There I was, walking into the cold, pressure-filled arena where we were about to face our rivals for the state championship. With their blue and white uniforms, the Huskies were big and they were mean. But, they didn’t know what they were in for. They weren’t going down without a fight and neither were we. We stepped onto that ice wearing our home colors proudly while listening to the crowd cheering our name. Warm-ups were about to end and the game was about to begin and all I could think to myself was, “We made it this far, we’re not giving up now.”

Before the first period started, we were all gathered by the home team’s bench, hyping everybody up for the game. The only thing that the coaches had to say to us was, “Hey, we are in the state championship, win or lose, we are very proud of each and every single one of you. So just have fun out there and try the very best you can.” The Huskies came on strong, they were fast and they were aggressive and they knew how to get in people’s heads during a game. But, we weren’t going to let that stop us from trying our hardest, harder than we ever have before. With just two minutes left in the first period, the Huskies scored but we weren’t giving up, not for one second.

After the first period ended, our team had a little pep-talk at the bench and after that, we went into the second period so much harder and faster than the first. But, the Huskies also came on so much stronger than they already had been in the first period. They started playing dirty and aggressively because they knew that we weren’t going to give up, we were playing at their level. Down by only one goal, we scored to tie it all up, one to one. The other team was furious, so furious that they started yelling at their teammates and falling apart as a team. By the end of the second period, the game was still tied up leaving the Huskies furious and us feeling more pressured and nervous than ever before.

As we walked into the locker room for our little team discussion, everyone was quiet and had nothing to say. Finally, someone spoke up and said, “We’re playing amazing, we can’t give up now just because it’s Owatonna and they’re our rivals. So let’s keep our heads up and not let them get into our heads.” Then, someone else said, “She’s right, we can’t be like them and bring each other down, instead let’s pick each other up and go out there and play our hearts out.” The coach walked in and she said that she heard our conversation and said that she agrees with us. She then said, “This is your game, this is your time, this is your moment, so seize this moment and have fun doing what you love, because you all have the potential to beat this team and bring that trophy home. Sure they’ve won against us every time we’ve played them, but not a single one of you has ever let up on this team, you always play your hardest because I know that you want to beat this team, I do too. So, go out there and show them what the Cannon River Royals are made of.”

So, after the amazing speech, we all went into the third and final period stronger and more confident than ever. I wasn’t giving up, not now, not ever. Sure, they are big and they are mean and dirty, but that doesn’t stop me from playing the sport that I love the most. As I could hear the crowd cheering our name, I thought to myself, “We can do this, we just have to believe in ourselves and not let up like our coach said.” Halfway into the third period, it was still tied up and I was not about to give up, there were still eight minutes left in the period. With just two minutes left in the period, the Huskies scored one more goal putting them in the lead, two to one. The final buzzer has made its loud, obnoxious sound and the Owatonna Huskies have won the championship by just one point.

Even though we didn’t win like we said we would, we still had fun and never gave up for one second. We started the fight and they finished it, they finished it proudly. Life can be so cruel sometimes that it’ll hit me in the face and I wouldn’t even realize it at times, like a bully. But, I would never let that bully ruin what I love to do the most. So, that night, while walking out of the cold, pressure-filled arena, I thought, “There is no reason why anybody should be mad right now. Sure we didn’t win like we hoped, but that doesn’t mean that we should give up on ourselves.” Nobody should ever give up on themselves because they think they didn’t do very well or didn’t play their hardest, they should always hold their head high and be proud of how they did. After I got home that night, I realized that no matter what happens in life, I will never give up on trying my best and not let anything get in the way of what I love to do the most.