A Golfer's Dream - Book Two Chilly Winter Hot Summer         Written by TheCaddy

Disclaimer: This story is entirely fiction. It does not relate to any real 
person, living or dead. Any similarity to a real person, whether living or dead,
is purely coincidental and completely unintended. While actual places are
occasionally mentioned in this story, such mention is not to be a basis for
conclusion that any part of this story is real, or ever happened.
The following story is a work of fiction containing graphic descriptions of
sexual acts between adults and minors. All of the sex depicted is consensual;
the author does not intend to promote incest or sexual relations with underage
children. The age of consent in Canada is currently fourteen. The story is
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Chapter One - A Fresh Start, with Icing

The first day of school was very much a huge re-union.  All of Dave's school 
friends had heard about his adventure in B.C. and wanted all the details directly 
from the source.  When Dave finally arrived home after his first day at school, 
he was exhausted.  He decided to lay down for a short nap before his first 
physiotherapy session that evening.

Physio, the insider's term for physiotherapy, went well that evening and Dave 
quickly realized that Randy Manning really knew his stuff.  Randy was a former 
trainer for one of the professional Canadian Football League teams and seemed to 
know everything there was about sports injuries and how to regain flexibility and 
strength.  Randy told Dave he couldn't start any strength training for two more 
weeks and couldn't engage in any major physical activity for at least four weeks.  
One of Randy's first procedures was to take all of Dave's measurements.  Dave 
knew he had grown over the summer because his shorts seemed to be getting shorter 
and shorter; but he hadn't worn long pants since the spring so he was shocked 
when he found out he had grown four more inches since the previous May.  Dave was 
now six foot three inches and one hundred and ninety-five pounds.

Dave also did a quick calendar calculation in his head and realized training camp 
for the midget AAA team started in just over two weeks then ran for two weeks 
leading up to tryouts.  He would only be able to get one or two practices in 
before tryouts.  He asked Randy about it and Randy said he would know better in 
three weeks but absolutely no training camp before then.

Edwardton has four levels of midget hockey for boys fifteen, sixteen, or 
seventeen years old.  The top level team is the major midget team which is chosen 
from the best players from all across the island.  There are currently two major 
midget teams representing the whole island; those teams play outside the island.  
The next level down is the AAA level.  It is a very competitive intra-island 
league with eight teams which play a seasonal schedule, then a play-off series to 
determine the championship.  The five larger urban towns and cities each have a 
team, while three rural areas have zone teams representing east, west, and 
central QAI.  

The next level is AA and almost all communities have a representative in this 
league; league size varies from year to year but is usually eighteen teams who 
play a rotation schedule of about thirty games each season.  The final level is 
the A level which is the house league level; these teams provide the basics for 
new and casual players.  These teams also play a regular season schedule in 
either the east or west division with the top three teams in each division 
advancing to a weekend tournament style playoff.  Most communities have one or 
more teams in this level and there are usually between twenty and thirty teams in 
total.

Dave had played on the AA team last year as a first year player.  He had almost 
made the AAA team but was a late cut.  This year he had hoped to play on the top 
level major midget team but now, because he had missed most of the tryouts which 
started in August, he hoped he would at least make the AAA team.

When Julie picked Dave up, he was very quiet.  She finally asked, "What's wrong, 
Dave?"

Dave looked at her sadly, "My therapist said I can't do any major physical 
activity for at least three weeks.  I'll probably miss most of the AAA training 
camp which means I will go into tryouts significantly out of shape and rusty.  
John has already survived the first two cuts on the major midget team and, from 
what my other hockey friends in school say, he is playing significantly better 
than last year and should make the team easily.  I know, if I had been healthy 
back in August when they started tryouts, I could have made it too.  Now I may 
have a hard time even making the AAA team.  I wonder if maybe I should just take 
the year off."

Dave slouched in his seat looking totally dejected.  Julie was confident Dave 
would make the AAA team and his idea of taking off a year was just an expression 
of depression.  He was one of the last cuts from the team the previous year as a 
first year midget.  Now he was a second year midget and was significantly bigger 
and stronger than a year ago.  

To change the subject slightly, Julie finally smiled at Dave and asked, "Is sex 
considered a physical activity?  Mom and Dad have gone out for the evening and 
Beth is at Cindy's; so, if you're up for it, I would like to use your assets for 
practice."

Dave returned the smile; he sat up straight as he thought about the fun they 
would have when they got home.

