sillybrini
The rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres is older than most of their players. The games are loud, physical, and personal-especially for the goalies.
For most of her life, she's lived in the world of hockey because of her brother, Joseph Woll. She knows the rules of the league, the tension between teams, and the one thing every player understands without needing it said out loud:
You don't cross enemy lines.
But after a rivalry win in Buffalo, one wrong turn outside the arena leaves her wandering unfamiliar streets in the freezing cold-until she runs into the last person she ever expected to help her.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The Sabres' starting goalie had just spent sixty minutes trying to stop her brother's team. Now he's walking her back to her hotel through Buffalo like it's the most normal thing in the world.
It should have been a one-time encounter.
A funny story she'd never tell Joseph.
Except the NHL season is long.
Teams travel.
Rivalries repeat.
And the more they run into each other, the harder it becomes to ignore the pull between them.
Because falling for the goalie on the other side of the rivalry?
That's the kind of secret that could start a war between locker rooms. 🏒