NHL Short Stories

beyond your ice - kirill kaprizov *

WC: 3201
*Sexual content*

My teammate and our center Paige passed the puck to me, and since I had been preparing my slap shot since she was controlling the puck a few seconds ago, I was ready for it.

As the puck came in my direction in between one of the defenders' feet, I raised my stick at an angle and swung my stick around to hit that scuffed, rubber puck on the ice. You could hear that slap all throughout the arena, then the puck ricocheted towards the Wisconsin goaltender.

Hitting that lovely crossbar in the top left corner, the puck sunk into the net over the goaltender's right shoulder. The goal horn sounded, and the Gophers win in overtime-just like that. Completed the sweep against the bordering, rivaling Badgers, and now we had Bemidji State in a few days.

I raised my arms in triumph, screaming "Let's go!" to my teammates as they all came over to our post-goal huddle congratulating each other.

"What a goal!!" exclaimed our left winger, Natalie.

I chuckled. "Thanks, I expected it to go wide," I told her, then everyone on our bench joined our huddle as we moved to center ice, then I got to hear my glorious goal being called over the PA system at Ridder Arena.

"Golden Gopher goal! Her twenty-third of the season, by number twelve, Blake Levine! Assisted by number seventeen Paige Ryder. Time of goal in overtime, 2:31." the announcer said over the system, and of course I smiled at the mention of my name as the crowd went crazy.

Once the Gophers celebrated our overtime win, we got our things picked up and headed to the locker room.

Before I headed into the locker room, though, I noticed that my boyfriend was able to make it to tonight's game. He was rocking a maroon Gophers hockey baseball cap with his black Minnesota Wild sweatshirt, arms crossed as we made eye contact. I thought Kirill said he had to do some errands, but maybe he finished with them all before coming to the game.

I chuckled as we looked at each other, then I followed my other teammates in the locker room to celebrate our win.

-

I tossed my backpack in the back passenger seat of Kirill's car, then shut the door. I got into the passenger side and got settled in, then buckled myself in for safety.

"That was an awesome game," he told me as he began driving again. "Nice goal."

I chuckled. "Thanks," I giggled. "It was all for you."

He blushed as he smiled wider. "I'm flattered," he responded.

I smiled. "You should be. Thanks for coming out to the barn tonight. I didn't expect you to be there," I told him as I reach over to the center console and looped my fingers in the spaces between his fingers. He squeezed them tighter as he quickly glanced at me, a sparkle igniting in those gorgeous hazel eyes of his, then focused back on the road as we held hands on the console.

"Do you have homework tonight?" he asked me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. My one stupid psychology class. I'd kill myself rather than take this damn retarded class again," I responded, then looked out of the window as he cruised down the street. Nothing was more tranquil and serene than driving down a road at a decent speed after a helluva game.

Kirill chuckled. "Don't you have a few weeks left?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. I want to be done, though. As if you can't tell from all the complaining," I giggled as I looked back at him.

He chuckled again before the car filled with silence as the radio playing some Russian music grew louder to hear amongst the silence.

"I came to your game tonight because that was my errand to run, you know?" he told me as he looked at me with a cheeky smile on his face.