“Three minutes,” the locker room attendant says.
“Huddle up,” Coach says. We gather as best as we can around him, and each of us holds a hand high in the air. “All you got for twenty minutes.”
“Let’s do this!” I shout, and the guys follow up with, “NU!”
We head toward the ice and wait for the buzzer to sound. Then, with one minute left in the intermission, we take the ice. We skate around, breaking up the clean ice and warming up our legs. Jude scuffs the crease, ensuring it’s the way he likes it. He taps each side of the goal post with this stick when he's ready. I skate to him and slap his shin guards.
“This is ours,” he says.
“Yeah, it is.” That’s when I notice the sign behind Jude and the one to the right of it. I spin slowly and see there’s a sign in every other pane of glass, each with my name on them. I try to read the ones near me but can’t make out all the words because there’s a glare from the lights. The whistle sounds, and I skate to the center, looking left and right.
The referee stands at center ice, poised to drop the puck. I glance at the center for Augsburg State, and he smirks. “I’d probably cheat on you too,” he says just as the ref blows his whistle and tosses the puck down.
I forget about the puck and lower my shoulder to catch the center off guard. He groans when we make contact and goes down hard on the ice. I expect a whistle, but nothing follows. Brad March has the puck, and he’s skating toward the goalie. Mike Dowling throws a block to one of the defenders just as Jayson Woodell gets the puck from Brad. I barrel forward, pumping my legs as hard as I can. I pull my stick back, and Jayson passes the puck. The timing is perfect. The blade and the puck collide, and the black disc travels through the air. Everything comes to a standstill as we wait to see what the goalie will do. The red-light flashes, and instantly my teammates gather around me. It doesn’t seem real until the announcer screams into the microphone, “GOAL!”
I lead the team past our bench, slapping gloves with our teammates, and then down to Jude. “Nice goal,” he says.
“Thanks, man.”
Coach motions for me to head to the bench. With a three-goal lead, he’s going to let me rest. I’m not sure I want to, but it’s better to have fresh legs down the stretch if needed. I sit on the end and thank my teammates for their accolades. I feel someone looking at me and turn to find Thea there, with a pane of glass separating us. She’s wrapped up in a hat, scarf and gloves and is wearing one of my hoodies. I curse my heart for skipping a beat because she looks so damn beautiful.
“Nice job,” she says.
“Thanks,” I reply, trying to keep my voice neutral. “What’s with the signs?” I nod toward the one nearest to me. I’ve only caught a few words like my name, I’m sorry, please forgive me, kick-ass, and you’re the best. I don’t know what all of them say, but it was enough for the other center to get a shoulder in his gut.
“You won’t talk to me at the house, so I had to do something.”
“This is definitely something,” I tell her, and this time I can’t help the smile forming on my face. I go back to watching the game.
There are thirty seconds on the clock when Coach sends me back in. Nolan scored a goal, putting us up by four giving me more time on the bench. As much as I want to play, I’m thankful we have a fat lead, and there’s no stress in this game.
The NU bench clears when the final horn sounds, and our gloves and helmets fly. We skate toward Jude and tackle him. Everyone screams, and our theme song plays overhead.
“Holy fuck,” I hold Jude’s face in my hands. “Holy fucking fuck!”
“We did it, man. We fucking did it!”
Nolan and Devon find us, and we celebrate. These are the guys I’m closest to and wouldn’t want this victory with anyone else. I congratulate each of my teammates and, finally, our coach. We hug, and he cries.
“You earned this, Rose.”
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
After a few minutes of celebration, the arena staff rolls out some carpet, and our trophy presentation begins. The NCAA representative stands behind a table with three trophies in front of him.
“I want to thank you all for coming to the Division III National Championship for hockey. I also want to congratulate Northport University and Augsburg State for their tremendous seasons and the game they just played. I know the teams are eager to celebrate with their families and get home. So, without further ado, the most outstanding player in the tournament goes to Jude Jenson, who allowed only two goals throughout the tournament.
Jude skates forward and collects his award. He holds it above his head, and every NU person in the crowd and on the ice applauds for him. I’m happy Jude won. He deserves it.
“And next, the presentation for our runners-up, Augsburg State. Their captain skates forward and collects their trophy. He holds it, but their applause is subdued.
“And finally, the presentation for our national champions, Northport University.” I skate to the table, shake the representative’s hand, and take the trophy from him. I hold it up and skate toward the family section. Everyone cheers, and people bang on the glass. That’s when I notice Thea, holding a sign that reads, “To them, you’re a champ. To me, you’re the love of my life. I love you, Ky!”
Holy shit, she’s in love with me. This time, I can’t help but smile.
My teammates gather around, and each takes turns holding the trophy. Then, we meet at center ice for the customary photo of us, and we each hold our index finger up. Slowly, we start to head toward the locker room. I spot my mom, sister, and Lacey standing with Thea. I go to Lacey and scoop her up.
“I’m so happy,” she says as I skate around the ice with her.