When We Write the Stars

Chapter 28: Hayden

 "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone."– The Fellowship of the Ring

Chapter 28. Hayden

     We'd done it. We'd won the semi-final yesterday, and in an hour would be playing in the final. Against Boston College. Of course, it had to come down to them, the first and one of the only teams to beat us all season. They were good and had already proven that they could beat us. I was more nervous than I'd been all season, but we could do this. We had to do this. It was our final chance. I couldn't let this game be my last game ever, it would just be my last game in a Seaport jersey. We would win this, I'd get a contract from Toronto, and then go on to win the Stanly Cup and have everything I could've ever dreamed of.

     I hadn't thought about anything other than hockey or this game all weekend, I'd put my phone on Do Not Disturb not long after we landed, and was doing everything I could to keep my teammates in line. For the most part, they'd been doing good, we all wanted this, but after winning the semi-final game, I'd had to keep a few guys from going out and celebrating, that win meant nothing. It wasn't worth partying, the only game worth partying for was the finals.

     I was nervous about Boston, they'd been playing Yale in the semi-finals and we'd all been cheering for Yale to beat them. Boston had been good this year, they were every year, but there were a number of guys they had that I had no doubt would be playing in the NHL next year.

     Going out onto the ice for the finals was really unlike anything, the energy in the stands was electric, and I could only imagine this is what it must feel like every night when you're in the NHL. And I could experience that, it was within reach. There was a part of me that knew, that winning this game didn't guarantee me a contract, and another part that knew that I'd probably still be able to sign with a team if I didn't get the contract, but after three straight trips to this tournament, and just barely not making it I was hungry. We all were. We wanted this, and we just needed to want it more than Boston.

     Right from the puck drop, we were on fire. They were too, unfortunately, and the back and forth was more intense than any other game I'd played. We were changing lines even faster than usual because of how hard we were pushing and how tiring this was getting.

     Boston got the first goal, and it pissed me off. I was on the bench, our fourth line was out and it was a breakaway goal. Breakaway goals always suck, but it could've been stopped so easily if we'd just controlled the puck better. Coach must've seen the look in my eye after they scored because he put my line back in immediately.

     If we were hungry before, now we were starving, and thanks to all the work we'd put in since Vegas, we were winning a lot more of the faceoffs. Their goalie was good though, probably one of the best in the league, I had no idea how many shots we'd taken, but I had at least three and there were still eight minutes left in the first. We needed to score, we couldn't go into the locker room during the period break down by one.

     The fourth line made up for their earlier mistake, when Gellar, a sophomore deked and scored. Naturally, we all went wild, and I patted him on the back as we switched lines again, hoping to get another before the end of the period.

     There was always a sigh of relief when we scored the first goal, it meant we wouldn't get shut out, because as embarrassing as a loss is, a straight-up shutout would've been pathetic.

     I skate as if my life depends on it for the remainder of the first period, but there are no goals from either side. We go into the locker room tied at 1-1 and Coach says a few words on how we can play better, then lets us rest. Everyone turns towards me, expecting me to say something.