I catch my breath as Blake is cleared, but my stomach drops when I see him.
His hand is on his shoulder, and his face is pale.
“It’s my shoulder. It’s dislocated,” he says, sounding disappointed. “It hurts,” he groans.
“Those bastards,” I murmur as I glance over and see a smug look on Perth’s face.
“I can’t play. That asshole got me,” Blake says as he slowly skates off. The crowd gives him supportive applause, but it won’t be enough to ease the moment.
“We’ll win this for you,” Holt tells him as we watch Blake leave the ice.
Coach sends Jake onto the ice, though he looks just as upset as the rest of us.
The game continues, and Coach tells us to play defense. We protect the goal at all costs, and it’s working. The Hawks can’t get a single shot through, and there’s only a minute left on the clock.
“We’ve got this,” I tell myself as the final countdown begins. Perth takes another shot at the goal, but I block it with my knee. I land hard on the ice, but it holds.
We play out the final seconds until the buzzer sounds and the stadium erupts.
“We did it!” Holt yells. “Where’s Blake?”
Blake is sitting on the bench in our section, and we skate over to him. We bang on the plexiglass and shout at him.
“I told you we would win!” Blake yells back as Jenna helps him leave.
“You have to get that checked now,” she says, and Blake finally gets up. I already know she’s been trying to get him moving, but knowing Blake, he didn’t want to miss the game.
I look up at the crowd and spot Gwen. She’s celebrating with Tess and Leo. Lisa isn’t there; she must be getting drinks. We’re all meeting at my place anyway.
I find Holt back on the ice and pull him into a hug.
“Not bad for someone leaving the team,” I tell him quietly. “I think I might even miss you.”
“We’ll meet on the ice again next season,” Holt winks. “And you’re coming to my party, right?” he adds, grinning.
“You’re a weird guy, but yes, I’ll be there,” I respond. “I wouldn’t want to miss my buddy’s goodbye party.”
“Buddy?” he asks, surprised, but I don’t answer. I skate off and make my rounds, thanking the crowd.
In the locker room, Coach is ecstatic. He jumps onto the bench and pops a bottle of champagne, spraying it all over us.
“I told you guys we could do it!” he yells.
“Not without you, Coach,” Holt tells him, and Coach smiles. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Coach smile before, so it feels strange.
“Blake is getting X-rays at the hospital. Celebration’s on Monday,” Coach adds, and everyone agrees right away.
The Grizzlies allow some of the press into the locker room, and we all get up, jumping and celebrating again.
“What’s it like to win?” a female reporter asks me.
“It feels like skydiving, bungee jumping, and canyoning all at once,” I tell her excitedly. “It’s amazing.”
“How are you going to celebrate?” she asks.
“I’m going to celebrate with my amazing girlfriend,” I answer immediately.
In the background, Holt finds another bottle of champagne and starts spraying some of the reporters with it.
