Gwen grabbed a soft drink from the table near Victor’s cabin and strolled back to the fire. Hesitating for only a moment, she plunked down beside Mike. He glanced over and smiled before turning back to Tommy, who was sitting across and to the other side of Ben. Gwen took a sip and waited for the right moment. Even though they had gotten to know each other better, they really hadn’t spoken much except to yell for passes or smack each other on the back when one of them scored a goal. But at least they were on friendly terms now. “Hey, Mike,” she said.
“Hey, yourself, Gwen.” The flames from the fire reflected in her eyes, and Mike felt his face flush. “This is great, isn’t it? I love it every time I come out here with Victor.”
Gwen nodded, then peered at the fire before turning to Mike. “I … I’m sorry I treated you so badly when you first moved here. I shouldn’t have. It’s just … well, things happened when I was young. I …”
“You don’t have to explain anything, Gwen. We all have things that bug us from time to time. I was pretty weird when we moved here, too. I hated this place and didn’t even know what it was all about. I hated it because I had to leave all my … my old friends in St. Albert. Pretty stupid when you think about it. This place is great, but I hated it, anyway.”
“My dad was from the South,” Gwen said. “He left when I was seven and never came back. He never wrote, never called. He doesn’t even know what I look like now.” Gwen’s voice quavered as she looked away. Slowly, she turned back to Mike. “If you had a daughter, wouldn’t you want to know what she looked like?”
Mike nodded. “I sure would. Your dad doesn’t know what he’s missing. I mean … you’re great.”
Gwen touched Mike’s arm. “Mike, I’ve hated everybody who ever moved here from the South. I hated them all because they made me think of my father. That’s why I hated you. But no matter what I did, you’re the first person who didn’t run away or avoid me. You kept being nice to me.” She paused. “Thank you. You don’t know how much it means.” Gwen stood, then leaned close to Mike’s ear. “And that kiss was really nice!” Spinning on her heel, she walked briskly around the fire toward the cabin.
Mike’s face burned like wildfire. He suppressed a nervous giggle as he returned his attention to where Tommy and Donnie were sitting. The two boys were staring at Mike, and Tommy’s eyes were almost as big as Donnie’s. Donnie whispered something to Tommy and then they both pursed their lips and made smacking sounds. Mike shook his head and tried to look mad, but he started laughing, anyway.
Ben stood and moved to the edge of the fire. Holding up his hands for quiet, he said, “First of all, I’d like to thank Victor … and Joseph for making it so nice out here for us tonight. The food’s great, the company’s fantastic, and this —” he indicated the sky and the river “— is unbelievable. A few months back I don’t think Mike or I imagined we’d be somewhere as beautiful as this.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “This is our schedule for the tournament, and it isn’t easy. Our first game is against St. Albert.”
There was a slight sigh from the group and then everyone looked at Mike.
He shrugged and smiled. “Hey, man, if we’re going to kick some St. Albert butt, it might as well be in the first game we play.”
“Yay!” Donnie yelled a little too enthusiastically. Tommy bumped him with his shoulder, but everyone nodded around the fire.
“Our next three games are against Leduc, the Edmonton Warriors, and then Red Deer,” Ben said. “All good teams. But from what I’ve seen, we can beat everyone if we execute what we’ve learned and play like a team. Lacrosse is a game of control and a game you win as a team. If we win most of the loose-ball battles, play good D, and control the ball, we’re going to be tough in every single game.”
Walking to the edge of the circle of players, Ben bent over and clutched a balled-up piece of clothing to his chest as he headed back to the fire. “I wanted this to be a surprise. Donnie came up with the name. Someone told me that Gwen was quite the artist, so I asked her to keep it a secret and had her draw up the logo. Victor was good enough to get a couple of local businesses to sponsor the cost of having them made. Guys, I’d like to introduce you to your team jersey!” He held the jersey high and let it fall out to full form.
There were a few “Whoas!” and “All rights!” around the fire as the players talked excitedly among themselves. The jersey was black and gold like the Boston Bruins’ hockey jersey. The logo was a player in a parka holding a lacrosse stick as if he were about to throw a cross-check. The expression on the face was an aggressive snarl. Above the logo was inuvik and below that was arctic thunder.
“Now for the cool part,” Ben continued. “Remember when you guys told me what numbers you wanted a while back? Well, look at this.” He turned the jersey around. In the middle there was a big number 33. Across the shoulders was debastien.
Ben laughed. “Officially, welcome to the team, big buddy.” He held the jersey out to Donnie.
For once Donnie’s eyes weren’t enormous. In fact, they were closed. A single tear squeezed out of the corner of his left eye and trickled down his cheek. Blindly, he held out his hand into which Ben placed the jersey. He hugged it to his chest.
Tommy patted Donnie on the back. “Congratulations, Donnie. You’re an amazing goalie and just about one of the nicest guys I know. I’m sorry it took me so long to see that. I wouldn’t want to be on a team without you.”
The rest of the players nodded.
“Yay, Donnie!” Tyler cried.
“You da man, Donnie!” Bobby added.
Ben then presented each player with a jersey. When the jerseys were all distributed, the kids gazed at them proudly. Then Joseph got to his feet, cleared his throat, and said, “Guys, I guess I’ve been a bit of a creep to all of you.”
Mike nodded in exaggerated fashion.
Joseph glared at him. “You don’t have to agree that much! But, Sergeant Watson, I mean, Coach, I want to thank you for giving me a chance on this team. And, Mike, thanks for bringing lacrosse with you to Inuvik. Most of us didn’t know anything about what a great game it is. Most of us didn’t have any idea what a great guy Donnie was before you got here. I was mad at the world because of problems I made for myself, and … well …” He smiled mischievously. “Well, nobody knew Gwen had a heart, Mike, until you kissed her!”
The boys all laughed. Gwen shook her fist at Joseph. It was hard to tell who was blushing the most — Mike or Gwen. Joseph turned red, too, but mostly from laughing at his own joke.
“Thanks, Coach,” Joseph continued, “and thanks, Victor, for believing in me when no one else did. I won’t let any of you down. I won’t repeat the mistakes I’ve made. I promise. I have to admit I’m pretty confused. I don’t really know what I’m going to do in the future, and sometimes … I don’t know … I don’t even know what it feels like to be Inuvialuit or anything. I mean, I’ve been so busy thinking first about making the NHL and then feeling sorry for myself that I don’t even remember how to speak my own language anymore. I guess I’m still a bit lost, but I have this feeling that things are going to get better.”
“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
The 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!”
&n
bsp; “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.
Arctic Thunder Page 15
