Chapter Twenty-Five: New Royalty

The air was electric at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena. The State Championship had arrived, and the Ducks had weathered a series of tempests in the earlier rounds to reach their destination. Prior to the Varsity scrimmage, JV had felt invincible. After all, they had kept on winning despite losing Tim the scoring machine, and Larson the defensive guru. But JV's defeat at the hands of Varsity snapped the squad out of its complacency, and they played with the sort of gritty, blue collar persistence that made Orion proud.

If the Ducks had only just discovered gritty gameplay, however, the John Marshall High Rockets out of Rochester knew it very well. Toward the end of the regular season, the Ducks squeaked out a 2-1 victory over the Rockets, and Rochester was determined to avenge that defeat on the big stage.

Adam, Fulton, and Guy took their seats in the Eden Hall section to support their old friends just as the lights began to dim for the introductions. Given the Ducks' higher seeding, they were considered the home team, so the Rockets hit the ice first.

"Geez, what do they put in the water in Rochester?" Adam wondered aloud as he observed JV's massive opponents take the ice in black and red.

Although he had given his friends a great deal of helpful advice during the playoffs, he found himself worrying about the obvious disparity in size.

"Seriously, how can an entire hockey team have a growth spurt in the span of one month?"

"I don't know, man," Guy answered. "But size isn't everything."

Before Adam could reply, the Ducks hit the ice in their white and eggplant uniforms, prompting the three friends to rise to their feet and join the chorus of Duck fans in a roar of support. In that moment, Adam had forgotten all about his yearning to play and his guilty feeling of jealousy toward his JV friends. So intense, so infectious was the energy of the crowd that Adam Banks forgot himself – as though he had been reduced to a mere cell of a much larger organism. He had never experienced anything like it before.

But the delerium vanished as The Beast was tranquilized for the singing of the National Anthem. The tranquilizer appeared to have a neutering effect on The Beast, for when it awoke, Adam had noticed its loss of vigor just ahead of the opening faceoff. With the first lines of Rochester and Eden Hall now in position, The Beast was reminded of its purpose and let out a roar, but the feral energy that had existed just moments earlier could not be recovered.

Down at center ice, Dwayne looked up at his Rochester opposite ahead of the puck drop.

"How's the weather up there, partner?"

The Rocket replied with a smile that looked more predatory than friendly before training his gray eyes onto the ice.

The puck dropped to the sound of the ref's whistle and the State Championship was underway.

Taking possession of the puck, the Rochester center drove his shoulder into Dwayne's chest and put the affable Texan on his back before barreling into the Duck zone.

With Dwayne beaten, there was no one to cover the Rochester center, so Ryan O'Neill charged in, but left his own man open in doing so. The Rochester center passed to his open wing who took off in Julie's direction to get a nice, close shot. The wing fired, but Julie caught the puck, and it took every ounce of her strength to hold onto it as the Rochester wing crashed into her. The JV goalie had had more than her fair share of goal collisions, but this one felt like a charging bull who had been fed amphetamines.

Seeing Julie stagger back to her feet, Adam felt an overwhelming desire to hold, comfort, and protect her.

After I beat that oaf to death with my shoe, of course.

Sensing his friend's disquiet, Fulton clasped Adam's shoulder.

"She's got this, dude. Julie's a champ."

A ref blew his whistle and grabbed the puck. After winning the faceoff in the Duck zone, the Rochester center skated around the back of Julie's net and fired a corner shot. Adam groaned as the Rockets drew first blood.

The Ducks won the next faceoff, but Charlie got leveled the instant he received the pass from Dwayne. Charlie's Rochester opposite turned and hit the gas, bearing down on Julie and taking a shot. Once again, Julie caught it and forced a faceoff in the Duck zone. In the close quarters of their own zone, the Ducks saw firsthand just how much of an advantage Rochester had in terms of size. The Rockets kept firing at the net, and continued to overpower the Ducks for all of the rebounds, which created a vicious circle of Rochester shots and rebounds that deprived Julie of even a second's peace.

His personal bias notwithstanding, Adam figured that his girlfriend could probably – and should definitely – win game MVP if the Ducks prevailed; she continued to deflect and catch the puck with no defensive support for several grueling minutes.

