He was assigned to be goalie. It was the first game of the season, and his first time playing the position.

Through the grate of his mask he could see the opponents coming closer. He grasped his goalie stick, prepping for the incoming ball. He saw the white spear fly towards the net and reached for it with his stick. He missed, and the opponent scored.

Two goals later, during half time, he paused to assess his current strategy. It wasn’t working. What did he need to change? He decided to consult coach. “Step behind the ball,” was coached advice.

He ran a few drills to get comfortable with the new strategy before the next half began.

Again he saw the opponent approach with the ball. “Step behind,” he reminded himself.

The ball was let loose, he stepped towards the ball, stick in hand, and heard his teammates cheer. The white sphere was nestled cleanly in his goalie stick. He had intercepted.

Four more interceptions and a team victory later, he reflected on the importance of intellectual honesty to realize when something didn’t work to seek out advice and be willing to switch up strategy.