Hildy points behind her, and I see Scotti, and they both give me two thumbs up.
“Who’s the brunette?” Callahan asks.
I glance back up and see Erin with them. “That’s none of your business.”
“Interesting name,” he chuckles and skates off, eyes on the fishbowl thing. “Give her my number.”
Never going to happen.
“This is gonna be brutal,” Aleks says as Kyle Dingy, Claudia’s ex, our ex-teammate, and an all-around piece of shit, skates out to LA’s goal, and the Bears fans boo him.
They do so loudly.
“That’s gotta make him feel the hate he deserves,” Aleks grumbles.
Deacon skates out to our goal, and the whole place roars.
“We’re going to have our hands full tonight.”
“LA has no idea what it’s like to play for a true family,” I mutter, “not one they want to destroy.”
We line up for puck drop. Stone at center, Smith on right wing, Giulietti on the left. Behind them, Aleks is on right defense, I’m on left, and Deacon is on goal.
The puck hits the ice, and Stone wins the draw clean. LA crashes the zone immediately. They came ready for blood. Their winger barrels down the boards and tries to slip past Giulietti. I step up and drive my shoulder straight through his chest.
The hit explodes against the glass. The crowd roars.
The puck kicks loose, and Smith grabs it, fires it across center ice, but LA’s defense steps up hard and shoves him off the play. Bodies everywhere. No space. No breathing room.
Stone chases the puck behind their net and gets hammered into the boards. Giulietti swings wide for the rebound, but Dingy drops low and sweeps the puck away.
They counter fast. Too fast. Their center cuts through the neutral zone and fires a rocket from the slot.
Deacon drops, glove out, and snags it clean. The whistle blows, and the LA players shove us Bears. Gloves in chests and sticks locked.
“Back off,” Aleks snaps at their winger.
“What are you gonna do?” Trevally spits.
Deacon pushes up between us. “Save it.”
We reset, but Coach D calls for a shift change.
Theo Rivera hops the boards at center, Koa on left, Dash on right. Kozlov and Callahan take over D.
The puck drops again, and Theo wins this one forward. Dash takes the lane hard along the boards while Koa cuts through the slot like a freight train. LA tries to trap the puck along the wall, but Dash digs it out and flicks it to Theo, who doesn’t hesitate.
Quick pass across the ice, Koa catches it mid-stride. One defender steps up. Koa lowers his shoulder and plows through him like the man isn’t even there. The puck slides free. Koa snatches it back and fires from the low circle, in the top corner, the net snaps back.
The arena explodes.
Koa throws both arms up while Theo crashes into him, and Dash slams into them from the side. 1–0 Bears.
LA answers immediately. Their next rush comes hard and fast.
Kozlov and Callahan barely have time to set up as two forwards drive straight for the crease while a third fires from the point.
The puck deflects off a skate and drops right in front of Deacon.
