Free The Boston Breakout by Roy Macgregor

rebound. Travis still held back. Dmitri moved in, went to his classic play – forehand fake, backhand high to the roof of the net – but the Penguins’ goaltender got his left shoulder up and blocked it.
    The puck flipped through the air like a horseshoe, coming to rest right on Travis’s stick. He fired hard and turned back, expecting the goaltender to kick out the rebound.
    But the puck squeezed right through the sliding goalie’s pads and into the net.
    Travis was having a great game.
    At the face-off, just before the puck dropped, the big Penguins’ center looked hard at Travis. Travis couldn’t be certain, but behind the player’s face shield he could swear he saw a quick smile and a nod.
    It felt as good as Muck’s hand squeezing the back of his neck.
    Late in the third period, with the game tied at 3–3, Lars and Jesse having added goals for the Owls, Nish wiggled over on the bench until he was beside Travis’s forward line.
    Nish’s face was red and covered in sweat. Travis knew his friend was in full Nish game mode. He was playing his heart out, and he was listening to instructions from Muck and staying back.
    Nish was breathing hard, gulping for air from his last shift, but he had something to say.
    “Hail Mary,” Nish hissed at Travis.
    Travis nodded. He understood at once. The crazy Doug Flutie desperation pass that had won the football game for Boston College so long ago. Nish was going to send the puck high and deep, and he expected Travis to catch it.
    Sarah leaped over the boards as Andy came off on the fly. Travis jumped onto the ice as soon as Derek reached the bench. Dmitri replaced Jesse on the far wing.
    The big Penguins’ center was circling his own net with the puck, readying for a rush up ice. Sarah moved in to check him, but he deftly turned back, using the net as a shield, and came up the far side. A nice bit of stickhandling, and he was through Dmitri and coming up hard over center.
    Travis could see Nish skating backward fast, trying to cut off any lane the big center might use to set a winger free on a breakaway. He knew he’d have to cover for Nish if Nish overcommitted.
    Travis dug deep and came back hard. But Nish had read the play perfectly. The big center was hoping to draw Fahd and Nish, the Owls’ defense, his way and then loop a pass across ice to his right winger, coming fast down Travis’s side.
    The center sent a perfect saucer pass when he saw Nish moving to cut off the lane. The puck flew high over the outstretched sticks of Fahd and Nish and landed flat, with a slap, in the center of the ice.
    Travis had anticipated the play. He gobbled up the puck before the winger could get it and turned hard back up ice.
    But the big winger had seen Travis snare the pass and was now bearing down on him. Travis had two options: he could dump the puck out, delivering it right back to the Penguins, or he could drop it back.
    Nish was well back, according to Muck’s instructions, and Travis sent him a backhand pass off the boards. Nish got the puck as he moved behind Jeremy and the Owls’ net.
    Travis knew what to do. It was Hail Mary time. He took off as fast as he could skate.
    As Travis crossed the blue line, Nish looked up and fired the puck as high and hard as he could.
    Travis sensed the puck sailing past his head as he cleared center ice. It was just barely ahead of him. The puck dropped, skipped twice on the ice, and he was on it.
    Breakaway!
    Travis corralled the puck on the blade of his stick, making sure it settled flat. He was well ahead of the Penguins’ defense.
    Travis knew he was alone. No one to pass to. No one to grab a rebound. He had to score on his own.
    As he came down, slightly on his off wing, Dmitri’s patented play popped into his head.
    The goalie was in position, barely wiggling as he moved deeper into his net as Travis came closer.
    Forehand fake, backhand high. The puck pinged in off the crossbar.
    Goal!
    Screech Owls 4, Pittsburgh Mini-Penguins