“The Eagles figured me out.”
“They figured out that you’re good,” Chen corrects calmly. “So, they tried to remove you from the play.”
“Which worked.”
“Only because you let them.” He nods toward the boardswhere we were practicing. “That won’t work the same way tonight.”
I hope he’s right.
For a moment we stand there quietly.
Then Chen adds, almost casually,
“And for what it’s worth… Blake stepping in like that yesterday?”
“What about it?”
“I’ve never seen him do that before.”
I glance at him.
Chen shrugs. “He doesn’t usually babysit.”
“I didn’t ask him to.”
“I know. But he did it anyway. We need you here, Lee. I think the team is starting to see that.”
I thank him for the help and turn toward the tunnel, pushing off into a slow glide.
In a couple of hours, I’ll be back on this ice again. And this time, if someone tries to drive me into the boards, I’ll be ready.
12
ZANE
By the time the Saturday night game rolls around, the arena feels different. Not fuller - if anything, the stands are about the same as last night - but the mood has shifted slightly. There’s a stubborn kind of optimism in the crowd tonight, the sort that only loyal fans manage after a losing streak. They’re louder than they should be for a team that hasn’t won a single game yet.
The noise follows us onto the ice when the lights flare bright over the rink and the announcer calls out the lineup.
Our line hops over the boards early in the first period.
I glance once toward Shaw as we line up for the faceoff.
He looks the same as he always does - but something about the way he’s standing is different tonight. He looks looser… more settled.
Russo wins the draw clean.
The puck slides back to our defenceman, then up along the boards toward Shaw. A defender closes in immediately - a bigger guy with thick shoulders, the kind who clearly enjoysusing them.
The defender hits him hard along the boards.
For a split second I wince.
Last night that kind of contact knocked him off balance every time.
But this time Shaw shifts just before impact.
It’s subtle. Just a quick turn of his hips, which meant that instead of folding under the check, he absorbs it sideways, bouncing off the glass and sliding back onto his skates almost instantly.
