Page 101 of One Shot

“As ready as I can be,” Liam elaborates. “It’s high stress with these scouts here. But I already know I have options making it this far with the team. But it’s still a lot to process.”

I pat him on the back as he starts telling me about what teams he’s thinking about and some insights on slimy scouts to stay away from.

It’s semifinals game day. Laur texted me a picture of her wearing her “Captain’s GF” Wyverns jersey. Regardless of the result of the game, this will be an unforgettable season, and she is a huge part of that.

As we walk out onto the ice to start warmups, I’ve never heard a crowd so loud. The cheers spike my adrenaline.

Today, we play the Boston University Terriers. They make it to the playoffs every single year and are known to be one of the top NHL recruiting colleges in the country. I don’t regret my decision to play for West, but BU is fast and furious with almost professional level skill. They are going to be a hard team to beat but we’ve made it this far. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for this game.

A bead of sweat drops off my forehead and onto the ice as the first puck drops and the Terriers get possession. BU captain Jedd Linkman is unstoppable on the ice. I’m in awe every time I see him play. We’re two minutes into the first period. One of the defensemen sends the puck up the ice to Linkman, who is wide open. He races to the front of the net with another BU offensive player. Our defense tries to steal the puck, but Linkman keeps possession effortlessly. He shoots. The puck soars to the back of the net. Our goalie had no chance of stopping it.

The crowd roars as BU celebrates the first goal of the game on the ice.

Wyverns are down, 1-0.

We hold our own the rest of the period like a well-oiled machine. No more goals are scored by BU, but we had minimal chances to score.

Tension is high in the locker room during intermission. We review some footage from the first period. The coaching staff makes slight adjustments to our lines to compensate for some areas we couldimprove from the first period. We’re playing well, but BU is just really damn good.

Heading back out to the ice for the second period, I catch a glimpse of Laur beaming at me from close behind the players’ bench. She smiles her famous Bellinger smile, and my heart swells. I give her a wink before sitting on the bench. I’m lucky to have such a supportive girlfriend who loves hockey. I would bet money that she loves it just as much as I do, just in a different way.

We are ten minutes into the second period with no goals. We’ve gotten five more scoring chances this period than we had last period, so it’s an improvement. Linkman finds a hole and gets a breakaway for BU. Mitchell crashes with him against the boards, sticks clash, but Linkman keeps possession of the puck and passes it to an eagerly awaiting player just left of the net. BU player number 44 shoots, and the puck flies into the top corner of the net, making it by mere centimeters.

I have to admit, the shot was impressive. James is across the back of his jersey. I’m positive that he is BU’s second leading goal scorer behind their captain. I make a mental note to look at his stats again.

We hold our ground on defense, but don’t score. It’s the end of the second period. Wyverns are trailing, 2-0.

During intermission, I get the details on number 44. He’s a freshman named Henry James. I was right, he is the second leading goal scorer for BU. That’s remarkable as a freshman. Nick didn’t even have that bragging right and neither did I. He was the third leading scorer as a freshman, and I was fifth.

The team watches some video feedback of Linkman’s goals. His execution is damn flawless.

“We need to keep the puck away from Linkman if we have any chance at coming back,” I bellow. “One shot, Wyverns. Let’s fly.”

With that, we head back to the ice for the last period of the game.

BU continues to maintain their position and hold steady. Their goalie is outstanding, blocking every shot we manage to take. Ourgoalie, Keith Hall, has blocked at least twenty-five shots from them the entire game. He’s playing phenomenally.

The clock keeps ticking down, and every second feels like an eternity. One of the BU players slashes Tyler, and a penalty is called. The arena is booming with cheers for the Wyverns and boos from BU fans.

Can we make a comeback off this power play or at least get on the board?

The crowd noise doesn’t soften as we set up our play. Tyler fakes a shot and passes it to Mitchell. He shoots; the shot’s deflected by the goalie. I get the rebound and shoot fast, without thinking to the top of the net. The goalie makes a stunning save but only repels the puck to the ice. A BU player is next to me going for the puck, but I’m faster. I take a shot keeping the puck low on the ice to throw off the goalie from the high shot he just saved.

But my shot slides across the goal line seconds before. Wyverns score! A buzzer sounds, and the whistle blows.

The team rushes to me, patting my helmet, and Liam spanks my ass. Shouts ring out for the Wyverns. We are still down, but we are on the board at 2-1 with five minutes remaining.

The next five minutes, we fight for our lives pushing our bodies to the limits, past the exhaustion and fatigue. Someone passes to Mitchell, and he goes in for a shot. It looks like it goes in, but it doesn’t hit the back of the net.

Is the shot good?

I can’t tell from the angle I was at.

We celebrate like it went in anyway. Mitchell has been playing well during the playoffs and has been less of a pain in my ass than usual.

A ref’s voice booms over the loudspeakers to declare the call for the goal.

“After further review, the puck did not cross the goal line before it was saved. No goal. The score remains Terriers 2, Wyverns 1.”

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