Page 325 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"I've got a good feeling."

"You always have a good feeling."

He grins. "That's because eventually I'm right."

The linesman drops the puck. It squirts free toward the corner.

A defenseman reaches it first, but I angle my body between him and the boards, forcing him to reverse the puck behind the net.

Ethan reads it perfectly, cutting off the passing lane.

The crowd senses the pressure building. Every completed pass draws louder applause.

Every recovered puck brings another surge of energy through the building. The arena feels alive.

***

With just under five minutes remaining, the scoreboard still reads 2–2.

Every player on the ice understands what that means.

One mistake.

One bounce.

One moment.

That may be all either team gets.

Coach sends our line over the boards again. I glance toward Ethan. He nods once. No words.

We've played together long enough to understand each other without them.

The puck rims hard around the boards into our offensive zone.

I chase it immediately, shoulder to shoulder with their veteran defenseman.

He's strong.

Experienced.

Exactly the kind of player who makes every inch of ice expensive.

He leans into me, trying to pin me against the boards.

Months ago, I might have worried about the shoulder. Tonight I don't think about it at all.

I lower my center of gravity, absorb the contact, and use my left skate to trap the puck just long enough to free it from the wall.

The defenseman reaches again.

I spin away. The crowd rises.

Not because they know what's coming, but because they recognize effort when they see it.

I protect the puck for one more stride before lifting my head.

Everything slows.