Page 33 of Playoff

I know it’s a team sport and my contribution is part of a bigger machine that makes us a cohesive group, but it’s a totally different dynamic than what I’m used to. Everything is amped up to a higher intensity, and the pressure is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before professionally.

On the bright side, Ivan is back in the line-up tonight, and he adds a level of power that was missing in game two, so I’m looking forward to being on the ice with him.

“Let me know if you think your stitches open up,” I hear Rowan tell him.

He nods and heads to center ice, ready to take the first faceoff of the game.

I slide onto the bench next to Bodi, who’s on the second line tonight, and he glances at me.

“You’re buzzing like you’re on something,” he says, his voice low. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just a bundle of nerves for some reason. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.”

“Bodi.” Coach Vanek taps him on the shoulder, and he hops over the boards.

I feel Rowan behind me before I see or hear her, but her voice is a whisper as she leans over.

“In through your nose, out through your mouth,” she says. “Both for a count of eight. Release slowly. It’ll help with the jitters.”

Then she’s gone, almost as if I’d imagined her voice in my ear. She usually stands off to the side, not directly behind us, so I don’t know how she heard my conversation with Bodi. But I heed her advice and start taking slow, deep breaths.

Sure enough, my heart rate settles down a bit, and my stomach isn’t quite as queasy.

I never thought it would be cute, studious Rowan who helped calm me down, but as I gaze down the bench to where she’s standing, I realize she’s not that teenage girl I once loved anymore. She’s not just a grown woman, but also a professional who’s excellent at her job. It hasn’t even been a week yet, but I’ve already started to respect the hell out of her.

Hopefully, I’ll do something to earn hers in return.

Time to score another goal.

All my worry and anxiety fades the moment my skates touch the ice.

I get my stick on the puck within a few seconds and skate fast toward the Blizzard’s goalie. There are guys on either side of me, but I’m so focused on the goal, I barely notice them.

A flick of my wrist sends the puck spinning, hitting the post, and bouncing back. I get the rebound and wind up, shooting it hard toward the net.

To my shock, it goes in.

That beautiful little red light goes off, and then I’m caught in a group hug by my teammates.

“That’s the way to do it!” Bodi thumps me on the back.

Ivan is still on the ice since we didn’t manage a full line change, and he gives me a nod.

“That’s the way, my friend.”

I skate back to the bench, and my eyes meet Rowan’s.

Then she winks.

Something she used to do during my games in high school.

And the memory makes me smile.

Unfortunately,my goal is about the only thing that goes right the rest of the game. The Blizzard beats us 4-1 and we just looked sloppy out there. There’s no other way to explain it. There were two fights—Bodi in one, Connor in the other—and more penalties than a team in the playoffs should ever take. The Blizzard had their share but not like us.

It was a rough, gritty game that leaves us all a little beaten down.

Gabe tweaked his knee again, Connor hurt his hand in the fight, and Ivan seems a little sluggish. On top of that, it appears that all the guys need Rowan for something afterward. I’ve been taking my time, hoping to talk to her, and thank her, but I can’t get near her because of everyone else’s needs.

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