But she breathed a sigh of relief when, at last, Ryan fished the puck out from the boards, then made for the neutral zone, allowing a line change. As the elusive second line hit the ice, Adam felt that the Ducks were now on a level playing field. Although the Rochester second line was every bit as gigantic as the first, size was less of an advantage against the shifty speedsters of the Duck second line.

As Ken drew a double team, he fed the puck to Luis who took off for the Rochester net. The Rockets could not hope to catch the Miami speedster, and Luis found himself one-on-one with the goalie. After a quick deke to the left, he fired far side and got it by the goalie. 1-1.

The Ducks won possession after the faceoff, and Rochester continued to double team the confounding ex-figure skater, this time leaving Connie wide open by the net. Kenny sailed the puck ahead to her, who in turn slapped it in for an easy goal. 2-1, Ducks.

The first lines returned to the ice at the beginning of the second period, and the Rockets continued to bully their smaller opponents around the Duck net. The only first line Duck who could match Rochester's physicality was Dean Portman. It was with Portman's combination of power and sheer frustration at his line's inability to get something going that he barreled into an opposing forward – prompting a ref's whistle.

"Charging. 21, white. Five minutes."

"What?!" Orion demanded from the JV bench. "His feet didn't even leave the ice!"

The length of the penalty made no difference, as Rochester capitalized on the man advantage almost immediately, tying the game at 2-apiece. With eight minutes remaining in the second period, Portman earned himself another charging penalty, resulting in an ejection.

"Come on, Ref!" Orion was livid at the double standard in the game's officiating. Rochester had leveled Ducks on virtually every play, yet had only drawn whistles for being offsides. But the refs had no qualms about ejecting the one Duck who could push back against the Rockets' bullying and bruising style.

The remainder of the period was ugly for the Ducks.

Two Rochester goals, countless hard checks, and several dubious penalties later, JV found itself trailing 4-2 at second intermission. As his team gathered in their locker room, Orion observed the slumped shoulders of his battered and demoralized players. He knew that unless he could instill some confidence in his Ducks, they were finished.

"Alright Ducks," he began. "We've got 'em right where we want 'em."

Confused looks shot up all around.

"They're too confident for their own good," Orion explained. "Remember how you guys felt going into that Varsity game?"

A few players nodded grimly at the memory of that confidence-shattering experience.

"You underestimated Varsity, and by doing so, you gave them lots of openings. Well, Rochester is underestimating you. They think they've got this thing wrapped-up, so they're getting careless. They're starting to leave open scoring opportunities that they didn't at the beginning of the game. But they can get away with that kinda sloppiness as long as you guys don't believe in yourselves."

There were some vague murmurs of agreement, but Orion could tell that his message had not sunk in.

"These guys are tough, but no tougher than you make them out to be. Remember how we practiced: make them use their own strength against themselves. Don't try to overpower them when they've got the puck. Just go on the inside, force a few misdirections, and dig that puck out. When you've got the puck, remember: your shoulder is your shield. Use your shoulder to block their attacks and force your way in."

The players appeared to be absorbing the message, now Orion needed to put a bow on it.

"These guys are waiting to be beat," he looked around at his players, pausing for dramatic effect. "Well, don't keep them waiting!"

The Ducks roared back in enthusiasm.

"Okay, bring it in guys," Orion commanded as he extended his arm, prompting his players to do the same at the center of the room.

"Quack, quack, quack…."

"QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK..."

"Alright, Ducks," he exhorted amid the chanting. "let's go!"

As the Ducks began marching back to the ice, Orion pulled Russ aside.

"These guys are overconfident, Russ. They're not gonna expect any scoring from a defenseman. So expect an open shot…when you get it, give 'em a kuncklepuck for me."

Russ nodded with a smile.

"You got it, Coach."

The new Duck first line hit the ice, with Russ having replaced Larson on defense and Goldberg filling in for the ejected Portman. Dwayne won the faceoff and immediately found two more Rockets converging on him, in addition to his opposite. Having drawn a triple team, Dwayne had no choice but to pass, and Russ was wide open.

The boy from South-Central Los Angeles took the puck, teed-up, and fired.

The puck flipped and wobbled in the air, and looked certain to go wide of the net. Then, it broke and sailed in past the befuddled goalie.

