Summer Shot (Wyverns Hockey #2)
Recap
Anytime I think about that day, my body goes numb. Visions of the accident still haunt me. Somehow, I survived but I didn’t feel like I was really living. The accident turned my life upside down.
Nick and I had big dreams and aspirations—together—with Nick as captain of the team his senior year, for the second year in a row, and me finally at West with him working on the Marketing and PR team supporting the Wyverns. But with the accident, that dream slipped out of reach.
Little did I know, he applied to the PR and marketing program on my behalf prior to the accident.
Deciding to come to WMU for the program was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—the memory of my brother was everywhere—but it was also one of the most rewarding. I started to live my life again by forcing myself to be around hockey, a sport I have loved my entire life.
My dream career working in marketing for an NHL team started to feel like a possibility again with each day I focused on the Wyverns. I even had multiple articles published in USA Hockey Magazine—along with a lot of my hobby photography !
The game wasn’t the only positive impact on me—the team on and off the ice really changed my heart.
Bren, my best friend and cousin, led the PR team last year.
I moved in with her and ate way too much bacon for breakfast. I was reunited with my childhood friend, Tyler Barret, who played hockey alongside my brother growing up and was like family to me.
Somehow, against all odds and against my own promise to myself that I wouldn’t date, love found me in the form of the captain of the team, Lucas Donato.
I was set on swearing off love because of trauma with my ex-boyfriend, but my heart couldn’t ignore my feelings for Lucas.
Lucas is great for me in every way humanly possible. I was, and still am, very smitten.
For the first time since sharing my secret with Nick, I started to open up about my abusive past relationship. Healing that was way overdue started to happen.
Tears were in full force last season when my brother’s Wyverns jersey #88 was retired.
The entire team, support staff, and marketing team wore special edition Nick Bellinger jerseys.
Presales for them were massive, and so many people in the stands wore them too.
The coolest part of the special edition jersey: Nick actually designed them himself.
After finding his sketches in an old notebook, I knew that I wanted to honor him in a big way with his very own jersey.
My heart practically leaped out of my chest at the ceremony when my stepdad announced that he was starting the Nick Bellinger Foundation. My friends and stepdad somehow kept the foundation a secret from my mom and me. My eyes still brim with tears anytime I think about that heartfelt surprise.
The foundation supports grants and scholarships for youth hockey programs as well as providing college scholarship opportunities. All the money the marketing and PR team raised last season went to support the foundation.
But that’s not all, the Wyverns would partner with the foundation as the main charity for seasons to come .
Last season had a lot of ups and downs. It had a lot of trial and trauma—for myself and the hockey team.
The Wyverns became conference champions, having had one of the best regular season records in franchise history.
Lucas and the Wyverns made it all the way to the Frozen Four, but they lost and didn’t make it to the last round of the playoffs.
Even still, it was an incredible season to be a part of.
I am really looking forward to the summer at West and a new season with less stress and heartache than the previous one.