CHAPTER 25
JAMIE
LAVENDER BEANIE
The weather couldn’t have been better for an outdoor game. Jamie stood in the tunnel at one end of Camp Randall Stadium, shifting his weight between his skates, tapping his stick against his shins, looking up at the vivid blue sky stretching above the stands. It was cold enough to keep the ice in good shape, but not so cold that it would impact their bodies.
Somewhere, in the suite with the WAGs and other family, Tyler and Rowan were with his mom and Dotty. His dad and step-mom had splurged on seats closer to the ice. His family, and now, for the first time, a man who’d chosen him, were all there to support him. A man who believed that what Jamie had to offer was enough. A man with a son who, he imagined, maybe someday could call his own.
The stadium already felt electric. There was a tangible excitement in the air, the stands crawling with orange and green as fans found their seats to watch the teams make their entrance
The guys around Jamie must have felt it too. Matty was jumping up and down, puffing out breaths, while Ollie was…Was he really dancing?
Even the vets had an antsy energy about them. Not all of them had been on the team when they won the cup, or when they hadmade their deep playoff runs a few years ago. There was something gained from playing under that kind of pressure. A trust in yourself and the team that was hard to explain.
But now, as they waited to walk out into the stadium, it was Jamie’s job to try.
“Get over here, boys!” His voice echoed in the tunnel.
The guys jostled to form a loose circle around him, their bodies bumping together as they shifted to make space for Onni and Anders in their goalie gear. Once they were somewhat settled, Jamie took a moment to look around at all of them–Finn, Bailey, and Onni, who had the future of the franchise riding on their shoulders, the new trades like Carter and Emils, and the old guard, Sergei, Hugo, Zach, and Mitchy, who’d spent their entire careers with the Muskies.
They had the chance to do something special out there today.
“There’s a shit-ton of people out there,” Jamie began. The guys chuckled. He felt a grin tugging at his mouth. “No, really. Not only do we get to go out there and play the sport we love, but we get to do it in front of people who love the game as much as we do.” The guys nodded along with him. “But you know who I want to play for today? I want us to play a damn good hockey game for each other. I want to play my ass off because that’s the way I saythank youto you guys for having my back.” He pointed a glove at Anders. “I’m going to block some shots to saythank youfor being the top goalie in the league.” Mitchy whooped, and tapped Anders on the helmet. “I’m going to work my ass off on the forecheck so one of you fast kids–” he pointed between Esa and Cooper, his younger, faster linemates– “can pick off a pass and get us a goal.” All the guys cheered now, and it was like the nervous energy had transformed into something targeted, a ravenous hunger to get out there on the ice andplay. “Let’s go out there and play hard, do the things we know work, and have each others’ backs because we love each other, okay?”
“Let’s go, Cap!”
A heavy arm wrapped around his shoulders as a hand clappedhim on the back. He wasn’t sure who kissed his helmet or tapped their stick against his. All he knew was he was smothered in the guys, surrounded byteam, and he knew they were ready.
The first goal was a fluke.
Jamie had been sliding across the crease, working to get position on the Minnesota D-man in front of the net, when a shot fired from Pauly from the top bounced off his ass and over the goalie’s glove.
Jamie threw his hands into the air when the horn blared, skating hard for Pauly. It wasn’t until his teammates jumped onto him that he realizedhehad been the one to score the goal.
“Dat ass, though!” Mitchy had shouted at him as he skated by the bench to high-five his teammates.
Five minutes into the first period and the Muskies were up 1-0, thanks to Jamie’s ass goal. Minnesota wasn’t making it easy on them, though–they’d earned the top spot in their division for a reason. Their first line center, Pavel Egorov, was a Russian player who was having a career high season in points, leading the league in even-strength goals.
Jamie’s line was matched up against his. When Egorov was on the ice, it was Jamie’s job to shut him down.
Egorov had only managed to get two shots on goal so far, so Jamie figured he was doing alright. His body felt good–his hand was strong, and his legs were just warming up, welcoming the burn.
Their lead didn’t last long–a tripping call against Carter put Minnesota on the power play, and they got a quick goal.
“We’ve got this, boys,” Jamie called down the bench before climbing over the boards.
He skated out to center ice, lining up for the face-off against Egorov. The Russian player grinned at him. “We heard you were bad now, Sullivan. This is not true.”
Jamie let out a loud laugh, shaking his head as he popped his mouthguard out of the side of his mouth. “Sorry to disappoint,” he replied.
The ref approached and dropped the puck.
Jamie won the face-off.
He was reminded of why he loved hockey as he slammed an unsuspecting Minnesota player against the boards, scooping up the loose puck and passing it up to Esa. Jamie sped down the ice, staying in position for a pass behind the play.
But Esa fed the puck to Elias in the middle, who hit Cooper backdoor for an easy goal.
