The game stayed tied up through the rest of the first period and more than halfway into the second. The Vikings goalie had shaken off my goal at the start of play and made a fuck ton of great saves since then. He’d practically stood on his damn head to stop my last shot on net. But as I jumped off the bench and launched myself over the wall for my next shift, I had a hunch the tide was about to turn.
I skated hard toward the center of the ice, where one of the Vikings defenders had the puck. He must’ve missed me coming off the bench because he didn’t see me heading straight for him until I had already poked the puck away from him. The other defender had hung back in their zone, but I deked around him.
It was only me and the goalie again. He came out of the net into the crease a little, and it was exactly the opening I needed. Powering forward, I popped the puck to the left before quickly bringing it back to the right. It was too late for the goalie; he’d already committed to my first move. I was able to continue gliding to the right and dumped the puck into the net only inches behind his back.
I didn’t wait for the ref to call the goal before I pumped my fist in the air. Over the roar of my teammates' celebration, I heard a feminine voice call out, “Way to go, Corby!”
My head swiveled in the direction of the cheer, and I pointed at Emmeline to let her know I had scored that goal for her, too. Her smile was blinding, and it gave me an extra surge of adrenaline as I lined up at center ice for the puck drop. The Vikings center had seen my gesture and decided to mouth off about Emmeline. “Your girl is hot, man. I’ll be sure to find her after the game and give her a chance to trade up to a real man.”
Talking shit about the girl I was into was the worst decision he could’ve made. It made me more determined than ever to pound the Vikings into the ice. “You wouldn’t know a real man if he came up and punched you in the face, which I’m sure has happened often enough to kill off a shit ton of brain cells already since you’re a dumb fuck.”
“That’s enough, boys,” the ref warned before popping the whistle in his mouth and blowing. The puck dropped between us, and I beat my opponent to it yet again. This time, I knocked the puck between his legs with a light tap and crashed my hip into his side as I went around him to take back possession of the puck before one of his teammates got there. I pushed hard toward their side of the ice with Dean keeping pace to my left. Both Vikings defenders came at me, leaving him wide open. With a hard flick of my wrist, I passed to Dean. He lifted his stick and took a slapshot that sent the puck flying over the goalie's shoulder and into the back of the net.
Dean’s goal turned the tide of the game. The third line scored before the end of the second period, and then Chuck got the puck in the net about halfway through the third period. We were up by four with less than a minute on the clock when Brodie sent the puck flying up the boards in our zone. It popped over the Vikings defender’s stick and into the neutral zone, and I charged forward to snag the puck, pushing it ahead of me as I broke away from the pack. With only fifteen seconds remaining, I swung toward the left while simultaneously thrusting my stick out to the right, throwing the goalie off and giving me an opening just big enough to get the puck past him.
My teammates and the people in the stands went wild. I pointed my stick at Emmeline as I headed for the bench, bumping gloves with everyone as I skated past before stepping off the ice. As I sat down and grabbed my water bottle, Coach Carter came behind me and tapped the top of my helmet. “A hat trick is a great way to start the season, King. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
As the buzzer signaled the end of the game, I looked up into the stands to where Emmeline sat. I’d been worried she’d distract me from hockey, but I was wrong—she’d ended up being the motivation I needed to play one of my best games ever.
7
Emmeline
The other spectators around us were still screaming when Sarah flung her arm over my shoulder and yelled into my ear. “He is so into you.”
My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I bit back a grin. It was difficult to deny that Corby was feeling something for me after he’d singled me out in the stands after each of his goals. My cheeks filled with heat as I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“There’s no maybe about it.” She pointed at the center of the ice where the teams lined up to shake hands. “That boy got a hat trick and pointed at you after each goal. No way would he do that unless he liked you a lot.”
I tilted my head to the side, feeling a little confused by the unfamiliar term. “What’s a hat trick?”
“That’s what they call it when a player scores three goals in one game.” It had been great to have Sarah sitting next to me in the stands. In addition to providing moral support, she’d also schooled Emily and me on hockey throughout the game. She had played soccer growing up, and apparently, many of the rules were the same. “Hat tricks don’t happen often, so it’s a big deal that Corby got one during his first game as a Cougar.”
I turned toward the ice and found Corby standing at the end of the bench area, staring at me through the glass that separated the players from the people in the stands. My blush intensified, but I resisted ducking my head and gave him a little wave instead. He grinned and mouthed, “Wait for me.”
I tried to keep my cool, but it was hard to do with Emily squealing behind me and Sarah nudging my side. But it was worth being embarrassed by how they were acting when Corby grinned even before I nodded. Once he got the answer he’d been waiting for, he turned around and stepped back onto the ice. I watched him skate across the rink and walk through the door, not looking away until he disappeared into the locker room.
The people who’d been sitting around us quickly left the stands. Emily and Sarah waited until we were almost alone to start jumping up and down. “I’d say we definitely confirmed that he wants to hang out with you.”
“Heck yeah, we did,” Sarah cried, doing a little dance that made me giggle.
My gaze darted around us as I hissed, “Chill out, you guys.”
“No can do, I’m already chilly enough,” Sarah teased.
“For some reason, I didn’t think the rink would be this cold.” Emily ran her hands up and down her arms and shivered. “I know they have to keep the temperature low enough for the ice and all, but since we’re indoors, I thought it would be a little warmer.”
I hadn’t really noticed the cold, probably because I’d been too focused on Corby to pay attention to how frozen my toes were until Emily mentioned it. “Maybe we should head down to the lobby, too.”
“Good call,” Sarah agreed with a nod as she started to scoot down the row toward the stairs. I followed her with Emily right behind me.
It wasn’t much warmer in the lobby area, and I felt bad that my friends were stuck waiting inside with me. Looking at Sarah, I asked, “Do you have any idea how long it takes to get changed after a game?”
She shrugged and shook her head. “My guess is that it won’t be quick. We might be cold, but I’d be willing to bet that the players still worked up a sweat.”
“Yeah, no way will Corby want to come out here all stinky with you waiting for him,” Emily added, wrinkling her nose.