P.O.V: Coach Dave.
I drummed my fingers on my desk, awaiting an email back from Ryan.
Ever since Hazels melt down about not being able to play from her triple A team we’d been planning.
I spent the last week and a half emailing back and forth with the high school hockey association, and for the first time ever… The USA olympic team recruiter.
And, If Hazel wanted it, I had to get an email out to Hockey Town Daily as well.
The email notification on my screen lit up and I instantly clicked on it.
It was email confirmation of Ryan's payment for Hazel to play. Medical, Gear, Travel expenses, all of it.
Turns out Ryan had been co-funding Hazel's hockey career with her mom for a long time.
I sent back a quick thank you just as someone knocked on my door.
It was either one of the boys or Hazel.
I had the boys team down in the locker room for an emergency practice, but they weren't allowed on the ice till I saw them first.
“Enter.” I said quickly closing out the email.
And in came Hazel, she was wearing her hair slicked back into a low braid as well as work out clothes. I told her to come ready to skate.
“Coach.” She said, sounding like a travel kid, it wasnt Dave or my boi like the boys downstairs called me, it was “coach” on and off the ice.
“You can sit or stand, I don't care.” I responded as she was waiting for instructions.
She chose to stand leaning her elbows on the chair in front of her.
“Hazel, Normally I don't do this without a team tryout first.” I began to explain and she looked at me slightly confused. “But I have a game tomorrow that we really need to win, and one next week, hell for the rest of the season.”
She stood up straighter as she realized what I was saying.
“And you really need to play in a game so Melissa, the women's USA hockey team recruiter, can come watch you.”
She looked at me stunned.
“You're joking.” She said refraining from using the actual language she wanted to use.
I shrugged my shoulders grabbing the jersey under my desk but keeping it out of her view.
“You're already on my roaster, paid in full.”
She took a few deep breaths, not sure what to say and it made me smile. The kid thought she'd lost any chance at playing pro and here I was telling her she had the option to be playing tomorrow.
I finally pulled The jersey into her view. It had her name and number on the back and she smirked seeing it.
“What do you say? Wanna play your last high school season as a starting line Bear Cat?”
Now she smiled, shaking her head eagerly and I threw her the jersey.
“Go get your gear on in the visiting locker room, the boys are in the home one i'm about to introduce you.”
She just laughed slightly, words never finding their way out her mouth, but I could practically see that she was screaming thank you on the inside.
Hazel turned and left the office to get changed and I walked towards the home locker room only to be met with a bunch of anxious teenage boys wondering what the hell they did wrong.
Even before I entered the locker room I could hear them talk.
“If someone was vaping during dry season I want to know now before we all have to do sprints.” Mick yelled.
“Mick shut the fuck up I think hes coming.” Zach said back and I could practically hear him pull Mick down from standing on the bench.
I Pushed open the door and every face looked at me, they were all dressed in their practice jerseys.
“You all have talent.” I said, sounding angry just to shake them up a bit. “Hell this whole town has talent. What irritates me is when we just let talent sit around and do nothing!” I looked at Hayden in his goalie pads and he looked frightened, “Are you wasting your talent?”
“No coach.” He said with slight fear behind his eyes.
I then looked at Zane.
“Are you wasting your talent?”
He confidently shook his head no.
“No coach.” He said a lot better than Hayden.
“Is anyone in this room walking around wasting their talent!?” I asked, turning in a circle looking at them all.
“No coach.” They all shouted, sounding like a strong team.
“We have a game tomorrow.” I continued, “And I want to see all of Rice Creek's talent out there!”
They started to get riled up, realizing this was a hype practice, they were not in trouble.
“All of it.” I said again, “I don't care what position you play, what line up you're on, hell I don't care what gender.”
The last line caught them off guard. They all looked at each other slightly confused.
A small smirk fell on Zach 's face and it made me smile.
“Line ups will be switching tomorrow, Rolling D.”
Everyone seemed to get slightly nervous at that.
“We want to beat Rustenburg, they've watched our film, they know our plays, so we hit them with some Rice Creek talent they won't see coming.”
And just as I said that the locker room door opened, perfect timing kiddo.
“Gentlemen, meet Hazel Underwood, your new defensive player.”
Knowing smirks fell on everyone's faces in the locker room. Hazel stood there in full gear with the BearCats jersey on, she left her helmet off though and you could clearly see the smile on her face.
“You all know Hazels Record so I'm sure I don't need to tell you.” I said
The boys all stared at Hazel, she seemed slightly nervous. No doubt wondering how welcoming the team would be to a new member just before playoffs.
Zach was the first to stand up, he walked over on his skates to Hazel facing her. He looked down at her and smirked slightly.
“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get in on the group hug?” Zach asked and I took a step back knowing what was going to happen next.
“What group hug?” Hazel asked, confused.
But just as she said that every one sprung up from their seats and piled Hazle to the ground.
“Hot shot holy shit!” Mick yelled
“Welcome to the team Underwood.” Zach said with a smile on his face as well.
As they all finished crowding her I let out a sharp whistle gaining everyone's attention.
“Alright boys… and girl. I don't want to work us too hard but Hazel needs to learn are plays by tomorrow so chop chop!”
And with that my team walked out of the locker room. They may have won states three years past but this year was going to be different. It was almost everyone's senior year and we were going out with a bang… A big bang.
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Hockey Towns Favorite Girl
RomanceHazel was what they called the best. An image for woman's hockey, the girl that was going to be good. Till she wasn't, now her story revolved around the massive hit she'd been given on the ice and how it practically ended her career. Zach was just...
