I made a few saves, and my dad came over to me, raving that he was proud of my first performance and reassuring that missed saves were not solely my fault — it was a team effort. I played goalie for a few more games and soon fell in love with the position. 

The blade in starting goaltender Sean Maguire’s skate had popped out, and in what seemed like a split second, Connor LaCouvee was ready to go. His mask was on, and he stretched, quickly warmed up...