Down the Ice, and Other Winter Sports Stories — Story, Setting & Ideas

From Ice to Prank: A Shift in Tone

The second excerpt, from the story “In Wrong Right,” marks a sharp tonal shift. The setting moves from the rink to a neighborhood prank: a group of Sophomores plot to duck a Freshman named Eddie in a watering trough on a cold night. The narrator, Ralph, is reluctantly chosen as the lure. The language becomes colloquial and self-deprecating—“I’d a lot rather have been one of the dousers”—and the humor relies on exaggerated plans and nervous anticipation. The contrast between the hockey story’s straightforward action and this tale’s scheming dialogue shows Sherman’s range within the collection.

Voice and Vernacular: The Narrator’s Personality

Ralph’s narration in “In Wrong Right” is distinctive. He uses phrases like “a nice howdy do” and describes Eddie’s resemblance to Doug Fairbanks as “the only resemblance I could see was that Doug and Eddie both belonged to the human race.” This wry, conversational tone gives the story a personal feel. The reader is inside Ralph’s head, sharing his reluctance and his relief when Eddie cancels due to “sickness in the family.” The dialogue is peppered with period slang—“B-r-r-r!” and “liquid refrigerator”—that grounds the story in its 1930s setting.

Setting as Character: The Winter Landscape

Winter is not just a backdrop but an active element in both excerpts. In the hockey story, the ice is described as a surface that yields “a fine spray” and allows Carl’s dazzling maneuvers. In the prank story, the cold is palpable: “It was cold enough to wear an overcoat,” and the watering trough is a “liquid refrigerator.” The dark night, with “huge pine trees” and dim arcs, creates a stage for the planned ducking. Sherman uses these details to heighten tension—the physical cold mirrors the characters’ nervousness and the stakes of their actions.

Structure and Pacing: Action vs. Buildup

The first excerpt is all action: Carl’s dash, the collision, broken sticks. The second excerpt is all buildup: the planning, the hesitation, the anticlimax. This structural contrast suggests that Sherman varies his storytelling approach across the collection. The hockey story relies on rapid, visual description, while the prank story builds suspense through dialogue and internal monologue. Readers encountering the book for the first time might note how the pacing shifts from story to story, and how Sherman balances high-energy sports sequences with more character-driven, humorous episodes.

These excerpts reveal a collection that moves between adrenaline-fueled competition and lighthearted schoolboy schemes. Sherman’s strength lies in capturing the voice of his young narrators—whether it’s the determined Carl or the reluctant Ralph—and in using winter settings to amplify both danger and comedy. Readers should expect a mix of tones and a focus on camaraderie, rivalry, and the physical thrill of cold-weather sports.

I remember Sherman’s ice-bound pranks, the snow muffling every shouted joke, and how their heat somehow kept the cold at bay. That same wrestling with stillness crept into my mind afterward, though—a quieter kind of hockey, played on the bed of sleep. It made me think of The somnolence of Somers — Reading Notes, where rest feels just as mischievous and deep as any rushing rink.