Penalty Shot by Matt Christopher Page A

later sent it sailing into
     the goal!
    Sticks waving madly in the air and cheers erupting from their throats, the Blades crowded around Jeff to congratulate him.
     Then they quickly got into position for the next face-off.
    Jeff turned his head slightly as he waited for the whistle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kevin give him a thumbs-up
     sign.
    Jeff knew that even if the Blades didn’t win the game, he was going to go home happy.
    When the ref took position for the drop, Jeff couldn’t control himself.
    “Let’s go, you guys!” he yelled. “Let’s show ’em who’s boss!”
    “Heads-up playing!” Kevin joined in.
    “Dig in!” echoed Shep.
    The whistle blew. The puck dropped. Bucky missed it this time, but Shep acted quickly and intercepted a pass the Jets center
     tried to make to his wing. Shep skated forward a few feet and passed to Chad.
    Chad took long, smooth strokes, carefully controlling his speed and the puck. It seemed as though he were taking his time,
     that he didn’t really care if he brought the puck into scoring position or not.
    But his lazy attitude was deceptive. When a Jets defenseman attacked, Chad made a sharp lateral move. The Jets player had
     so much forward momentum that he rocketed right into the boards behind Chad.
    Chad skated calmly forward a few more feet, heading straight toward Bucky.
    Jeff knew what was coming. And sure enough, no more than six feet in front of the goal, Chad and Bucky passed each other almost
     shoulder to shoulder. The puck slipped from Chad’s stick to Bucky’s. Bucky took up the left-wing position while Chad, pretending
     to have the puck still, stopped abruptly as if he were about to shoot.
    The Jets were fooled for no more than a second. It was long enough for Bucky to sneak into position for a shot on goal. But
     his attempt failed when the puck ricocheted off the goalie’s pads and onto the waiting Jets stick.
    Back and forth the play went. By the end of the first period, the shots-on-goal statistics showed that both teams had had
     many chances to score. But the board still read Blades 1, Jets 0.
    At the start of the second period, Coach Wallace subbed in a few players. Jeff andBucky came out. Sam and the second-string center went in.
    Bucky moved close to Hayes on the bench.
    “Listen, little brother,” he said. “I hope you can follow Jeff’s lead and forgive me.”
    Hayes stared at his brother.
    “For razzing you so hard the beginning of the season,” Bucky continued. “I think maybe it had something to do with what you
     did, huh?”
    Hayes shrugged. “Maybe a little,” he said. “But no one can take the blame for what I did but me. And at least I’m still part
     of the team. Sam and Jeff just better look out next year, that’s all!”
    Jeff grinned at him. “I’ll give you a run for your money, just you wait,” he promised. “Now let’s stop all this true-confessions
     stuff. We’ve got a game out there to win!”

The #1 Sports Series for Kids
MATT CHRISTOPHER ®
Read them all!
Baseball Pals
Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround
Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts
Face-Off
Body Check
Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass!
Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm
Football Nightmare
Catching Waves
The Fox Steals Home
Center Court Sting
Goalkeeper in Charge
Centerfield Ballhawk
The Great Quarterback Switch
Challenge at Second Base
Halfback Attack *
The Comeback Challenge
The Hockey Machine
Comeback of the Home Run Kid
Ice Magic
Cool as Ice
Inline Skater
The Diamond Champs
Johnny Long Legs
Dirt Bike Racer
The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
Dirt Bike Runway
Lacrosse Face-Off
Line Drive to Short **
Slam dunk
Long-Arm Quarterback
Snowboard Champ
Long Shot for Paul
Snowboard Maverick
Look Who’s Playing First Base
Snowboard Showdown
Miracle at the Plate
Soccer Duel
Mountain Bike Mania
Soccer Halfback
No Arm in Left Field
Soccer Scoop
Nothin’ But Net
Stealing Home
Penalty Shot
The Submarine Pitch
Prime Time Pitcher
The Team That