Today was the first step towards a dream that I have had since I was young.  My first professional start and it couldn’t have gotten off on the wrong foot in any more of a spectacular fashion.  As I came out, I was given the rookie lap treatment as everyone stayed at the bench as I made my way around the rink with no one else.  They all laughed as they jumped out as I finished the first lap by myself.  A little ribbing is fun for a team, and I figured it was coming.
 
I went through my normal warm-ups and stretches and waited for the national anthem to begin.  I stood by the goal, just staring up at the flag trying to take my mind off what is about to begin.  I do this so I don’t get to nervous before the game begins.  After the anthem is over, I skate into the crease and bang my stick on both sides of the net multiple times.
 
The puck drops and the game begins.  The beginning of the game and most of the action is on the other end of the ice, I keep attention as I wait for my turn.  Finally, my first shot against and I block Dwight Knights shot.  My first shot against and it was a save.  The first thing is passed, and I calm down some as I feel that I can do this.
 
After a couple of more saves, there are is a lot of play in our end and then the first shot by Rinako Yukikami sails past me and into the net.  It was a very tough shot and I couldn’t reach it to stop it.  I feel like I let my guys down, I should be better than that.  A couple of minutes later and I get deked out by Jimmy Wagner.  I am just left sprawled on the ice as he made a move that left me open and out of position and he scores against me.  The fans start to boo, and I know that those boos are for me. 
 
My head is down as I am getting myself up.  Danny Marston comes over to me as I am standing, and he smacks his stick against my pads.  He tells me that the team has my back and that they are still going to win this game and that the team believes in me.  When I look over at the bench, I see the guys smacking there sticks against the boards to give me supports.  It helps.  I can focus better, even though I have given up two goals on five shots in the first eight minutes of action.  I know that I am better than this, and I bunker down and get ready for the action to resume.
 
Once the game restarts, the action moves back into our offensive end and we get a goal from Eric Hudson.  Now that the opposing goalie has given up a goal, I get a little relaxed.  The team really picked it up as they took the game to Carolina and at the end of the first, the score was the same and we have had a lot more shots on goal than the opposition.  The four additional shots that had come I saved and going into the locker room at the end of the first, I was ready and confident in my abilities.
 
In the locker room, Elizabeth Doyle comes up to me and gives me some advice.  She noticed some things that I was doing and helped me not get out of position as much and gave me some pointers on where I should set-up.  With that pep talk over and the game restarts.  On the ice, the game continues, and we are down in the offensive end for about the first eight minutes of the second period and I don’t have any shots against me.  We get two goals to take a four to two lead in the game, and then the unfortunate thing happens.  I give up a rebound right onto the stick of the opposition and he scores in the open net.  As the puck is sitting there, I grab my stick and smack the puck down the ice.  I am now pissed.  I can’t believe my first game and I am playing like I haven’t been in net before.  Letting rebounds just sit out there and not being able to control the puck.  That was not like me, and that was the end of it.  I wasn’t going to let in another goal no matter what I had to do.  Before the second period ends, we have scored four more goals and take a seven to three lead into the second intermission.
 
I now have stopped seven straight shots since the last goal as we start the third period.  The last period I saw a lot of action and saved 14 shots and did not let in another goal.  I got more and more confident as the game went on and showed myself that I can compete at this level and got my first professional win.  Even though it was pre-season, it still is important and the first step on my way to winning a championship.  It will take a long time, but it always starts with a step.


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