Page 144 of Released from the Sin Bin

“We’re going to win this game.” I set her down and give her another kiss.

“Win or lose, we’ll be ok.” She holds my face in her soft hands. “You still got me.” She pushes me out of the room with a slap on my ass.

As long as I have Willa, it doesn’t matter if we win. We made it this far, and no one expected that, but I have that feeling in my gut. We got this.

Five minutes left and we’re down by one. They got a lucky shot in when the puck bounced off Finn’s skate at the beginning of the period.

The Sharks have the puck when I jump out onto the ice, but as soon as I come out, another player checks me into the boards. My stick gets ticked up and into his helmet from the impact, and the whistle is called as soon as Gentry touches the puck to clear the zone.

Fuck. A penalty is called on me for high sticking. Two minutes in the sin-bin to give the other team a power play. I’m on the edge of my seat, willing my team to kill it, and I didn’t fuck up our chances.

Everyone in the arena is on the edge of their seats, watching shot after shot that gets saved and blocked.

3…2…1… I’m freed from the box. A shot bounces off our goalie’s pad and slides out in front of me. I take it out, keeping control of the puck as I skate into the offensive zone. I pass back to Gentry and get in front of the net. He fakes a shot and passes back to me. The goalie moves left for the save that doesn’t come. I turn and shoot it between the pipes, scoring another goal to redeem myself of the penalty taken.

The crowd erupts around us to match the high I have at scoring my second goal of the game. Everyone bumps my glove as I come back to the bench. I move down to the end to be near Willa and touch her hip as she grins down at me.

“One more.” I hold up my finger.

We’re tied now, and there’s less than three minutes left. We just need one more to win it.

Coach Renan orders me back in with the next faceoff. I’m targeted once the puck drops. A player from the other team gets his stick between my skates and I skid down hard against the boards right in front of the benches. The play continues, and no call is made as everyone on the bench yells for a penalty the ref didn’t catch.

“Keep your focus,” Coach shouts as I stand and motions for me to stay in. He’s warning us not to engage.

Icing is called on the Sharks and the rest of my team are shouting obscenities at them for the dirty play. We’re itching to fight, but there’s too much on the line to get any penalties.

The puck is dropped, and Alex passes it back to me to keep in the zone. I look to pass it, but no one is open. Gentry skates right in front of the goalie, pushing and shoving their defensive player, blocking the goalie’s view and giving me an open shot. I fake another pass, making a quick wrist shot to the net. It bounces on the post. Everyone scrambles for it, but it bounces off the goalie’s pad and back past the crease.

The buzzer sounds marking the end of the period right as the lamp lights up. The ref calls it good, and the guys jump on me. Screaming and cheering as hats rain down onto the ice to celebrate my hat trick.

Breaking away, I rush to the bench, scoop Willa over the wall and crush my mouth onto hers. Letting everyone know I’m hers.

No matter what happens after this, I’ll be the man she deserves. The best I can be.

Epilogue

Willa

The bus pulls up to the arena and we all file out in our red, white, and blue attire.

After the Frozen Four championship, Carter wouldn’t stop, pushing me just as hard as I pushed him to re-train and condition myself to be able to play hockey again.

They wouldn’t let me back on the Drexton Hall team, but I worked hard and did everything I could to get back to playing. I was going to try out for every national team if I had to. Nothing was going to stop me.

I signed with the first team that made me an offer at the Women’s Combine. Carter wasn’t going to enter the draft until I got signed. He almost didn’t after that, but I wasn’t going to let him pass it up. Not after how hard he worked and the way he played at the championship games.

He didn’t want to be picked up too far from where my team was, but we’ve both been traded over the years. It’s hard being on teams thousands of miles away from each other, but we made it work the past six years.

This is my second time making the Olympic team, but Carter didn’t this time. I haven’t seen him in months. It’s the longest stretch we’ve had in years, and I miss him.

That’s why, when I see him while making our entrance to the hotel from the practice facilities in Montreal, I scream and push my way through the line. Running through anyone in my way and jumping into his arms.

He stumbles back when he catches me while I lock my legs and arms around him, kissing every bit of his soft, full lips and thick beard.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you.” He groans and squeezes me tight against his chest.

“What are you doing here?” I pull away to slap his arm, annoyed he lied to me by saying he couldn’t make it, but he pulls me back in.

---