An hour later, Dave lay in his bed resting from his wonderful spirit-lifting 
session with Julie.  Her technique was definitely improving but Dave had, 
nevertheless, solemnly informed her she still needed more practice.  Dave then 
returned the oral favor and enjoyed licking and sucking Julie to a wonderful 
orgasm before they finished their session with some fantastic rubber-free 
screwing.  Dave thought he was getting spoiled not having to use a condom -- but 
he wasn't about to complain.  It was, indeed, a form of therapy.

The first week of the other therapy was hard and tiring as Randy continued to 
stretch and work Dave's injured muscles.

School was going well and Dave and John became more involved with the "in-crowd."  
Dave was enjoying making new friends.  He had previously always thought that most 
kids in this group were stuck-up snobs; but, as he got to know them, he learned a 
lot were just regular teens.  It struck Dave that he had been quick to assume 
everyone in that group was the same.  Dave's nemesis, Susie Gamble, the girl who 
had teased him about stuttering the previous year, stayed clear of him initially 
but, as Dave became more comfortable in the group, she slowly involved herself in 
more and more of his conversations.  By the end of the second school week, she 
was positioning herself beside Dave in any group conversations and was even 
sitting beside him in the cafeteria at lunch.  She was very beautiful and well-
groomed -- Dave didn't mind the attention but he fundamentally couldn't get her 
previous mean-spirited teasing of him out of his head.

Susie was definitely the leader of the girls' side of the "in-crowd".  Her family 
was very rich and she wore the fanciest and most expensive clothes.  All the 
other girls seemed to follow her lead on most subjects.  Dave tried to distance 
himself from her because he still didn't trust her.

After his second week of physio, Randy told Dave he needed to start strength 
training with Elliot MacEachern.  Elliot was a former Olympic Gold Medalist in 
the bobsled who started training athletes after he retired from that competition.  
Elliot was a hulk of a man with incredible upper body strength and matching leg 
strength.  Dave and Elliot set up a schedule to meet every Tuesday, Thursday, 
Saturday, and Sunday for four weeks.  After that, Dave would continue his own 
training program and would only meet with Elliot once a week.  Elliot told Dave 
he would like to see him gain fifteen additional muscle pounds to fill out his 
six foot three inch frame.  Elliot provided Dave with a high carb, high protein 
diet.

Elliot started Dave off fairly easy the first week; but, by the sixth session, 
Dave was leaving the gym at the university field house completely exhausted.  

Training camp for the midget AAA team was more than half finished when Randy 
finally approved Dave to start.  Dave was disappointed that there were only two 
final ice times left but vowed to make the most of them.

School continued to go well -- then Dave started to notice that a lot of his old 
friends had stopped waving to him and saying hi unless Dave specifically 
initiated it.  Dave was enjoying his new friends but was struggling with his new-
found popularity - was it real and how long would that last?  He was standing in 
the hall talking with several of his new friends when one of his old friends 
walked by.  Dave smiled at him and said "Hi."  The old friend returned the smile 
and nodded.  Suzie was beside Dave and she said, "Why do you continue to say hi 
to those geeks."

Dave just looked at her and directly answered her strange question, "Because he 
is a friend.  He may be a geek; but  we're all geeks in our own way, aren't we?"

Suzie was totally offended by being referred to as a possible geek, gave Dave a 
dirty look, and replied, "Please!"  She drew out the 'eeeeezzzzzz' then walked 
away in a huff with her entourage in tow.  Dave just decided to forget the whole 
episode and went to class.

The night before Dave's first hockey practice was his sixteenth birthday.  As was 
customary, the whole extended family was there.  Dave told his uncle Alan about 
not getting any ice time yet and how he was worried about getting into shape.  
Alan asked Dave if he were interested in practicing with the Junior A team if 
Alan could arrange it.  Dave was very excited when Alan explained the coach, Mike 
Stevens was an old hockey friend and he would call him immediately.  

The Junior A team is for all players twenty-one years old and younger.  QAI has 
two Junior A teams and usually only the best major midget graduates make this 
team.  The reason only a few Island midgets make the team is because the Maritime 
Junior loop uses players from all over the Maritimes and even some from Ontario.  
Therefore the Junior A teams on QAI would commonly only have six to ten players 
native to QAI on their team rosters.

Dave was bouncing off the walls with excitement when Alan returned from his phone 
call and told Dave he was approved to attend the next six Junior A practices.  
Alan gave him the dates and times.

