A/N: Still don't own them. Any lines you recognize are from the film. Tahnk you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1. You rock!
A/N 2: Just a repost to fix something that was bugging me :P
After a few short hours of scrimmages and handling drills, Craig announced that the try-out was over and for everyone to get changed and meet back in the stands. Luckily for Paulie, the arena was so crowded with bodies, that no one noticed when she ducked into the women's locker room to quickly shower and change, away from prying eyes.
Figuring that she was going to be going home, Paulie took the few extra minutes to pack up all her gear and stashed her bag in one of the coat rooms. She was just coming out, when she ran into Coxie and another guy, literally.
"Whoa," she said with a laugh. "Hopefully I've got better eyes on the ice, eh Coxie?"
"We've had worse hits," the blond next to Coxie said in a thick Boston accent. He was about the same height as her, with a little stockier build, and bright blue eyes. He gave a crooked half smile and extended his hand. "I'm Jack O'Callahan, Boston University. They call me OC."
Paulie accepted the handshake, "Paul O'Connor, University of Alaska. Everyone calls me Paulie."
"We were just gonna head in and grab some seats, you coming?" Coxie asked.
"Yeah, thanks man," she responded. "So what did you think of the competition?"
"I don't know," Coxie said. "A lot of good players out there."
"What are you worried about Coxie, you're a shoe-in," OC said confidently. "Just like me."
Coxie and Paulie both laughed, glad to relieve some of the tension. They quickly found some seats in the middle of the stands. Coxie and Paulie sat together while OC sat with a few friends in the row in front of them. Most of them were just shooting the breeze, discussing hockey in some form or another, while they waited for the rest of the guys to show up.
Paulie hated waiting and began fidgeting nervously. Finally after ruffling her short-cropped brown hair, Coach Patrick and Doctor George 'Doc' Nagobads came in and took their places leaning on the edge of the rink.
"First of all, we were very impressed with everyone's performance today," Craig began. "The roster is the following, in no particular order: Hughes. Ross. Auge. Delich. Horsch. Strobel. Christoff. Morrow. Suter. Ramsey." Paulie saw the named players visibly relax as their names were called.
"Janaszak. Christian. Pavelich. Verchota. Baker. Harrington. Schneider. O'Callahan. McClanahan. Silk. Johnson. Craig. Cox." She elbowed Coxie good naturedly, giving him a proud grin.
"Eruzione. Broten. Wells. O'Connor." Paulie's jaw dropped in surprise. Coxie just grinned and returned the elbow.
"And that's the roster for now," Coach Patrick continued. "The rest of you, thanks for coming out."
"I told you you'd make it," Coxie said to Paulie, giving her a handshake. They both leaned forward to congratulate OC who was sitting in front of them, and he returned the sentiment, his crooked half-smile on his face.
"Take a good look gentlemen," Herb said stepping out of the shadows at the top of the stands. "'Cause they're the ones getting off easy. We're putting a few of you on reserve, in case somebody gets injured or their game goes to hell. The final roster will have 20 names on it in 7 months, so more of you are going home. You give 99, you'll make my job very, very easy. I'll be your coach. I won't be your friend. If you need one of those, take it up with Doc or Coach Patrick."
Paulie and Coxie traded uneasy glances as Herb walked away from the group. Paulie could see some of the other guys looking at each other, sharing in their nervousness and anticipation.
Craig smiled reassuringly at the young men in front of him. "All right Gentlemen, congratulations. That's all for today. On the way out, pick up one of these, you've got a little homework to do, before you celebrate." Most of the guys chuckled a little. "Thank you."
With that all the guys stood and began congratulating each other.
Paulie stood and headed out with Coxie, OC, and two others she didn't know, Dave 'Silky' Silk, and Mike 'Rizzo' Eruzione. They were talking excitedly but all Paulie could think was, I made it.