I wonder how overwhelming it must be to be on the ice with four coaches and fifteen team-mates looking up to the stands and watching parents, friends, grandparents, former team-mates, siblings, more parents, more friends, numbering into the hundreds. Overflowing stands filled with cheering adults and children.
What thoughts go through the heads of that group of 12-year-olds, going through their pre-game routine and the first faceoff? What pressure do they feel, if any? What excitement? What fear?