The first after-school practice for the AAA team was very tiring and Dave lagged 
a bit lead-legged behind all the other skaters during the endurance drills.  One 
positive thing Dave did notice was that his shot seemed harder than last year and 
he seemed to be more focused and able to see the ice better during the short 
scrimmages they had.

Dave was sitting in the dressing room exhausted after practice.  He had his head 
leaning against the wall as he sucked in air.  He thought about the stinky, 
sweaty dressing room and how there was no way to describe the rank smell.  His 
whole body was throbbing as the blood rushed to every nerve and muscle.  Dave was 
slowly regaining his composure when one of the fifteen year old, first year 
midgets walked out of the shower bragging about how he had gotten laid the 
previous weekend.  Dave listened as the kid told his story and immediately picked 
up on some questionable details.  Dave thought about how, if it were the year 
before, when he was as sexually inexperienced as most of his teammates, he would 
have been hanging off every word this kid was saying.  Dave now knew better and 
just laughed to himself as the other players took in and believed every real and 
mythical thing the kid said.

Dave ate a good supper, rested for an hour, then went to the gym to train with 
Elliot.  

Dave went for his driver's license practical examination the next day and, 
happily, he passed.  He immediately thought about going to visit Jennifer -- but 
his father said he needed a little more driving experience before venturing that 
far.  

The day after getting his license, Dave pulled into the school's student parking 
lot.  He was filled with the pride of being a new driver.  His new friends 
quickly surrounded his car and congratulated him.  One of his old friends walked 
over and shook his hand but, noticing he was receiving a very cold reception from 
Suzie, he made a hasty retreat.  As soon as he left, Suzie said, "That geek is 
such a loser."

Dave turned to Suzie, "No, Suzie, sorry to be blunt, but you're the loser.  I'm 
tired of you shooting down my friends.  I happen to like Mark - he's a nice guy.  
I'm tired of your righteous bullshit.  Why don't you leave."

Suzie gave Dave a glaring look and spoke as she turned, "Well I never ...."

Dave cut in before she could finish, "And you're such a cold bitch, you probably 
never will."

Dave noticed several of the girls and guys kind of snicker at his comment but 
then Suzie said, "Let's leave this stuttering asshole to play with his car."

Dave was only mildly pissed about the stuttering comment and replied, "Thank you, 
your highness, for gracing the peasants with your presence.  You may now return 
to your tower."

Suzie turned and glared at Dave before she stormed into the school.  A lot of his 
old friends had been around the parking lot and heard the whole incident.  
Several walked over to him and shook his hand.  Mark walked over and said, "I was 
waiting for you to blow her off.  I knew you wouldn't put up with her snobby 
bullshit for long.  Good job, dude."

Dave's life quickly fell into a routine of school, hockey, and working out.  The 
practice time with the junior team improved his conditioning and, when the last 
practice was over, the coach told Dave he was welcome to come out anytime and 
practice with them.  He further asked whether, if he were sometime to be short a 
player, could he call on Dave to fill in.  Dave was both shocked and 
extraordinarily pleased by the offer and quickly agreed.  

As he fell asleep some nights, Dave would think about Jennifer but he was 
surprised that he didn't think about her more.  He realized that he was so busy 
that he didn't have time to think about their summer together.  He continued 
regular therapy sessions with Julie but that came to an end in mid October when 
she found a new boyfriend.

By the third week of October, Dave had made the AAA team and, as his conditioning 
and strength increased, so did his on-ice production.  By the end of October, 
Dave was by far the most dominant player on his team; he was scoring two or three 
goals every game and setting up several more.  The coach had made him captain and 
all the players looked up to him for leadership.  Dave wondered where this new-
found hockey talent came from and asked his father.  Roger quickly replied, 
"Dave, you have always been one of the more talented players on your team; but 
you were never driven enough to show it.  I think your new-found confidence and 
ability to focus, probably from playing competitive golf, have allowed your 
hockey talent to flourish."  Dave just nodded concurrence.

The major midget team also called Dave up for a game with them; Dave scored two 
goals and had an assist with that team as well.  Dave enjoyed playing with John 
and the two friends combined to make a very powerful line - John at centre and 
Dave on either wing worked well.  The third forward could be almost anyone as 
long as they could follow John and Dave's lead.

Dave finally had a weekend off hockey in November and asked his father if he 
could go to Charlestown to visit Jennifer.  Roger, having seen Dave become a good 
driver, agreed and Carol gave him her cell phone in case he needed to call.  Dave 
called Jennifer and she asked her parents if he could stay at their house.  Ron 
and Heather said he would be very welcome; so, as soon as school finished on 
Friday, Dave left for New Dominion.

