Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
The next day, I got to the rink two hours before game time, my hockey bag slung over my shoulder.
The place was nearly empty, just a few staff members setting up for tonight’s final game against Montana State.
Today’s game would determine which team led the Mountain West conference and I desperately wanted to make up for our loss last night.
We still had plenty of season left, but winning against one of the best teams in the state would go a long way in making sure we made it to the playoffs a few months from now.
I’d texted Coach Maxwell earlier, asking if we could talk before everyone else arrived.
I hadn’t had much time to process my fight with my dad and come to terms with my new financial situation, but I knew there was a strong chance I might not be able to play hockey next year.
Coach deserved to know what was going on, especially if I ended up needing to get a job before our season was over.
He was already in his office. “Kane,” he said when he spotted me.
I dropped my bag by the door and took a seat across from him. “Thanks for meeting me, Coach.”
He sat forward, leaning his elbows on his desk. “Everything alright? You seemed distracted during yesterday’s game.”
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I’m dealing with some…family issues.”
Coach’s expression tightened. “Your father?”
I shouldn’t have been surprised he’d picked up on the tension. Coach Maxwell might be young, but he was perceptive as hell.
“Yeah. We had a falling out. It was a long time coming, but he cut me off financially.” I took a deep breath. “Which means I might not be able to play hockey next year, depending on what job I can find to finish school.”
Coach studied me. “Have you talked to the financial aid office?”
“Yeah, they gave me information on getting loans and applying for scholarships, but said I didn’t qualify for any athletic scholarships since our team is only a club team.”
He sat back in his chair. “Hmm. Let me do a little digging to see what options I can find for you. I’ll do what I can to keep you on this team. You’re an incredible leader, Kane.”
“Thanks, Coach. I really appreciate that.”
Then he asked me something I hadn’t really expected from him. “How are you really doing with all this, Foster?”
The use of my first name caught me off guard since he usually only called us by our last names.
“I’m…” I started to say “fine” automatically, then stopped myself. “Actually, I’m pissed. And worried. But also…relieved? Is that weird?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Toxic relationships drain you, especially when they’re with family. Sometimes cutting ties is the healthiest thing you can do.”
“A part of me wishes I’d been strong enough to cut ties sooner,” I said.
He cleared his throat. “Listen, Kane. You’re one of the strongest players I’ve ever coached. Not just in skill, but in character. The way you lead this team, the way you’ve stepped up for your friends—that shows me exactly what kind of man you are.”
I swallowed hard, unexpectedly moved by his words.
“Whatever your father thinks, he’s wrong,” Coach continued. “And I’m not just saying that because I need my captain focused for tonight’s game, though I do.” He cracked a smile. “I’m saying it because it’s true.”
“Thanks,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “That means a lot. More than you know.”
He nodded once, then his demeanor shifted back to all business. “Now, about tonight’s game. MSU’s defense adjusted to our offensive strategy yesterday. We need to mix things up.”
I straightened, grateful for the change in topic. “I was thinking the same thing. Their defensemen were anticipating our passes across the neutral zone.”
For the next thirty minutes, we talked strategy, the weight on my shoulders lightening with each passing minute. By the time the rest of the team started trickling in, I felt centered again, focused on what I could control—my performance on the ice.
Drew was the first to arrive, eyeing me curiously as he dropped his bag next to mine.
“All good?” he asked.
“Yep, just came in early to talk strategy with Coach.”
“Good,” Drew said, pulling out his skates. “Because we need your head in the game tonight. Yesterday was a shit show.”
I couldn’t argue with that. We’d been sloppy and unfocused. It had been an off night for all of us, but if we wanted to keep our position in the league, then we couldn’t afford any more off nights.
“Don’t worry about me,” I told Drew. “I’m locked in.”
As the rest of the team arrived, I fell into my role as captain, leading warm-ups and keeping everyone’s energy up. The locker room buzzed with pregame excitement.
Coach Maxwell entered the locker room as we were suiting up, his game face on.
“Alright, gentlemen. You know what’s on the line tonight.
MSU is a strong team, and we’re pretty evenly matched, which means we need to give it our all to take the edge.
Yesterday, we beat ourselves with sloppy passes and missed opportunities.
” He looked around the room, his gaze landing on each player.
“Tonight, we play our game. We control the pace. We finish our checks. And we don’t let them get close to Gordy. ”
He turned to me. “Kane, anything to add?”
I stood, looking at the faces of my teammates—my chosen family. “Whatever happens out there tonight, we stick together. We cover each other. We’ve worked our asses off all season for this opportunity. Let’s make it count.”
A chorus of “Hell, yeah” and stick taps filled the room.
As we filed out toward the ice, Liam nudged my shoulder. “You good, Captain?”
I nodded. “Never better.”
The arena erupted as we hit the ice for warm-ups.
The stands were packed, more people than I’d ever seen at one of our games.
My eyes automatically scanned the crowd, finding Abby in her usual spot near the glass.
She smiled when she caught my eye, and I tapped my palm against the glass as I skated by.
Warm-ups flew by, and before I knew it, we were lined up for the opening face-off. The MSU center across from me smirked.
“Ready to lose that top spot, Kane?”
I just smiled. “Not a chance, Dwyer.”
