Stopping the shots

In this companion book to Taking the Ice, goalie Mike Krieger (aka Tree) takes centre stage. Although Mike is known to be calm and collected, his home life is more difficult than it seems.

His younger brother, Eric, is a hockey hotshot, already playing on the top U13 team. And their parents are so focused on Eric’s game that Mike’s success in net is barely noticed — except by his older brother, Liam, who was born with Down syndrome and is Mike’s biggest fan. Mike’s parents dismiss a suggestion that he could be good enough to attend a top goalie camp, and while Mike is used to living in Eric’s shadow, the tension between the two brothers increases when Mike is asked to play goal for Eric’s team.

When an accident threatens Eric’s hockey career, and money troubles threaten his parents’ farm, Mike worries he might also have to give up the sport he loves. He decides to risk his reputation — and more — for the new goalie pads he desperately needs. But when the truth comes out, can Mike find a way to make things right?