Every time we’ve talked since the end of the last season, my father has been going on and on about how everyone else in the league is going to be gunning for the Aces after their Cup win, and now I see exactly what he means. The Cincinnati Knights aren’t making things easy for the Aces, and while I don’t know too much about the visiting team, I know enough about hockey to see that they’re giving the Aces a run for their money.

The Knights center takes possession of the puck and breezes between Reese and Theo as they’re caught up with their counterparts on the Cincinnati team. The center is giving everything he’s got, flying across the ice with the puck swishing back and forth in front of him against his stick.

But Declan is on him, streaking from out of nowhere. He moves so quickly that I can barely keep track of him as he crosses the ice and closes the distance, and he catches the Knights center off guard too. The guy has to spin at the last second to avoid crashing right into Declan, but Declan takes advantage of the confusion and pokes the puck away. The crowd howls its approval as Theo scoops the puck up in the aftermath and starts pounding down the ice toward the goalie.

Declan tips his helmet cockily at the center he just intercepted. Although it looks like the guy is about to tackle him for it, he must think twice because he pivots and skates after the others. The horn blares a few seconds later, announcing a goal by Reese, and Declan glides back to the defensive line, crouched and ready to spring again if the players circle back his way after the reset.

The next several minutes are a grind, with both teams battling hard for control but unable to score. The Knights center seems determined to humiliate Declan after his interception at the start of the game, so he guns for him every chance he gets. Declan does his best to keep up with the guy, but he’s a little slow on his pivots, so the center gets the slip on him more than he should.

I find myself leaning forward, hands clenched tightly in my lap, willing Declan to adjust his strategy. My father’s voice echoes in my head from all the games I’ve watched with him.

Watch how they fail, then watch how they learn. That’s the mark of a great player.

But Declan catches on to the center’s tactics quickly and starts to correct for them. And in what is probably the most impressive play I think I’ve ever seen one of my dad’s players make, as the clock is ticking down in the game’s final minute, Declan bolts from the defensive line while Noah and the Knights center are fighting for the puck.