The two hour drive passed quickly and Dave soon pulled into Jennifer's driveway.  
Jennifer ran out to meet Dave and they kissed tenderly.  Dave thought he noticed 
a difference in Jennifer but didn't say anything; he thought it was mainly due to 
the time they had spent apart.  He ate supper with Jennifer, Heather, and Ron 
before he and Jennifer went out for the evening.  

They drove around Charlestown as Dave brought Jennifer up-to-date on his hockey.  
It had been almost a month since they talked on the phone so he told her about 
playing the one game with the major midget team and John and how he had played 
really well.  He explained that the AAA team selected him to be captain and that 
he enjoyed being the leader on and off the ice.  Jennifer told Dave about her 
friends and what she had been doing all fall.  Dave noticed Jennifer didn't 
mention Ann so he asked, "Don't you hang around with Ann anymore?"

Jennifer looked seriously at Dave, "No, she moved, again.  I thought you knew.  
Her parents decided to try and reconcile one more time so they moved to Calgary, 
Alberta.  Do you miss her?"

Dave smiled back, "No, I don't miss her at all -- but I was curious if you two 
would remain friends."

Jennifer looked at her hands as she spoke, "We talked a little before she left 
and she has called me twice since she moved; but it hasn't been the same since 
the summer."

As Dave was driving along he noticed the Dairy Queen where he had taken Ann and 
started to pull in when Jennifer looked at him surprised, "Where are you going?"

Dave replied, "This is where your friends hang out, isn't it?  Let's go see if 
anyone is here."

Dave was surprised to see her start to protest then stop and just say, "Okay, if 
you want."  He missed the clue and just proceeded to park the car.

When they walked in, Dave immediately recognized a few of the Jennifer's friends 
he met the previous summer.  He was again surprised when they seemed kind of cold 
to him.  He had never considered that Ann would have also influenced them against 
him but he quickly realized that he was not very welcome.  He was sitting beside 
Jennifer finishing a sundae when an unfamiliar guy walked in, put his arms around 
Jennifer, then kissed her cheek.  Jennifer turned red with embarrassment then 
introduced him and Dave, "Alex, this is Dave.  Dave, Alex."

Dave stood and put out his hand to shake with Alex; but Alex rudely kept his 
hands on his hips, looked at Dave, laughed, then said, "So the knight has come to 
visit his princess.  Or is that his mistress -- because his princess is in 
England, isn't she?"

Jennifer immediately stood, "Stop it, Alex.  He is just here to visit me; don't 
make a scene."

Dave was immediately pissed off by both the kiss and the mocking comments; he 
spoke sternly to Alex, "What's your problem."  Dave had always been fairly calm 
and cool in this type of mean-spirited situation but seeing a stranger kiss his 
girlfriend had upset him.  Dave quickly understood there were things going on 
which could turn unpleasant; he said to Jennifer, "Let's go; he seems to have a 
problem."

Alex walked up very close to Dave; Alex was slightly shorter than Dave but that 
didn't seem to bother him as he glared up into Dave's eyes.   "My problem is you, 
you arrogant prick.  You seem to think you can walk into this city and steal our 
women's hearts, treat them like shit, and then ride into the sunset."

Dave looked steadily at Alex and spoke in an even tone, "Maybe if you knew how to 
treat a lady, you wouldn't have to go home and whack off every night to pictures 
on the internet."

Alex tried to give Dave a shove and seemed surprised when Dave did not budge.  
Then Dave pushed him away before Jennifer and some of her friends jumped between 
the two angry teens.  Jennifer said, "Let's go, Dave."

Alex glared at Dave and said, "She just saved your ass."  Dave just shook his 
head and walked out of the Dairy Queen backwards, never taking his eyes off Alex.  

When Jennifer got in the car she tore a strip off him, "Why did you act like that 
in front of my friends?"

Dave looked at Jennifer puzzled, "What do you mean, me?  He started it; and what 
was that bit where he kissed your check?"

Jennifer started to scream at Dave, "What do you want me to say?  That I'm going 
out with him?  Well, I am.  We started dating a week ago.  We haven't been 
intimate yet but I'm sure that will happen soon."

Dave looked at her, stunned by what she said.  He started to speak but didn't 
know what to say; so he just shut his mouth and stared out the windshield.  He 
finally came out of his daze and said, "Did you plan on telling me or was I 
supposed to just stupidly wait all fucking winter for you?"

