Page 61 of Playoff

And that means a lot.

The first goalhappens without much effort.

I score just a minute into the game. Playing on a line with Canyon makes it feel easy, and when he all but lays the puck on the blade of my stick, there’s no way in hell I could miss. But the excitement is short-lived because the Blizzard comes back with a goal of their own two minutes later, and it goes on like that for the entire game.

First, it’s tied at one.

By the end of the second period, we’re tied at four.

Now it’s 5-5, with six minutes left to play.

It’s been a long, grueling game, with a couple of fights and a lot of scuffles by the boards. We want this, but so do they. Anything can happen in games like this, so it’s up to all of us to pull off a win. So when Connor passes me the puck, I wind up and take the shot. It goes wide but Canyon is there to shuffle it back to me.

Another shot.

This time it hits the post.

Motherfucker.

I’ve been on the ice over a minute, which is a long time, and it’s time for the change, but we’re in Alaska’s zone and on a power play.

This is our shot, but their goalie is hanging tough, blocking a shot from Canyon and another from Connor.

Then it’s back to me, and this time, I’m ready. I see the small opening over the goalie’s right shoulder.

I aim and fire it off.

Bam.

The red light goes off and it’s 6-5.

“Fuck yeah!” The excitement is stronger this time, and my teammates high five me as I skate past the bench.

“Five minutes left for you to get that hat trick,” Bodi breathes, sinking down beside me.

“Let me catch my breath,” I respond, grabbing my water bottle.

We’re down to three minutes before I’m on the ice again, and Alaska is battling intensely, desperate to tie it up again. They’re hitting hard, playing a little dirty, and before we know it, there’s another fight. This time it’s Ivan and one of their defensemen, who doesn’t really have a chance against the burly Russian. Ivan’s a winger but he’s also scrappy, and while I normally enjoy watching him fight, there’s too much on the line to risk an instigating penalty.

Which is what we get.

And now we’re down a player.

I can see Coach Vanek’s jaw working in irritation, and I’m on the edge of my seat as the penalty kill team goes out there.

“Come on,” I say under my breath. “Keep the goal out of the zone…”

“No overtime,” Teague Landry grits out.

We’re mostly quiet after that, watching, waiting…hoping.

“Fuck.” Bodi hisses out a breath as the Blizzard score with less than two minutes left in the game.

“Shit.” I huff out the curse, frustrated as hell.

We’re going to overtime, which is always a crap shoot.

No matter how good you play in regulation, anything can happen in overtime. Not to mention, fatigue starts to set in, and sometimes it comes down to a lucky bounce, a missed call, any damn thing. It’s better than having to go to a shootout, like in the regular season, but overtime isn’t my favorite.

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