Orion let out a sigh of relief from the bench. Having trailed by two goals against a formidable team, it was essential for the Ducks to do something big early in the final period to regain their confidence. Russ's knucklepuck did the trick, and JV now trailed by just one goal.

Rochester came roaring back, and the bully boys rocketed into the Duck zone. Adam looked on nervously. All those bodies around the Duck net had resulted in four Rochester goals. The Ducks simply could not hold their own against their much larger opponents. But this time, something was different.

"Are those Judo moves?" Adam wondered aloud as he observed Rockets falling down, resembling felled Redwoods in the process.

The Ducks had taken Orion's advice to heart and used their shoulders to force their opponents into awkward positions, where their own strength worked against them.

Charlie seized the puck and took off in the direction of the Rochester net, as the lumbering Rockets failed to keep up. One-on-one with the Rochester goalie, Charlie performed his triple deke scoring move to devastating effect, tying the game up, 4-4.

Having given up two easy goals in the opening minutes of the third period, the dazed Rochester squad redoubled their earlier intensity. Ducks went flying into the boards as Rochester tried to physically re-impose their will on their smaller opponents, and the refs appeared to have swallowed their whistles. Orion quietly fumed as he watched flagrant penalties go uncalled, and vowed to file an officiating complaint with the league office regardless of the game's outcome.

Although the Duck offense struggled against the ferocious Rochester defense, the Duck defense had become more resilient thanks to Orion's 'Judo moves,' and had succeeded in preventing a considerable number of shots on Julie.

With one minute remaining in regulation, Orion called a timeout, then proceeded to make a stunning decision.

He pulled his first line out and ordered his second line speedsters onto the ice. His decision had the potential to go spectacularly wrong, for as elusive as the second line was on offense, their defensive skills left a lot to be desired. Instead of playing it safe by retaining his first line, running down the clock, and forcing overtime, Orion decided to go all-in.

"Those guys haven't covered you before," he explained, looking to Ken, "So they won't know what hit 'em. Don't be afraid to get fancy. If you break free and get a clear shot, take it."

"Right, Coach."

The second line hit the ice. Luis won the face off and fed the puck to Connie, who in turn passed ahead to Ken. As Rochester's gigantic defenders bore down on the diminutive San Franciscan, Ken eluded the pursuit with a spin move and found himself in an open lane to the goal. He made a bee-line for the Rochester net as the clock ticked down, faked stick side, then fired glove side.

JV finally re-took the lead with just forty seconds left in regulation.

Rochester won possession on the next faceoff and swarmed Julie's net. The Duck second line did their best to hack and defend, but they were clearly over-matched. A Rochester forward fired a shot, which Julie immediately covered-up to prevent a rebound. Thirty seconds remaining.

After winning the faceoff, the Rochester center took off and skated around the back of the Duck net before firing a shot that went wide, missing both the net and Julie's glove. The clock continued to wind-down as the Ducks and the Rockets fought fought a desperate battle for possession.

Twenty seconds…nineteen...eighteen...seventeen...

A Rocket won possession and emerged from the scrum, firing a shot.

Julie smothered the puck, prompting yet another faceoff with thirteen seconds left.

The exhausted, beleaguered goalie almost yipped when she saw Connie win the faceoff and begin moving the puck away from her net.

The Ducks' entire season came down to eleven seconds. All they had to do was make those eleven seconds disappear, but to do that, they needed to maintain control of the puck. If possession came down to strength, then Rochester could seize the puck and send the game into overtime. But if the Ducks could elude the Rockets, they would be State Champions.

As a mean pair of Rochester titans honed-in on Connie, the brunette forward kept her head, making a perfectly-placed pass to the one Duck that she knew could outpace a Rocket.

Luis took possession and drew all but one of the Rochester skaters into a furious pursuit. The Miami speedster's lungs were on fire, but he forced the Rockets to chase him all around the ice for the remaining nine seconds that felt more like nine decades. With fire rising up through his throat, Luis collapsed onto the ice as the final game-horn sounded, only to be scooped-up by his ecstatic teammates as they took their victory lap.

Connie grinned from her front doorstep as Guy's ocean blue Corolla came into view. Having turned 16 that past February, Guy had earned his driver's license and his mom's old sedan. As convenient as it was having a good friend with a car, Connie had begun to want more. Guy had been so patient, easygoing, and just plain fun in the months since Paul Larson was expelled. She had almost forgotten how much she adored Guy, and she begun to worry that he had gotten over her. He had seemed a little too patient and laidback to be interested in striking a romance back up.

