[3030 words, ready for grading]

As always, italicized speech is another language that I'm not going to massacre with Google Translate.

Background: This is a chapter in the Ana story arc. The tournament in this story is a real-life youth hockey tournament that is held every year and has hosted teams from the country Ana is from. I grew up reading the Screech Owls books and it seemed natural in the story to write it in, so I'm borrowing it. It is set roughly around February of S72, so it is chronologically in between Parts 1 and 2 of "Hopes and Dreams". I am not 100% sure of the format that the real tournament uses, so some liberties have been taken. It's also the longest narrative media piece I've ever written, so I hope the wait is worth it. Enjoy!

~~~

"And the team would be staying with local billets close to the arena, and would have the opportunity to explore the city," one of the coaches went on.

Ana turned over the brochure in her hands, only somewhat listening. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, the cover read. Quebec City. All the way over in North America. She'd heard it was cold over there, just like it was where she lived. The brochure talked about the historic city, the chance to play in the big Videotron Centre where the Citadelles played, the storied players that had played in this tournament. The team parents had been hard at work fundraising for the trip, along with being lucky enough to get some businesses in the town to front some money, and all the kids on the team were incredibly excited to go on the adventure of a lifetime over to North America. Ana's dream to one day play in the big leagues was still alive, and perhaps participating in this tournament would be the first step.

The big day arrived at last for the team to embark on the journey, and their parents and friends were there to see them off at the airport. Ana had never been on an airplane before - even her trip to Germany to see the IIHF World Championships was just a road trip of a couple days driving time - and there were a ton of new sights to see. They'd have to connect through a few different countries to get to Quebec and spend an overnight layover in Germany to get there, and for the kids who had never left their little town before it was an experience they would never forget. Ana slept for most of the trip, wanting to save her energy for playing hockey, and spent the rest of the time reading the books she'd brought with her. It was a nice escape to occupy her mind and keep her grounded with the thoughts of playing in front of big crowds dancing in her head.

~~~

Ana's team's first practice would be in the big Videotron Centre, and for these kids it was almost certainly their first time seeing a rink of this size, let alone getting to play in it. Their first game would be in this arena as well, and if they got to the tournament final they'd be back here. The entrance of the concourse was adorned with Citadelles memorabilia, mementos of the team's two championships as listed on another plaque. One jersey in particular caught Ana's eye. The name "Bordeleau" and the number 19 ran across the back of the jersey, and her memory flashed back to that exciting moment in Germany when the two had met in person. Ana had gotten to see the occasional recorded game back in Europe and had seen some Calgary Dragons games, and Sophie Bordeleau had been a player she'd been following eagerly, as well as Rebecca Montagne of the Winnipeg Aurora. The Dragons weren't that good, but Bordeleau had some flashy handles with the puck and always seemed to be able to find the open player by creating space from nothing.

"We want you to get that star-struck feeling out of your system before you actually play a game," the coach had explained as the team filed out onto the ice for their first practice of the tournament. "We're here to play hockey." Ana went through her routines to make the crease her own, shuffling from side to side and getting used to the feel of her pads on the ice again. They went through some drills and then faced off for a scrimmage, Ana in one goal and the team's other goalie in the other. While she was pretty clearly the better goalie and the team's starter, her counterpart would get to see some action as well and she really liked having a teammate who really got what it was like to be a goalie. It was a unique mindset that her teammates just didn't understand. Even in the unfamiliar environment, she just took a deep breath, shut out all the extra noise, and focused on the game. Ana's strength with the way her mind worked was that she could be a very analytical and smart goalie, knowing when to make certain decisions with the incoming puck to get the best outcome for her team.

The first game for her team was against a local club from Montreal, so Ana's team would be the "away" ones today. Even though early-tournament games usually didn't get much attention, there were some parents and curious viewers in the stands to support the other team, with the small handful of parents who had made the trip as chaperones dotting the stands behind their own bench. Being from Europe, some people seemed to be curious to see if the visitors were the real deal, but the coach was emphatic to tell his team to just treat it as another game. After the puck dropped, this advice proved to be pretty sound. The other team was pretty clearly still dazzled by the big rink and wasn't as quick to pucks as they could have been, and a couple minutes into the game Ana's team zipped a quick pass up the left side that would have been home free until the opposing defender had to trip the kid. The power play didn't take too long to bear fruit as a shot from the point rebounded to a friendly stick that whacked it in for the game's first goal, and the team never looked back. The Montreal team just took too long to get started and were down 3-0 with the first period over. Ana made a mistake in the second period when she overcommitted to a cross-ice pass and left the middle of the net open for a rebound that found the back of the net, but that would be it as they cruised to a 4-1 win in their first game.

