The Ice Chips and the Invisible Puck

In this third book in “The Ice Chips” series, Lucas and his friends, Swift and Blades, travel through time to 1988. Swift is struggling with a difficult decision. She has been asked to play on a new girls’ hockey team with her arch-rival, Beatrice Blitz. She wants to refuse; however, if she doesn’t play as the goalie, the team will not be able to play at all! Swift initiates the time travel to help her make the decision. The Ice Chips arrive at Olympic Park during the 1988 Calgary Olympics. They land on the ski jump where legendary Eddie the Eagle will make his famous jump. They also encounter the famous figure skater Elizabeth Manley and a young female hockey player named Chicken.

Chicken asks for their help because her teammates have food poisoning and cannot play in the mini-Olympics tournament. If Chicken can’t find substitutes, she won’t be able to play in the tournament. The three Ice Chips act as substitutes and become part of the Shaunavon Badgers team. They play against the Rink Rats team whose star player is a bully named Blitzy. Could he be related to Swift’s arch-rival Beatrice Blitz? Could Swift’s time travel experiences help her decide to join the girls’ hockey team back home? Who is Chicken, and how will she impact their hockey skills and their lives?

Roy and Kerry MacGregor have once again written an interesting novel about minor league hockey. In this novel, Lucas takes a back seat to his dynamic teammate Swift who must make a difficult choice regarding working with her bitter rival Beatrice Blitz in a newly formed girls’ hockey team. Swift has already overcome many challenges in her life. She became a goalie despite her prosthetic leg by learning to make saves with an adapted butterfly style. In Calgary, the Ice Chips learn a great deal about the history of women in Canadian hockey as well as the history of their own Riverton team. They also discover that hockey takes hard work and that “Playing like a girl was a good thing”.

Roy MacGregor was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012 for his work on the highly successful “Screech Owls” hockey mystery series. Co-author Kerry MacGregor, who is also the co-author of the latest works in the “Screech Owls” series, has worked as a journalist for the CBC as well at The Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen and Parenting Times Magazine.

The Ice Chips and the Invisible Puck looks at several timely issues including: women in hockey, prosthetics, sledge hockey, time travel, friendship, reconciliation, and sportsmanship. Readers will also learn about the Calgary Olympics of 1988 as well as Hayley Wickenheiser’s career. The short chapters, accessible vocabulary, and captivating illustrations make this novel a good choice for readers of all abilities who enjoy stories about hockey.