Jennifer glared at Dave, "Take me home, NOW!"

Dave started up the car and drove to Jennifer's house.  The five minute drive 
passed quickly and Dave was still pissed when he arrived.  He followed Jennifer 
into the house, got his overnight bag, then headed for the door.  Heather and Ron 
knew something was wrong and tried to convince him to stay the night -- but he 
was having no part of that.  He thanked them for their concern and left.

The drive back to the Island seemed to be a lot longer than the drive over.  Dave 
thought about everything that happened but couldn't figure out what caused 
Jennifer to turn on him.  Was she mad because he only called her three times 
since the summer ended?  She herself had only called him once, so that couldn't 
be it.  

When Dave finally arrived home, his mom was waiting for him on the back deck.  He 
walked around the house and jumped in fright when his mom surprised him as she 
asked if he was okay.

He sat down beside her, told her the whole story, then added, "I don't have a 
clue what happened.  I had noticed she seemed different when I first arrived but 
then we were having such a good time together right up until we met her friends."

Carol held Dave's hands and spoke softly, "Heather called and told me you were on 
the way home.  We had a chance to talk and she explained that Jennifer has been 
having some kind of trouble in school.  Heather and Ron don't know all the 
details  -- but the first month Jennifer was home she was very, very unhappy.  
She had gotten better the last couple of weeks but they don't really know why 
that was either.  They suspect it all has something to do with Ann but that's 
just speculation."

Dave starred at his mother and just shrugged his shoulders, "What I am I supposed 
to do?"

Carol replied, "Give her some time; then try talking to her."  Carol kissed Dave 
on the cheek then stood and led him into the house.  She asked, "Do you want some 
hot chocolate?"

Dave nodded and sat at the breakfast nook watching his mother.  He was thinking 
about Jennifer and how much he loved her but he also realized that remaining true 
to someone so far away was a huge challenge.  Maybe breaking up would be for the 
best.  He and his mother sipped their hot chocolate; then Dave went to bed.  He 
tossed and turned thinking about his last summertime week with Jennifer at the 
campground; unpleasant images of Alex being intimate with Jennifer added to his 
sleepless turmoil.  He decided he would call her on Sunday and apologize.  He 
wasn't sure if he really was the one to apologize but it would hopefully start a 
conversation and maybe calm things down.

Dave slept in the next morning and looked forward to his day off.  His only plans 
were to workout later in the afternoon.  The phone rang just before noon and the 
coach of the major midget team asked him if he wanted to play that afternoon on 
short notice to replace an injured player.  Dave asked if the coach had asked his 
AAA midget coach for approval and, when he heard it was pre-approved, he said 
yes.

Dave arrived at the rink an hour and half before game time.  They were playing 
the team from Charlestown, where Dave had just driven to see Jennifer.  The major 
midget league consisted of two teams from QAI and four teams from New Dominion.  
Dave and John had some time to talk and Dave told John all about his visit to see 
Jennifer.  John didn't know what to tell his friend except to give Jennifer some 
time and maybe she would make things clearer.

Dave was really psyched for the game and, after a brisk warm-up, the whole team 
was ready to go.  Dave was on the same line with John again and they seemed to 
know exactly where each was on the ice.  They made passes to each other that no 
one saw coming and had four good scoring chances in the first two shifts but were 
thwarted by superb goaltending each time.  On the third shift, Dave was skating 
up the wing when he felt a stick slam unexpectedly across his leg.  He went down 
holding his calve in pain.  As he lay on the ice, a Charlestown player stood over 
him, "There's no one here to save your ass now, asshole.  How does my lumber 
feel?"

A linesman pulled Alex away from Dave and escorted him to the penalty box to 
serve his two-minute slashing penalty.  The team trainer rushed to Dave, but Dave 
stood up and waved him off as he made his way back to the bench.  Luckily, Dave's 
shin pad had taken part of the blow but Dave knew there would still be a huge 
bruise.  Dave rested for a minute before the coach came over, "You okay, 
MacDonald?"  Dave nodded.  "Good; then go make that idiot pay for his dumb 
penalty."

The coach called a player off the ice and Dave jumped on.  John passed Dave the 
puck and Dave tried to break around the defenseman.  He was angled into the 
corner where the opposing defenseman fought with him for the puck.  Dave pushed 
the puck along the boards to John then skated around the defenseman and looked at 
the zone setup.  As expected, the Charlestown penalty-killers were playing an 
aggressive rotating box.  

