The Best Goal of the Year

It was a cold Saturday morning, and the ice rink was almost empty. Cole and Dasha played for the same hockey team, but they had never won a single game.

The match started badly. The other team scored quickly, and then they scored again. By the end of the first part, Cole's team was losing three to nothing.

“We always lose,” Cole said quietly. He skated slowly back to his place, watching his breath in the cold air.

“So what?” Dasha said. “We're still playing. Pass me the puck.”

Then something changed. Dasha skated fast down the side and scored. The small crowd of parents cheered. A few minutes later, Cole scored too. Suddenly the team was awake, and the cold rink felt warmer.

But near the end, Dasha fell hard on the ice. She hurt her arm badly and could not stand up. The game stopped. Two parents helped her off the rink while she held her arm tight.

Cole's team lost the match, three to two. They still hadn't won a single game.

But later, in the cold car park, Dasha smiled through the pain. “Did you see my goal?” she asked.

“I saw it,” Cole said. “It was the best goal of the year.”

And for the first time, losing didn't feel so bad.