Page 129 of Hot for the Hockey Player
“Goal!”Damon hollered, leaping to his feet before pivoting to face me.“Mom!Did you see that?Not even a minute into the game and they scored.And Mav got the assist.Did you see that?”
I nodded, my throat tight.“I did.”
He faced the television again as the fans in the stands and the players on and off the ice went wild.The sportscasters commented on how good it was to see Maverick Roy back in the number twelve jersey—where he belonged.That the Storm have been missing their starting center, and in the wake of all the negative publicity, he seems to be the shining beacon of hope in this hurricane of uncertainty.
A little “1” was added to the bottom of the screen by the Storm’s lightning bolt logo.Then the puck dropped again, and they were off.
Maverick got the puck again first, but this time didn’t hesitate before whipping it across the ice to an open Woodman, who skated only a couple of feet before passing it back to Maverick, who immediately passed it to his left-winger, Guillam Berengar.Berengar took it up the ice further, then passed it back to Maverick, who instantly handed it off to Woodman.For whatever reason, Colorado could not stay on them, or keep track of the puck, and before anybody knew it, Berengar was taking a shot on goal, but the Colorado goalie managed to deflect it.Only, Maverick was right there with the rebound and knocked it into the net.
Damon was up on the couch cushions this time, grabbing his hair, then throwing his arms in the air, then facing me, then the television.“Two!Two goals in under five minutes.Two!”
I smiled, seeing how happy my son was, and the way the entire world seemed to tremble.So many people were cheering for Maverick.
Horns blared, announcers went crazy as Maverick got swarmed by his on-ice teammates, all of them patting him on the back or helmet.
The puck dropped again after everyone settled down, and this time the center for Colorado got it first, taking it straight up the ice.But Maverick was on him, and he had no other choice than to pass it to his left-winger who had a terrible shot, but took it on the net anyway.Silby—the Storm goalie—blocked the shot easily, passing the puck to Garver, the team captain and Storm defenseman.Garver took it to the center line before passing it back to Maverick.
But Colorado was out for redemption at this point.Two goals in less than five minutes.They knew they’d been asleep at the beginning and were wide awake now.They kept the puck out of their defensive zone for a solid ten minutes, and when their left-winger hooked Maverick, he was sent to the box for a two-minute penalty.This gave the Storm a man advantage, and with just one minute left in the first period, Maverick had another breakaway that he took up the ice nearly to the net.Even I held my breath when he lifted his stick, appearing to prepare for a slapshot, only to pass it to Woodman at the last second.And it was a smart move too because Woodman had a better shot and was closer.
They took the goalie by surprise and got it in the net just behind his skate.
Damon had to decrease the volume on the television.The horns and cheering were so loud.My son peeled away from the couch and raced around the room.“A hat trick!A hat trick in the first period.”He gripped his sister by the shoulders and shook her gently.“A hat trick!”
Laurel snorted and glanced over her shoulder at me, a smirk on her face.
“All right, during intermission, come have some dinner,” I said, having placed the big pot of chili in the middle of the table ten minutes ago.
Damon stayed glued to the TV in the few minutes it took for the buzzer to sound, signaling the end of the first period.“I’m still sad he left,” my son said, scooping more chili into his bowl, then topping it with sour cream, grated cheese, and diced cilantro, “but it looks like he was ready to go back.”
“I just don’t like that he left without saying goodbye,” Laurel added with a frown.
“Maybe he’ll come back once the playoffs are done,” Damon said with a shrug.“I mean, if he plays the way he’s playing now, he could take them all the way through.”
A ping on my phone on the kitchen island pulled my attention, but I ignored it.
But when a series of two more pings happened right after it, with a sigh, I got up to retrieve it.They were messages from my cousins, all the same link.
I clicked on the link and was nearly blinded by the headline:Rebel Roy, defenseman for the Minnesota Muskies, and son of Hockey Hall of Famer, Kirby Roy, charged with three counts of sexual assault and luring a minor to his hotel room for sex.
I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth before I could stop it.
Both kids turned to me.
“What’s wrong?”Laurel asked.
I shook my head.“Nothing.”
She narrowed her dark brows.“Mom, don’t lie.What’s wrong?You have that look in your eye like the world is going to explode.”
With another sigh, I joined them back at the table.“Maverick’s older brother, Rebel, was just convicted of similar stuff as Mav’s other teammates.Even some worse stuff.”
Damon’s eyes went the size of dinner plates, and he reached for my phone.“Crap,” he breathed.
“Poor Mav,” Laurel whispered.
“Hopefully nobody shows him this untilafterthe game,” Damon said.“He doesn’t need this on his mind as he’s playing what might be the best game of his career.”
I had the exact same thought.Maverick had already gone through so much, he didn’t need his brother’s screw ups affecting his career.Rebel made his own bed.Now he could lay in it.We all knew Maverick wouldn’t stand behind his brother and come to his defense.He had too strong of a moral compass for that.