Dave cycled back to the sideboards and called for John to pass him the puck.  
John dropped it back to him from the corner then John moved half way towards the 
net before stopping and waiting for Dave's next move.  As the opposing defenseman 
turned from John and skated toward Dave, Dave quickly passed back to John then 
moved through the middle of the box towards the goal.  Dave watched his left 
winger move to the high slot to draw the other opposing defenseman away from the 
front of the net.  John knew what Dave was planning and passed the puck right on 
the tape of Dave's stick.  Dave continued towards the net as the box tried to 
collapse and cover him.  Dave had a tough angle and doubted he could beat this 
goalie from here.  He pulled back his stick and started down with a hard snap 
shot.  The goalie squared up trying to cover the whole net.  Dave paused as he 
reached the bottom of his shot and suddenly passed the puck across the top of the 
goalie crease to his wide open teammate who had swooped in from his defense 
position.  The teammate tapped the easy pass into the wide open net then threw 
his hands up to celebrate.

The Islanders were leading one to nothing and the players on the ice celebrated.  
As Dave was skating back to the bench, Alex was getting out of the penalty box.  
Dave yelled, "Thanks for the goal, Asshole."

Alex yelled back, "You're dead, MacDonald!"  Dave just smiled at him as he 
continued to his player's bench; Alex clearly had a very limited range of on-ice 
insults.  

Dave and John sat down for a rest and watched as Alex wreaked havoc on the ice.  
John asked Dave what was going on between him and Alex; Dave explained that Alex 
was, coincidentally, Jennifer's new boyfriend.  Meanwhile, on the ice, Alex was 
running and charging at everything that moved.  Both John and Dave noticed a 
swing in the momentum of the game as the Charlestown team started to get scoring 
chance after scoring chance while the home-ice Islanders could barely get the 
puck over the centre red line.  Luckily Craig, the Islanders goalie was playing 
really well and kept the score at one-nothing.  Dave and John had two more good 
shifts and created the few shots-on-goal the Islanders had during the rest of the 
first period.  

In the dressing room, as the ice was being resurfaced by the Zamboni, all the 
players were talking about Alex and how they had to keep an eye out for him.  
Dave and John chatted in the corner and came up with their own little thoughts on 
how to look after Alex.  They drew their right-side defenseman into the 
conversation and soon had a solid plan.  The coach gave the usual pep talk as the 
players ate sliced-up oranges.  When the ice was finished, the team streamed out 
of the dressing room behind Craig.  Dave immediately noticed Alex smiling and 
sneering at him as they skated around the ice warming up.

Dave and John's line started the second period against Alex's line.  As the two 
teams lined up for the face-off, Dave took another slash from Alex - no penalty 
was called this time.  John won the draw, and pushed the puck back to his left-
side defenseman.  The defenseman fought his way over the centre ice line and 
dumped the puck into the opposing teams end.  John immediately yelled to the 
other defenseman to do their planned switch.  The defenseman moved into the 
offensive zone and applied contained pressure to move the puck up the boards on 
the opposite side of Dave and Alex.  

The Charlestown team liked to move the puck to the winger on the boards then make 
a quick outlet pass to the team's centre-man who would break out ten feet ahead 
and ten feet beside the winger on the boards.  If the centre-man became pressured 
by the opposing defenseman, he would make a quick, cross-ice pass to the wide 
weak-side winger who was also breaking over the blue line.  

Dave and John had observed this breakout in the first period and both were 
circling at centre ice waiting for Alex to receive the pass.  The Islanders' 
coach was yelling blue murder at his defenseman, apparently caught out of 
position in the opposing zone.  Dave was skating just a few feet behind John when 
they both spotted the opposing centre receive the puck.  They hesitated one 
second to allow the play to develop, then both skated in a bee line towards Alex.  

Alex received the cross ice pass from his centre-man, looked up, and saw John 
barreling towards him.  He cut towards the centre of the ice and smoothly avoided 
John's anticipated shoulder check; but, instead of seeing open ice beyond John, 
as he had expected, he saw a blur of white racing towards him and closing 
unavoidably.  He had all his weight on his right leg from his pivot to avoid John 
and knew he could not move in time to avoid the onrushing player.  

