Page 107 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie

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A Thunder player slams him into the boards. The crowd gasps. The puck wobbles loose, spinning across the ice.

For a second, it’s chaos.

Sticks clashing. Bodies shoving. The puck bouncing from blade to blade…

Tomas spots it first.

He snatches it, cutting between two Thunder players like they aren’t even there. He angles toward the net, gliding just inside the right circle. A defenseman lunges at him, trying to block the lane.

Tomas doesn’t hesitate.

He drops the puck back - quick, sharp - to Liam.

Liam fakes a shot, making the goalie shift…

Then slides it across to Jackson on the left wing.

Jackson rears back…

Shoots.

The puck rockets through a mess of sticks, bodies…

The goalie lunges…

Too late.

The net ripples.

GOAL.

3-3.

Yes.

Our bencherupts.Sticks slam against the boards. The Avalanche fans roar back to life. I let out a sharp breath.

The final minutes of regulation tick down, but neither team finds the back of the net.

Now – it’s sudden death.

The puck drops, and the battle for control is instant, frantic. Liam lunges in, fighting for the faceoff, but the Thunder center manages to swipe it back. They regroup fast, their defenseman sending a quick pass up the boards.

I track the movement, my entire body coiled tight, ready.

They enter our zone - two forwards crashing in, a third trailing behind.

Their winger fakes a shot, then snaps a hard pass across the crease to the other side.

I push off, sliding out just in time as he shoots.

I drop - the puck ricochets off my blocker.

It bounces right to a Thunder forward and he shoots again.

I barely react - throwing out my pad in desperation…. And save!

The rebound flies out toward the blue line. One of their defensemen snatches it, winding up for a bomb of a slapshot…

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