But as Connie settled into the passenger seat of Guy's car, she decided to make one last attempt at a romantic relationship before throwing-in the towel and accepting permanent friend zone status. It was July, and in a little over a month, the Ducks would all be back at Eden Hall for their junior year. She wanted to start the new school year with a permanent answer to the Guy question, one way or the other.

She was about to speak when he pre-empted her.

"Hold that thought," he said. "I'm backing out – I need to concentrate."

Despite being one of the rare Ducks who could drive, Guy lacked the confidence for conversation unless the car was moving forward.

"So how have you been?" He asked once they were safely in first gear.

"Not bad, I guess. Julie and I are still e-mailing each other back and forth like crazy. Poor girl just doesn't know what to do without Adam."

"Poor Adam just doesn't know what to do without Julie."

"Speaking of Adam," Connie began, "Has he given you any news about the coaching search?"

Philip Banks had replaced Tom Riley on the Board of Trustees, and to no one's surprise, he was neck-deep in the school's search for a new hockey coach. As result, the Ducks regularly pressed Adam for information, who in turn played with fire by pressing Philip for answers.

"Well, Orion got promoted to Varsity," Guy answered. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Connie nodded. Orion's promotion had not come as a surprise, given that he had brought home a state title.

"No idea about the new JV coach," Guy continued. "I think Adam's starting to get nervous asking his dad – maybe we should just wait and see."

"Yeah, might as well."

The pair continued to make pleasant small talk for the remainder of the journey to the mall. Once they arrived at the movie theater, he held open the door for her like a gentleman and allowed her to go ahead. With Connie in the lead, it was up to her to choose their seating. Even in the dimness of the theater, she could see the surprise in his eyes when she led him to the makeout corner.

"Would you rather sit someplace else?" She asked with a coquettish smile.

"No!" Guy replied a bit too earnestly.

Connie giggled as she took her seat, patting the space next to her. Once seated, he felt a set of silky fingers interlock with his. He returned the grasp, the familiar pair of hands firmly in place until several minutes into the film, when their owners decided to put them to more vigorous use.

First gradually, and then suddenly – that was how their love was revived after months of drama and separation. Time stood still, and the world disappeared as Connie and Guy found each other again.

It was only when the end credits began and the lights came on that they were brought back to the present.

The couple shared a laugh as they stood up and begin to exit, with Connie reaching into her handbag to retrieve her chapstick – which she needed to apply liberally.

"Well, that was some movie!" Guy exclaimed. "So what happened, anyway?"

"I have no idea," Connie laughed. "Wanna see it again?"

"You read my mind."

Returning to the box office, the couple bought another pair of tickets.

A hunter green Range Rover eased into the cobblestone driveway of the Moreau Residence. Taking care to leave the windows cracked open before alighting, Adam switched off the ignition and popped out of the driver's seat. Being one of the few Ducks with a driver's license, and one of the even fewer Ducks who had a roomy SUV to call his own, Adam had become the group's designated chauffer, and the eclectic selection in his CD changer reflected that.

But no one needed a ride today, and he intended to take full advantage of the reprieve.

Julie's parents had again allowed her to return to Minnesota ahead of the school year. A mere two days after celebrating her 16th birthday back home in Maine, the goalie had settled into the guest room at Connie's house and looked forward to another late August with the Ducks. Connie and Guy were enjoying themselves at his place, leaving Julie with the Moreaus' home all to herself for the day.

She had hardly been partying wild, however. The main drama of the summer of 1998 had been the developing Clinton impeachment saga – an affair that struck Julie all at once as confusing, sleazy, and strangely compelling. Given the summertime lack of hockey and new TV seasons, it was literally the only game in town. She had been watching the President's sworn deposition on television when she heard the doorbell ring.

Rising to her feet at once, she made haste to the front door to let in her boyfriend.

"Hey, you!" She beamed, leaping into Adam's arms for a warm embrace.

"I missed you so much," he declared, catching and twirling her in his arms before they kissed.

"I bet I missed you more," she teased, ever the competitor.

