them during countless practices. Before long,
itbecame obvious to them — and to many of those watching the game — that Michael didn’t have a clue how those plays were supposed
to go.
“Michael, you’re supposed to run
behind
the net, not in
front
of it,” Evan bellowed after one botched play turned into a fast
him, he released the ball too late. Instead of flying through the air it struck the grass with a loud
thud
and bounced up and away, free to anyone who could get a stick on it.
That “anyone” wound up being Jeff. He caught it in his pocket on midbounce, darted around the Bears frustrated attacker, and
fired a pass to Conor.
“Here!” Michael screamed. “Pass it here!”
Conor squared off as if to send it in Michael’s direction. Michael took off, holding up his stick to make an over-the-shoulder
catch. But the pass never came, for after squaring off, Conor pivoted on one foot and lobbed the ball back to Jeff.
Michael, meanwhile, continued to run, holding his stick aloft like a standard-bearer holding a flag. When the ball didn’t
come, he looked back and nearly collided with a Bears defender.
“Watch it, buddy, will ya?” the Bear growled just as Jeff flipped the ball over to Garry.
“Give it here, Wallis — or else!” Michael yelled.
Garry ignored him. He looked to Conor. Conor wasn’t open. Samuel was covered too, and Jeff was too far behind to send the
ball there. That left Garry with three choices: keep the ball and hope he could get a shot off on goal; pass to Evan, who
was coming up behind him; or pass to Michael, who was still yelling at him.
The decision was taken out of his hands when a Bears defender ran forward and stuckhimself to Garry like glue. Since Garry refused to pass to Michael, he sent the ball back to Evan.
“It’ll reach Michael anyhow,” he muttered.
But to his surprise, Evan didn’t automatically toss the ball to Michael. Rather, he twisted away from a Bears midfielder and
fired the ball to Jeff, who was so surprised he nearly missed the catch.
But he managed to control it and get it to Conor. Conor’s stick whistled through the air as he slashed it sideways and rocketed
the ball past the goalkeeper into the net. Goal!
“Yee-haa!” Conor leaped and twirled in midair, drawing laughs from the sidelines and his teammates. Only the Bears were silent.
They didn’t stay quiet for long, however, for once again the Bears center attacker tookpossession on the face-off. This time, he carried the ball halfway down the field before the Rockets midfielders could catch
up to him. Jeff and Samuel double-teamed him but the Bear outfoxed them both, twisting away to feed the ball over to the attacker
on his right.
Brandon was caught napping. The Bear barreled past him and confronted Christopher. The two mirrored one another for a moment
before the Bear faked a throw that sent Christopher moving in the wrong direction. From there, it was just one swift, accurate
throw and the Bears had tied it up 1–1.
As Garry headed back to the wing area for the face-off, he fully expected Michael to threaten him once again. He wasn’t disappointed.
“I’m warning you, Wallis,” the center attacker hissed. “Get me the ball or —”
“Lay off, Donofrio, will you?”
Garry’s jaw dropped in amazement. The retort hadn’t come from Jeff, or Conor, or even Carl.
It had come from Evan!
16
E van’s moment of defiance toward Michael was astonishing — and more amazingly, it wasn’t his last that game!
Over and over, Michael all but ordered his most loyal lapdog to feed him the ball. And over and over, Evan sent the ball elsewhere.
Michael, so used to simply taking the ball and running with it, spent much of his time dancing about in frustration with an
empty pocket.
The Rockets, meanwhile, were busy working different plays the coach had taught them during countless practices. Before long,
itbecame obvious to them — and to many of those watching the game — that Michael didn’t have a clue how those plays were supposed
to go.
“Michael, you’re supposed to run
behind
the net, not in
front
of it,” Evan bellowed after one botched play turned into a fast
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