He wished now he had spoken to Nick about it, so that he could depend on his remaining throughout the game.  There was not another fellow who would be of such great benefit to Scranton as the boy now wearing Hugh’s old hockey skates.  But it was too late to think of seeking him out, for the game was about to be called.

When the rival teams faced each other, and listened to the last instructions of the head referee, they were found to line up as follows: 

Scranton High     Position       Keyport
Stevens ..........  Goal ............  Kellogg
Hobson ...........  Point ...........  Ackerson
Danvers ..........  Cover Point .....  Bell
Smith ............  Right End .......  Elly
Dugdale ..........  Center ..........  Braxton
Juggins ..........  Left End ........  Mossman
Morgan ...........  Rover ...........  Jackson

Hugh faced Mossman when the puck was dropped on the ice, and play began.  There was a furious scramble, but Hugh came out of it first-best, for he bore away the little elusive rubber disc, and managed to carry it some distance down toward Keyport’s goal before losing control.  Then the fun became fast and furious, indeed.  Those agile skaters whirled back and forth across the smooth ice with every imaginable turn and twist.

Clever plays were continually occurring on either side, and these were greeted with outbursts of enthusiastic cheering.

The crowd really seemed very impartial and sportsmanlike, considering that possibly four-fifths of it represented the local team, and might be supposed to feel prejudiced in their favor.  They shouted themselves fairly hoarse over a brilliant dash on the part of Captain Mossman, whereby he outwitted his opponents, and, despite all Thad’s efforts to block the play, shot the puck home in the cage for the first well-won goal of the game.

Later on Owen Dugdale repeated the performance in almost as masterly a manner.  The applause was, if anything, a shade more uproarous.  Now the game went on evenly, with a goal apiece; but Keyport was out for scoring and would not be denied; so, in a hurry, they pushed the fighting down on Scranton territory, and put another goal to their credit, though three times did Thad balk the effort before it was accomplished.

When the first twenty minutes had expired the score was six to five.  Keyport was ahead, but the margin was so small that no one despaired.

After the intermission they went at it once more, “hammer-and-tongs.”  Thus far no one had been injured seriously enough to more than delay the game a few minutes, and, before the fatal seven had expired, the fellow who had been hurt was able to take his place in the line; so no substitutes were called on.  Hugh was glad of this, though he frequently shot a quick glance around to see if Nick Lang still hung about; which he certainly did, being deeply interested in the game.