"Good first game. The other team was slow off the blocks, but I liked the hustle right from the beginning. We've got at least another couple of games, and I think we can really make some noise here," the coach spoke after the game. Other than her one misjudgment, Ana was happy with how she'd played during this game in tracking the puck, and the bigger stage hadn't gotten to her yet. The rest of the day saw the team exploring the old town of central Quebec City and taking in the sights before returning to their billets for the evening. The next game would see the team's other goalie getting the nod to get everyone some experience, and Ana served as somewhat of an assistant goalie coach from the bench, watching the action and particularly the goaltending with her analytical mind to observe for adjustments. During the intermissions, she'd share her insights with her goaltending partner, a system the two of them had worked out over a while and that would be reciprocated when she had the net. The European team picked up a gritty 3-2 win against a tough American opponent behind an excellent performance from her goaltending partner, with his excellent saves helping to propel them to a strong position in their group. 

With one game left in the group stage, the team just had to get through the last game to be in good position for the elimination round. "This team's fighting just to get to the medal round, so you can't take them lightly," their coach had warned. Ana's goalie partner had started this game again since she was going to start in the medal round and they wanted to keep her fresh for those games. While he was holding the fort excellently again, the other team, a group from Ottawa, had gotten the luck of an absolutely brutal bounce off a stanchion springing a 2-on-1 that they took the lead on. Ana's team pulled even on the power play, but in the last minute of the second period a floater from the point had bounced off a defender and in for a 2-1 deficit after two periods. The coach tried to rally the team in the dressing room on the break. "You've still got this game. Few bad hops there are the difference, we'll get those back if we just keep pushing."

Ana crouched down in front of her goaltending partner, trying to help him clear those unlucky goals from his mind. "They had to get lucky to beat you there. That luck will come back your way and they won't be able to get past you again." She sometimes had trouble with knowing how to interact with her teammates and peers, but the language of hockey was something she could speak fluently. Heading back out for the third period, the team was newly energized and scored off the rush just a minute into the frame. They had seized the momentum now and never let it go, punching in a goal with five minutes left to go up by one and adding an insurance marker into the empty net. It hadn't been easy, but the Swedes were in the driver's seat going into the medal round.

Back between the pipes in the semifinal game, Ana was locked in and slammed the door on the lower-seeded Montreal team they'd faced in the first game, who'd regrouped and squeaked into the dance, with a decisive 2-0 win to get to the final. Now adapted to the pace of the tournament and the focus of the North American teams on screens and net-front play, she was tracking the puck like she knew she was capable of and swallowing up rebounds, leaving nothing for the Montreal players to get to. Ana's team would play in their division final tomorrow night, and the atmosphere there would be unlike anything else any of the kids had experienced before - thousands of spectators, player introductions, a camera crew from TVA, the works. A team from over the border in Buffalo would be their opponent and had similarly marched through an undefeated group stage and into the final, and this game promised to be one for the ages.