The puck dropped, and I won it cleanly back to Liam, who immediately fired it up the boards to Drew.
Game on.
The first period was a chess match, both teams feeling each other out, neither willing to make the first mistake. Their goalie made a spectacular save on my breakaway attempt midway through the period. I slammed my stick against the boards in frustration as I returned to the bench.
“You’ll get him next time,” Coach said. “He’s cheating to his glove side. Go blocker.”
I nodded, filing away the information.
The period ended scoreless, both teams heading to their locker rooms to regroup.
“We’re playing well,” Coach said. “But we need to capitalize on our chances. Kane, press hard on the forecheck. Dumontier and Farrell—if the puck gets chipped high, I want aggressive pinches at the blue line. Keep the puck in their zone.”
We nodded, determination setting in.
The second period started with a flurry of action. MSU came out flying, hemming us in our zone for the first two minutes. Gordy made save after save, keeping us in the game. Finally, Drew managed to clear the puck, and we changed lines on the fly.
I jumped over the boards just as Liam intercepted a pass at our blue line. He spotted me streaking through the neutral zone and hit me with a perfect pass.
Remembering Coach’s advice, I faked to my forehand, then quickly pulled the puck to my backhand and lifted it over Reeves’s outstretched blocker. The puck hit the back of the net with a satisfying thud.
The crowd exploded as I raised my arms in celebration. My teammates mobbed me, a tangle of limbs and excited shouts.
“Fucking beautiful, Candy Kane!” Drew yelled, thumping my helmet.
I was too happy to even be annoyed at the nickname.
Our lead didn’t last long. MSU tied it up five minutes later on a power play after Liam took a questionable tripping penalty. The momentum shifted, and they scored again with thirty seconds left in the period. We headed to the locker room down 2-1, the energy noticeably deflated.
“We’re still in this,” I said, looking around at my teammates. “Twenty minutes left. This is where we show what we’re made of.”
They nodded, but I could see the doubt creeping in. Yesterday’s loss was still fresh in their minds.
Coach entered, his expression stern but not defeated.
“They’re outworking us right now,” he said bluntly.
“But that ends now. I want every single one of you to win your individual battles. Every face-off, every puck along the boards, every race to a loose puck—win it. That’s how we turn this around. ”
We took the ice for the third period with renewed determination. The first few minutes were back and forth, neither team gaining an advantage. Then, disaster struck.
MSU’s top line caught us on a bad change. Their winger, a speedy guy named Ramsey, blew past our defense and tucked the puck around Gordy. 3-1 MSU with fifteen minutes left.
The air seemed to go out of our bench. I looked around at my teammates, seeing shoulders slump and heads hang low.
“Hey!” I shouted, standing up. “We’re not done. Not even close.”
Drew nodded, his jaw set. “Let’s go, boys. One shift at a time.”
We pushed hard, throwing everything we had at them. With eight minutes left, Drew scored on a beautiful end-to-end rush, cutting the deficit to one. The crowd came alive again, belief flowing back into the arena.
But time was our enemy now. Every minute that ticked by without the tying goal seemed to drain the energy out of the rink. With two minutes left, Coach pulled Gordy for an extra man on the ice.
We jumped over the boards, six desperate men against five. The puck pinballed around the MSU zone as we fired shot after shot. Reeves stopped everything, some saves more luck than skill.
With thirty seconds left, I won the face-off back to Drew, who fired a hard pass to Liam at the point.
Liam wound up for a slap shot, but instead of shooting, he sent a pass right onto my tape at the side of the net.
I had a wide-open net, Reeves out of position—and I missed.
The puck slid harmlessly through the crease and out the other side.
“Fuck!” I yelled, slamming my stick against the ice.
Before we could reset, MSU cleared the puck down the ice. Drew raced after it, but the clock hit zero before he could retrieve it. Game over.
The final horn sounded like a death knell. I stood motionless, hands on my knees, disbelief washing over me. How had I missed that chance? It was the easiest goal I’d ever have, and I’d blown it.
MSU celebrated at center ice while we filed off in silence, the weight of disappointment crushing us.
In the locker room, no one spoke. Some guys stared blankly at the floor; others angrily stripped off their gear.
I sat frozen in defeat, still fully dressed, replaying that final missed opportunity over and over in my mind.
How could I miss when it was wide fucking open?
I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. We could still make it to playoffs later this season, but now the top spot was going to MSU.
Coach entered, his face somber but not angry.
“I know this isn’t how any of you wanted tonight to go,” he said quietly.
“But I want you to know how proud I am of this team. We had a bad week. It happens. Next week, we have three more games to win, so we aren’t going to let this week’s losses keep us down. Got it?”
We all nodded, but we were still disappointed.
After Coach left, I finally stood, addressing my teammates. “This one’s on me,” I said, my voice thick. “I had the chance to tie it, and I didn’t come through.”
“Bullshit,” Drew said immediately. “We win as a team, we lose as a team. One play doesn’t define a game or a season.”
Gordy nodded. “Monty’s right, Foster. We all had chances we didn’t capitalize on.”
Their support meant everything, but it didn’t erase the sting of that missed opportunity.
I wasn’t going to let this game break me.
We still had more season left.
And I was still their captain—for the rest of this year, at least.