Dave had been trailing John and, as John moved slightly towards the boards to 
give Alex a small Trojan Horse opening, Dave saw Alex take the bait and cut to 
the center.  Dave was in full flight and was overjoyed when he saw the shocked 
look on Alex's face as he turned his upper body at the last second and drove his 
shoulder hard into Alex's chest.  Because of Dave's height, the top of his 
shoulder pads connected with Alex's chin where his facemask touched his face.  
Dave heard a huge "Uunnnngh!" as they collided.  Alex went down to the ice hard.  
Dave stood over him and wanted to repeat Alex's earlier taunt, "Jennifer's not 
here to save your ass now, Asshole!"  But it was pointless.  Dave looked down at 
Alex and saw his eyes were closed -- he was out cold.  

Dave had just turned and taken control of the puck when he heard the referee's 
whistle blow.  A trainer for the Charlestown team ran onto the ice and the whole 
team surrounded Alex, shocked by the huge hit.  Dave and John skated over to 
their bench and received a hero's welcome as players patted them on the shoulders 
congratulating them for nailing the obvious goon for the other team.  Dave was 
initially worried by Alex's unconscious body; but, after a minute, Alex moved his 
legs and Dave sighed in relief.  He had wanted to send Alex a message but he 
didn't want to kill him.  Dave was surprised that he didn't get a charging 
penalty but he assumed the referee allowed the hit to go unpunished as Alex had 
taken several similar un-penalized runs at Islander players in the first period.

Alex was helped off the ice and into the dressing room.  He didn't return for the 
rest of the game.  After the huge hit on Alex, the momentum of the game swung 
totally back in favour of the Islanders and they cruised to an easy three-nothing 
win.  Charlestown's fantastic goalie was the only reason the score wasn't ten-
nothing.

In the post-game talk, the coach congratulated Dave and John for their excellent 
team work and congratulated the whole team for big win.  After he finished 
speaking to the team, the coach walked over to Dave and asked to see him before 
he left.  The team hooted and hollered in celebration as they showered and 
changed.  

Dave was pulling on his socks as he thought about the wonderful differences 
between golf and hockey.  Golf was so quiet and focused; it is based on 
concentration and consistency.  One of the most important parts of golf was to 
keep your emotions under control.  In hockey, shared emotion is what feeds the 
team.  Loud, screaming excitement energizes the team to a new level.  Dave was 
zippering his hockey bag as a whiff of air from his stinky, sweaty gear filled 
his lungs.  Dave's next thought was how the fresh air of the golf course was much 
more appealing then the aromas that filled the dressing room.

Several teammates patted Dave on the shoulder as he exited the dressing room and 
went looking for the coach.  Dave found him standing in a quiet alleyway, talking 
to one of his assistants.  Dave walked up to them and said, "Hi, coach; what can 
I do for you?"

The two coaches turned and faced him, "What can you do for us?  You can come play 
for us the rest of the season.  That is what you can do for us.  You played one 
hell of a game today, son; in a very short time you and John have become the 
scoring and inspirational leaders of this team.  I wish you could have made the 
tryouts last August because this team could really use you.  Will you please 
consider playing with us for the rest of the year?"

Dave was shocked and excited.  He really wanted to play with John -- and playing 
for the major midget team would be the best.  He was about to say yes when the 
coach continued, "I don't want you to answer right now.  You should go home and 
talk to your parents.  You will still have to pay a significant portion of the 
$2,000 registration fee -- so you better include them in your decision."  Players 
were asked to pay the fees in order to cover the travel and hotel costs of the 
numerous out of province games.

Dave thanked the coaches and exited the rink.  He stood beside his, actually his 
mother's, car waiting for John.  John soon walked out and asked Dave what the 
coaches wanted.  Dave explained the offer and John jumped with joy at the 
thoughts of them being re-united for the season.  John said, "I know your dad 
will find the money for registration; so we should be playing together again, 
excellent!"

The drive home passed quickly and Dave was still very excited when he entered the 
house.  His whole family was waiting and congratulated him on the game.  Dave had 
almost forgotten he had seen them in the stands watching; he smiled and thanked 
them.  Roger said, "You set up two beautiful goals and you sure laid out their 
goon." 

Carol hit Roger on the shoulder, "Roger, he could have hurt that boy.  We didn't 
see him play again.  I hope he's not hurt too bad."

Dave looked at his mother, "I hope the asshole never plays again."

Carol glared at Dave for his anger and intensity, "That's not very nice; you 
don't even know him."

Dave retorted, "Oh, I know him alright.  He's Jennifer's new boyfriend."  

Carol, Roger, and Julie all looked at Dave in surprise.  Beth would have looked 
surprised as well but she had gone to phone a friend.  As his family stared at 
him, Dave changed the subject, "Dad, the coach asked me to play with the major 
midgets for the rest of the year.  The registration is pretty expensive -- but I 
was wondering if I could play?"

