MEETING BELLEVILLE'S STRONG TEAM
Another week rolled around, and once again school had closed for the
Saturday and Sunday period of rest from studies.
It seemed as though luck favored the young people of Scranton this
season, so far as fair weather went. There had been no snowfall of
consequence during the entire week; and now Saturday opened with fair
skies, as if inviting them to go forth and enjoy themselves to their
full bent.
The great hockey game with Belleville High was to take place in the
neighboring town, as Captain Kramer (known far and wide simply as "O.
K.," because those were his initials) had drawn the long straw in
settling this matter with Hugh, and was, therefore, given the choice
of territory, according to custom.
Really no one in Scranton was sorry. They had held the last match
there on the new rink, and could not expect to have a monopoly of
these happenings all through the season. Besides, they had a
splendid lake over at Belleville, which would be considerable of an
attraction to the young people of Scranton, whom fortune had not
treated so kindly, since they had formerly been compelled to trudge
several miles to Hobson's mill-pond when they wished to skate, swim,
or fish; though now, of course, they had the newly flooded area in
the baseball park for diversion.
A great many went over to Belleville in every manner of vehicle.
Sleighs were in great demand, but, besides these, cars could be seen
by dozens on the highroad leading to the rival town, situated some
ten miles away.
It must needs be something over which they had no control that could
keep any Scranton High boy or girl away from Belleville that Saturday
morning. The very atmosphere seemed to be charged with electricity,
and was calling them to hasten away, to join the throngs already
pouring forth, bent on giving encouragement to those gallant young
athletes representing their school, who had as yet not tasted of
defeat on the ice that season.
The lake just outside of Belleville was quite extensive, and could
not be insulted with the name of "pond," for it ran at least a mile
in length, and half that in width.
While the ice was no longer as smooth as had earlier been, the case,
still it seemed in fair condition. Besides, the Belleville boys had
managed to flood that section to be given over as a rink; and
ordinary skaters were warned to keep off, so that it might not be all
"cut up" with sharp runners before the match was started.
The Belleville team looked dangerous. They were, of course, pretty
much the same fellows whom Scranton High had met the preceding summer
on the baseball diamond; some of them had also taken part in the
athletic tournament late in the Fall, accounts of which events will
be found duly chronicled in earlier volumes of this series.
When all the preliminaries had been settled good-naturedly, the rival
teams lined up to hear the last instructions of the referee. This
party was the same gentleman who had officiated with such
satisfaction in the game with Keyport on the preceding Saturday.
Here is the list of players, and the positions they occupied,
Scranton having kept the identical Seven with which the last game had
been so cleverly won, though many people were of the opinion they had
a much more difficult proposition before them in the Belleville boys:
_Scranton High_ _Position_ _Belleville_
Stevens ......... Goal ............ Leonard
Hobson .......... Point ........... Wright
Danvers ......... Cover Point ...... "O. K." Kramer
Smith ........... Right End ........ Gould
Dugdale ......... Center ........... Waterman
Morgan .......... Rover ............ Conway
Juggins ......... Left End ......... Haggerty
The game had hardly begun before Hugh realized that those Belleville
fellows had determined to down the visitors, if it took every ounce
of strenuous ability they possessed. Previous defeats at the hands
of Scranton High rankled in their hearts, and they were grimly
resolved, "to do or die," as one of them told Thad Stevens while
chatting before the game was called.
They made a whirlwind beginning, and had scored two goals before the
visitors began to "find" themselves. This would never do, Hugh
determined. He gave his players a signal that called for a spurt,
and himself led the way by capturing the puck, and shooting it into
the cage of their opponents amidst loud footings of great joy from
the loyal and now anxious Scranton rooters.
Juggins distinguished himself also immediately afterwards by a
lightning play that amazed the Belleville spectators. He dodged all
interference and when finally too hard pressed, managed to send the
rubber disc across to Dugdale, who continued the good work by
shooting it into the charge of Hobson; and, almost before Leonard
could try to stop its flight, it had gone with a crash into the cage
for the second goal on Scranton's side.
Things began to look brighter. If Belleville could play brilliant
hockey through the coaching of an efficient instructor, the visiting
team knew a few things also, which were calculated to surprise their
rivals.
Of course, most, if not all of the Belleville Seven had attended the
game on the preceding Saturday, their own match for that day, which
they had easily won, coming off in the afternoon. Consequently, they
had studied the methods of the Scranton boys, and believed they would
be able to profit by their knowledge later on.