"Oh?" He asked, setting her back down. "Prove it."

"Gladly."

Without another word, she took his hand and led him to the living room where the President was about to answer one of the lawyers' questions.

"It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

"Huh?" An incredulous Adam asked.

"I'm not even going to try to unpack that one," Julie declared, turning off the TV.

"Fine by me," he replied, draping his arms around her waist and pulling her in. "Now, back to our little contest."

Her happy giggles were interrupted by his passionate lips that took possession of her own like a hungry dog who had been given a steak. A steady crimson wave washed over her cheeks as he detached from her lips and began peppering her jawline with kisses, his lips working their way down the silky flesh of her neck, toward the sun-kissed bosom exposed above her white tank top.

Grasping the back of his head with both hands, she drove him further down, smothering him while drawing a moan of pleasure and an aggressive pair of hands that began to attack the straps of her top when she pushed him off.

With a slight whimper, his apologetic sapphires pleaded with her emerald orbs as they separated. But Julie was quick to correct Adam's misapprehension.

"Not here," she declared. "Let's go upstairs."

And like a punished 9-year old whose sentence had been commuted to a trip to Disney World, Adam's face lit into a broad smile. But his joy gave way to caution, as it had in most cases. He was not about to push her into something that she would regret later and hate him as result.

"Only if you're really ready for this."

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

Fixing her straps, he helped her off the sofa before falling-in behind her as she led him up the stairs to the Moreaus' guestroom. As his eyes fixed onto the inviting queen-sized bed, Adam's rhetorical filter went to sleep.

"You should stay at Connie's all the time," he declared in an earnest tone that betrayed a feeling of wonder.

"Good idea," Julie giggled, looking to the bed, then back at him. "Well?"

"Ladies first."

Marching to the bed, she slipped out of her tank top while he peered into the hall, flashing a boyish grin at some invisible companion before closing the door.

JV and returning Varsity Ducks along with several aspiring walk-ons waited on the ice at Eden Hall Arena for tryouts to begin. As Adam looked over the crowd, he felt that he and the Ducks were in for their best year at Eden Hall. Larson, McGill, Riley, Henderson, and Cole were all gone. Scooter had graduated, so Julie would in all likelihood get promoted to Varsity. Connie and Guy were an item again. Charlie and Linda were still going strong. With their friendships restored and enemies gone, the Ducks were about to go from being mild outcasts to campus royalty. Best of all for Adam was the knowledge that he had managed to keep secret. Not wanting the effect to be ruined, he hoped that Julie had kept quiet.

The buzz of separate conversations ceased once the players heard a whistle pierce the air.

Eyebrows shot up, 'Oh my Gods' were exclaimed, and plain, happy laughter arose from the Ducks as they took in the sight of Gordon Bombay standing next to Orion.

"Some of you may already know me," he began with a slight smile. "But for those of you who don't, I'm Coach Bombay. I'll be coaching JV this season."

Charlie threw a light elbow into Adam's gut.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Well," Adam answered innocently, "To be fair, my dad wasn't certain about it. Besides, I didn't want to announce that Bombay was returning only to have him show up and announce that he had gotten a job somewhere else."

"Heh, yeah...he's been known to do that. He can be so dramatic."

"Oh, look who's talking," Adam teased.

Before Charlie could reply, Orion's whistle sounded.

"You two got something you'd like to share with the rest of us?" The new Varsity coach asked.

"Er, only how thrilled we are to be back!" Charlie beamed, prompting Adam to chuckle.

"I'm sure," Orion agreed with a paper-thin smile.

As Bombay resumed his introductory speech, Charlie spoke to Adam in a whisper.

"I was thinking – if you don't get me into trouble, that is – would you like to be alternate captain?"

Adam considered the offer, but not for long. Although he was the superior player, he could not deny that Charlie had proven himself as the Ducks' true leader. Between getting the Bash Brothers back together, and rallying JV after Larson's expulsion, and bringing home a State Championship, Charlie Conway had proven himself beyond all doubt to be the heart of the team. If Charlie had still been the temperamental prima donna of freshman year, Adam might have been inclined to withhold his support. But the Hawk-turned-Duck MVP knew where his team needed Charlie, and where it needed him.

"I would be honored," Adam answered, "to be 'A' to your 'C'."

THE END