The person looking back doesn’t look like a champion. She looks like someone who’s been fighting for every inch of ice for weeks and is too exhausted to pretend otherwise.
But her eyes are steady.
I don’t know what happens today. I don’t know if we win orlose.
My phone buzzes again. Tara.
You ready?
I type back:Coming.
ZANE
The Wolves are waiting at the other end of the ice.
We’ve beaten them in this Showcase already. That’s the difference now. We don’t just believe we can win. We know it.
I tap my stick against the ice and try to shake the nerves loose.
Beside me, Shaw glides into position. She’s quiet the way she always is before games - stick balanced loose in her hands. But there’s something more focused about her today.
She played through the injury yesterday, even after everything. I can see the strain in the shadows under her eyes.
“You good?” I ask, low enough that only she can hear.
She doesn’t look at me. “Fine.”
I watch her roll her shoulder once, twice, testing the range of motion. She’s not fine. She’s just playing anyway.
That’s the thing about Shaw. Or Leonora.
She’s not fine. But she’s here.
The puck drops.
The first period is chess.
Both teams skating hard, feeling each other out, neither willing to give the other anything for free. The Wolves remember losing to us. They’re not making the same mistakes twice.
Russo controls the pace through the neutral zone, patient, waiting for something to open. Chen locks the net down behindus, every save cleaner than the last.
Finally, Russo collects the puck on the far side - his shot is saved but rebounds. I’m there before the goalie can reset.
Goal.
One – nil.
The second period is different.
The Wolves come out angry. Every board battle turns into a wrestling match. Every whistle brings shoving and heated words.
Shaw takes a hit along the boards early in the period and I see her wince - just a flicker, gone as fast as it came - but I know what that wince means. Her injury is screaming. She’s hiding the full impact, but hits like that don’t get easier.
I slide closer to her on the next shift, positioning myself between her and their big defenceman. She notices.
“Don’t,” she says.
“Don’t what?”