Ana went about her evening routine getting ready for bed, finally letting herself have the big dreams she'd been trying to keep grounded from. Her coaches had privately informed her before the medal round that there would probably be at least a few scouts and coaches from minor midget and SMJHL teams, trying to get a glimpse of the next great star, but they knew in doing this that Ana was good at compartmentalizing her thoughts - a perk of not thinking like other people who might have let it get to them - and wouldn't be too affected. Now, alone in her room, the goalie allowed herself a modicum of excitement. If her performance at this tournament ended up impressing the scouts, she might be able to come over to North America and start her career in a few years when she was old enough. She worried for a second on how a potential move would affect her schooling without the supports she'd found so helpful and her as-of-yet undetermined journey of discovering her identity, but those could be thoughts for what would happen after she got back to Europe. For now, she had a game to win.

~~~

The arena seemed to be shaking with energy as Ana and her team prepared for the game. The atmosphere was electric and the goalie tried to stay in the part of her mind that was impervious to all the outside noise, where she liked to go when things seemed overwhelming. The coaches made their final remarks before the team headed out for the introductions, Ana leading them in her familiar goalie gear. The bright lights flashed as she stepped out onto the ice ahead of her team, making her way straight to the crease and marking out her territory. The teams lined up for the pre-game introductions where she stole a glance across the rink at her counterpart. The Buffalo goalie pulled off their mask to face the other way, and for the first time Ana could see that her counterpart was also a girl. She smiled, looking forward to the competition and opportunity to test herself. Hearing her name over the intercom was a rush of energy, and she gave herself a moment to smile when they pronounced her and her teammate's names correctly.

When the puck dropped, it was immediately clear that both teams were more than a match for each other. Buffalo was immediately on the attack and Ana had to steer away a couple tough chances early on, but her cerebral nature as a player meant she was locked in on every shot and even at her young age could calculate the safest plays. As the minutes went on, her teammates got their legs under them and started putting more shots towards the opposing goal, but the Buffalo goalie rose to the challenge and turned those away as well. The game turned into a game of chicken between Ana and the opposing goalie, neither wanting to be the first one to make a mistake and put their team behind. Halfway through the second period, a Buffalo forward got behind his defender with the puck and fired off a shot that Ana just barely got a toe on; later, her teammates got a two-on-one the other way, but it ticked off the post. The two teams went to the dressing room after the second period with the score still deadlocked at 0-0, both goalies getting a standing ovation as they skated off the ice.

Coming back out for the third period, both teams doubled down even more on trying to get that critical first goal, and the risks of a team being caught out of position for a counterattack just increased. Ana was in the zone, seemingly unbeatable, but so was her counterpart, handling every shot that came each way with ease. With a minute left and overtime seeming inevitable, Buffalo started one last breakout from their zone and Ana steeled herself to turn this one away as well. The ice was bad this late in the game and when the Buffalo winger pulled the puck to their forehand crossing over the blueline, the puck flipped up on its end on the player's stick. The wrist shot was weak, something Ana could have turned away easily, but the moment it came off the stick she knew something was wrong: the rolling puck was a knuckler and she couldn't track it like she was normally so good at doing. Ana was uncharacteristically frozen as the puck died in the air and slipped under her blocker, hitting the back of the net. She slumped to the ice, face-down, and tried to block out the sound of the other team's celebrations. They'd come so far, and she'd faltered on a bad hop that she couldn't track.

Ana's team won the faceoff and she scrambled to the bench for an extra attacker, but in her heart she knew it was over. Buffalo's goalie was just too locked in, and indeed that's how the game ended as her team's last chance was blocked and cleared out of the zone. As the other team celebrated, she just skated over to the spot where that last knuckler had come from, staring at the ice as though she could turn back time, trying to hold back the tears of disappointment.

"Sorry, guys," Ana managed as her team skated over to her.

"None of that," one of the forwards said. "That puck would have gone by anybody." The goalie managed a nod as her team embraced her, before collecting themselves for the handshake line. The Buffalo player who'd scored the goal seemed almost apologetic, as though he knew he got incredibly lucky. Finally only the two goalies were left at centre ice, and the taller Buffalo netminder, who Ana had learned was named Grace, broke into a smile at seeing her counterpart. 

"Great work out there. You brought your best stuff and really pushed me, I haven't been that evenly matched in a while," Grace said effusively. "I mean it when I say there was absolutely nothing you could have done on that shot, those are just the breaks. Hope we could give you a good show for your first time over here." 

Ana could only smile and nod at her most extroverted opponent, mesmerized by her confidence and general antithesis to her entire personality. "Thanks, Grace. You did really well too." She winced internally at her simple response in broken English, but Grace just took it in stride and smiled back. The two goalies embraced and headed back to their sides, each with a newfound respect for the other. The medals and the trophy were handed out, and while they say silver is the worst medal to win it was a pretty sweet memento for an exhilarating adventure, and wherever Ana's hockey career ended up taking her, whether it was just through high school and college or back here to North America, she'd had that first taste of elite competition and wanted more of it wherever it took her.