But Hugh had been wise to this fact, and posted Mr. Leonard, the
coach; who, meanwhile, taught them a few new little wrinkles that
were calculated to disturb the calculations of Belleville when the
time came for the meeting. As in football, ice hockey presents a
fruitful field for diplomacy and clever tactics; and the wisest
general usually manages to carry his team to victory over those who
may be much more nimble skaters and even smarter with their sticks,
but not so able in the line of strategy.
Belleville also took a "hunch," as some of the boys called it, and
again forged to the front. Indeed, they scored three times against
one more goal for the visitors; and when the first half of the match
had been finished the game stood at five to three against Scranton.
Hugh was in a dilemma. He knew that to win out he must have an
infusion of new blood, for those husky players of the local school
were too rapid for the Scranton boys. But, according to the rules of
the game, substitutes can only be allowed in case of serious injury.
So, unless one of his player chanced to be hurt in such a way as to
necessitate his withdrawal from the game there could be no changes
made in the line-up.
This is so hedged about with safeguards against fraud that even if a
player is hurt he must be examined by someone competent to say
whether he may be able to commence work again inside of seven
minutes; and if so, the game must proceed. Should he be excused from
further participation in the contest his captain may have the
privilege of putting in another man; or, if he chooses to play with
only six on the ice, the other side must also eliminate a player, so
as to make the line-up equal.
Perhaps some of Hugh's comrades must have guessed what was gripping
their leader around that time. Nothing else could have induced
Smith, for instance, to say, as he did to Hugh, while they were
resting in preparation for the last half of the game to start in:
"I'm awfully ashamed of that rotten run I made, Hugh, when you handed
me the rubber so handsomely. If I'd known my business as I should
I'd have landed it in the wire cage as snug as anything. But I
fumbled, and that Conway got it away from me, the robber. I'm no
good, Hugh; and I'd give a heap if only you could kick me out of the
game, and get a better substitute."
"It can't be done, Just," Hugh told him; "a player has to be pretty
badly hurt to be dropped, you know, and a substitute taken on. Cheer
up, and get a fresh start. Two goals shouldn't be a hard job for us
to tackle, once we get going at our old pace. There are a few tricks
left in the bag still, before we reach the bottom."
"But, see here, I'm pretty lame at that, after the stumble and fall I
had, Hugh," said "Just" Smith eagerly; "perhaps the referee would let
me throw up my job if he saw how badly my shin has been scraped."
"Oh! you're in pretty good shape still, 'Just,' and you know it,"
remarked Hugh, smiling at the evident determination of his friend to
sacrifice himself for the general good. "When we start play again
we'll try the last dodge Mr. Leonard taught us, and see if it'll work
for a goal. It's clean sport, and nothing tricky, you know."
So "Just" Smith shrugged his shoulders, and did not seem at all
happy, though he let the matter drop. Hugh wondered, though, what
that grim look on his face meant, and, later on, had a hazy idea that
he had found out.
The game started again. Encouraged by their success, Belleville
again took matters in their own hands and forced the fighting. There
were several weak places in the Scranton High line-up. Many who
diagnosed the play were of the opinion that the game was already as
good as lost.
Then came a most violent scrimmage, into which "Just" Smith plunged
with the utmost recklessness, as though determined to wipe out all
his former mistakes in some brilliant playing. Suddenly the
referee's whistle called the game. Something had happened to bring
about a stoppage of play. A fellow was down on the ice, with half a
dozen others bending over him.
It was "Just" Smith, and he was apparently badly injured in the
bargain. A doctor was speedily called, who pronounced it a fracture
of the leg, and decided that the player would have to be taken home
immediately for a physician's attention.
As "Just" Smith passed his captain, being carried by two husky
players to a waiting car that would convey him home, he actually had
the nerve to grin in Hugh's face. A suspicion came into the latter's
mind to the effect that the player had purposely taken terrible risks
in the hope that he might be disabled, so that a substitute could be
put in his place; though, of course, Hugh tried to banish this
thought as soon as it gripped him.
"Get your substitute, Hugh, or else we'll have to drop a man!" called
the Belleville captain; and Hugh glanced apprehensively around; then
broke through the dense crowd, and seized upon a skater who had been
hovering near.
It was Nick Lang!
"We need another player, Nick!" Hugh exclaimed eagerly; "and I want
you to help get the team out of this nasty hole, for the sake of good
old Scranton High. So don't say you won't, but come along, and do
your level best to bring us out ahead!"