Page 31 of The Tryout

IOWA PACK FINALIZE ROSTER

Joe Mancuso for Life in the A

[Image 1 Description: A very young man with curly light brown hair skates around the perimeter of an ice rink. He is wearing a baby blue jersey with an ear of corn on the front.]

[Image 2 Description: A slightly older man with auburn hair wears the same jersey. He stands in a defensive position near a hockey goal, crouched low.]

It’s that time of year again – cool winds are blowing and the Zambonis are getting pulled out of rink garages across the nation. With training camps over, teams have been finalizing their fall rosters, and we’ve seen some particularly interesting moves out of Des Moines.

Last year, the team had solid performances, in spite of losing Evan Matthews to the Huskies for the entirety of the season. Unfortunately, the Huskies also had a strong season, largely driven by the performance of rookie Jamie Carter. As a result, a number of players from the Pack have moved on to greener pastures over the summer, including backup goalie Matthieu Poulin and last year’s captain, defenseman Marcus Reyes.

However, there is good news for the Pack out of training camp. After a strong rookie season last year, Finn Murphy will be back on the ice. Given his performance at Minnesota’s training camp, many thought he’d be starting the season in the Twin Cities. Luckily for Iowa, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Pack also got lucky on an ATO during camp, picking up UCLA defenseman Avery Lawson. Lawson is perhaps best-known as the former teammate of Carter, who almost certainly played a role in getting him the tryout. Many assumed that would be the end of the story, especially after Lawson’s disappointing return from a medical redshirt year.

However, those with knowledge of camp indicate that Lawson is performing at a higher-than-expected level, even out-performing some recent draft picks during camp. Only time will tell if he’s able to keep it up.

CHAPTER SEVEN

FINN

Avery wastes no time moving in, making plans to come back the next morning. Coach has given the team the weekend off to sort out real life. Some guys are moving into new places; others are getting on flights back home to figure out their next steps.

I won’t say it out loud, but it feels a little…luxurious to have nothing to do. I wake up at eight, pretty much the latest I’m ever capable of, and squeeze in a run up and down the trail by the river. In the early mornings, when I usually run, the trail is packed with other people squeezing in a jog before heading off to work. At this time of day, I nearly have it to myself.

I get home just in time, seeing Avery’s silver hatchback pulling up into a parking spot near our building. As he gets out of the car, I wipe the sweat off of my face with the hem of my shirt.

“Hey, man. Right on time.”

He seems a little distracted; I realize I’m pretty gross, with sweat still dripping down my neck.

“Sorry, went for a run on the Riverwalk. Thought I’d be getting back a little sooner.”

“Oh, no. I’m, uh, early. Is it a nice trail?”

“Yeah, easy to get to from here, and lots of choices in terms of distance. Today I just did a quick one, but you can do ten miles or more. You run?”

He chuckles.

“Not ten miles, I don’t. But yeah, from time to time.”

He walks around the car, opening the hatch to grab his bags. It’s pretty limited, in the same way that the stuff I took to Minneapolis was limited; a full-sized suitcase, a gear bag, and a backpack.

I grab the gear bag, confident that it’s the thing my sweat will affect the least, then close the hatch after Avery unloads the rest.

“I’ve got the parking pass upstairs, too, so you can move the car to the garage.”

It won’t make much difference now, but I’m guessing in the winter, he’ll be glad not to have to deal with shoveling out a spot.

For the first time since I’ve lived in the building, I press the button for the elevator. Two flights of stairs is nothing, but between the bags and Avery’s knee, I figure it’s better safe than sorry. Upstairs, I pull the key out of my pocket and open the door.

“I usually keep my gear in here,” I say, pointing to the closet in the entryway.

Avery peeks into the space, then shrugs.

“Works for me.”

With that, he grabs the bag from my shoulder and tosses it in, right next to mine.