“Nattys”
    

“Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” the buzzer went off. We had won the hockey state tournament for the u16 age group. The winner of the tournament for each state, moves on to the national tournament, held two weeks after. The feeling of being a state champion was dreamlike; but I could not imagine what it would be like to be the best team in the nation.
    

The 2014 Toyota Nationals were held in Aston,Virginia. My team, the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, was there to compete in the u16 age group. I was fifteen years old at the time playing with others on my team that were sixteen and seventeen years old.
    

Our first game of the tournament was against Dallas Penguins. The game was tough, mean, and bloody, and they played better than us that game. Dallas beat us 5-2 our first game. The mood on the bus was very negative and quite. No one wants to lose their first game of the most important tournament. We did not know what to expect for the rest of the tournament. We were already lost. We all thought we were going to get sent home early. But we were determined and willing to never give up.
     

Later that day we played Chicago Hawks. They were an even better team than the Dallas Penguins. We were all nervous and did not expect to win. We were up through the first two periods and going into the third we were tired, but that did not affect us very much. We beat Chicago 4-2. The mood on the bus after the win was a major difference from our recent loss. I remember our coach talking to a man in a black jacket with a red ski hat on. My coach walks into the bus, “Boys we have a chance,” he shouted. I thought we were playing great. We came together and I had a very good feeling about today. All the players cheered and gave each other high fives.
    

Knowing that we had a chance to win the National tournament was so much better than thinking we were out. The mood in the locker room, hotel, and bus was ecstatic and exciting. On our free day we got to do whatever we wanted. Many people went to Washington D.C. to see the capitol and the white house. Others slept in and relaxed all day. But I went golfing with my dad at a famous golf course. I wanted to spend a day with my biggest supporter and inspiration, my dad. It was good to get my mind off hockey for a day and focus on more important things in life, like family and friends. We had a great time together, but I was anxious to get back to the rink.

Our next games were against Michigan Ice Hawks and Aston. We beat Aston 3-1 and we beat our rival, Michigan Ice Hawks, 6-2. We had made it to the National Championship! We were all very nervous because we all knew the team we were playing, Minnesota, was very good. Way better than us anyways.
    

The ride to the rink was dead silent, you could hear a pin drop. The day was nice and smelled like victory. Everyone had their headphones on focusing for the war we were about to get into. I look out the window and see lakes on both sides of the road. The sun was bouncing off the water right into my eyes. I look to my left, toward my partner, he winked at me, then slowly turned his head toward the floor.  We arrive at the rink two hours early. Before I got dressed I walked out the tunnel that we would be walking out in thirty minutes. People were already starting to fill the stands and hang signs. They were shivering and glaring at their breath as they breath. Before we went into battle our coach gives us a speech.
    

“We are extremely proud of you guys. And all the hard work through the season is finally paying off. We’ve had our ups and downs this season and I want to let you boys know that you are my favorite team I have been with. This is the final brick left, all you boys have to do is stack it”.

  Right before the National Anthem they call the starting line up.  I was second to be called.
“Roman” they announced and the crowd cheered.
    

As the National Anthem was being sung I look to my dad, in the far back by himself, and give him a nod like I do before every game. The game starts and we were right, it was a war. The game was 3-2  we were losing going into the third. And then we score a goal, by my defense partner Scott. We were tied 3-3 with five minutes left. That gave us some life back. I look up at the clock and it's counting down fast. It says three minutes left in the game. As i'm looking up Brandon, my teammate, skates down the sideboard and shoots top shelf. The buzzer goes off. We score! It was 4-3 and everyone was out of their seats.
    

I look up at the clock one more time, The clock looked tired because of how slow it counted down. We try to hold them off as best we can. I look up one more time.

“Five,four,three,two,one” the crowd counts down.
    

We hopped off the bench and threw our gloves in the air. We hugged our goalie and each other some in tears, some still in shock. The feeling was surreal. We had won the 2014 National Championship.
     

After that day, I have realized that you can achieve anything in life, no matter how impossible it may sound. If you put the time and effort into something. You can achieve it, no matter the obstacles in your way.
 

Because I realized this, I have started to never give up in my life because giving up means you for sure lose. Working hard and never giving up means you have a chance to succeed. And having that one chance compared to not having one. Can be the difference of succeeding or not.