Roger shook his head to clear his thoughts; he looked at Dave and considered the 
request.  Roger knew the cost because he had talked to John's father when John 
made the team.  He wasn't worried about the money as much as Dave abandoning his 
old team.  He finally looked Dave in the eyes and said, "Son, it is your decision 
-- but I want you to think about it before you decide.  Consider the effect on 
your AAA team.  You are their captain and leader.  You accepted that 
responsibility and those players look up to you as well."

Dave lowered his head and, for the first time, really thought about his AAA team.  
They were in first place in their league and Dave knew it was mostly because of 
him.  Dave looked up at his father and replied, "You're right; I better think 
about it a little more."

Dave went to his room and thought about his decision.  He jumped from going to 
the new team to staying with the old team and back several times.  After an hour 
of undecided debate he heard the phone ring.  His mother called him and he picked 
up the receiver and heard John say, "Coming out tonight, dude?"

Dave replied, "Sure, can you pick me up?"

John replied, "I'm on my way."

Dave and John had a great night cruising around town.  Dave had run into players 
from both his AAA team and the major team.  Both sets of players pleaded their 
case for him to play on their respective teams.  When John eventually dropped him 
off, Dave was happily tired and, even with the tough decision he had to make, he 
was the happiest he had been since the end of the summer.  It was certainly 
wonderful being wanted and respected.  He fell asleep still debating which team 
to play with.

In the morning Dave had made his decision.  In the end he couldn't abandon his 
AAA team, so he would finish the year with them.  He called the coach of the 
major team and told him his decision and his reason.  The coach appreciated 
Dave's dedication to his AAA team and said it showed how much of a leader he had 
become.  He asked Dave if he would continue to play fill-in duty for the major 
team.  Dave agreed as along as it didn't conflict with his AAA games and those 
coaches approved.

The next call Dave made was the hardest call he had ever made.  He phoned 
Jennifer.  Dave did not really know what would happen on the call or how to go 
about engaging her; but he knew they had to reach some decision together.  After 
a short discussion with her mother, Heather, Dave heard Jennifer say hello.

Dave said, "Hi, Jennifer I wanted to call and talk about what happened on 
Friday."

Jennifer immediately went on the attack, "Did you call to gloat about putting 
Alex out of hockey for a month?  You gave him a grade two concussion."

Dave replied, "I didn't call about that; but, you should know, he sure didn't 
seem to mind breaking his stick over my leg."  Dave heard Jennifer sniff at him 
then he refocused on what he originally called for.  He paused for a moment then 
continued in a soft tone, "Jennifer, I didn't call about him.  I called because 
I'm concerned about you and about us.  I'm sorry about what happened Friday, 
Jennifer.  I love you.  What have I done to make you suddenly hate me?"

Dave heard a long pause on the other end but patiently waited to hear her reply.  
After what seemed like minutes she started to cry and told Dave the whole story 
punctuated with tiny sobs, "Oh, Dave, I don't hate you.  I do love you; but 
things have changed, drastically.  When I returned from QAI, all my friends had 
heard Ann's twisted side of what happened.  When I tried to convince them that 
everything she had said was a lie, they said that you clouded my judgment again.  
Ann convinced all of them that you are somehow evil.  That is why I didn't want 
us to go into Dairy Queen.  I was afraid that some ugly thing would happen.  A 
month ago my friends almost disowned me because I wouldn't let them talk bad 
about you so I finally had to stop defending you or risk losing all my friends."

Jennifer started to cry louder, "I love you, Dave -- but you are so far away and 
I have to live here.  I need my friends.  I'm sorry, I was going to tell you 
about dating Alex -- but I just didn't know how."

Dave felt a little better as he finally understood what she had gone through.  He 
replied, "I love you too and I kind of know how you feel.  It's hard being away 
from you, too.  I guess the best thing to do is break up -- temporarily -- for 
the winter.  That will give you, and me, some breathing room and freedom to live 
where we find ourselves.  If we are both available next summer, then maybe we can 
get back together.  How does that sound?"

Jennifer sniffled and she seemed to regain her composure. "That sounds good, 
Dave.  I do love and miss you -- but things are so complicated right now that I 
need some time -- time without feeling guilty about you.  I'm sorry.  I'll talk 
to you later."

Dave replied, "I will always love you, Jennifer.  You are my best friend and 
nothing will ever change that.  Call me anytime; I want to hear your voice.  
Goodbye."

To be continued .....