The puck drops again.
And suddenly something clicks.
Russo carries it through the neutral zone and slides a quick pass to Shaw along the boards. Shaw doesn’t hesitate - just taps it back toward the middle, drawing the defense slightly out of position.
Russo redirects it toward me.
I push forward, cutting toward the slot.
The defender closes in.
Instead of chasing the play, Shaw delays half a second, drifting into open ice before slipping the puck back across with a quick, sharp pass.
Perfect timing.
I fire it past Chen before the goalie can reset.
Goal.
Russo lets out a short laugh. “Well, that worked.”
I glance back at Shaw.
Inside the helmet I can see the quick flash of satisfaction across his face - not cocky, not showy. Just the quiet excitement of someone who knows the play worked exactly the way it should.
For the first time since this whole mess of a season started, I feel a flash of hope.
Practice is winding down when it happens.
The last scrimmage shift is almost over. Coach will be blowing the whistle any second. Shaw is skating up the rink with the puck when Luke Mercer barrels into him.
Hard.
Too hard for the end of a practice session.
Shaw hits the ice and Mercer skates off like nothing happened.
I stay back where I am, watching.
For a second Shaw doesn’t move.
Then he pushes himself upright and gets back on his skates.
“I’m good,” he mutters quickly when someone nearby asks. “Didn’t hurt.”
But I can see the slight stiffness in his stride as he glides toward the bench.
He’s rolling one shoulder carefully.
Yeah.
That definitely hurt.
And suddenly I’m not thinking about miracle recruits or clever passes.
I’m wondering how long he’ll last out here.
LEONORA
