Page 144 of Game Misconduct

With three minutes to go, Pittman shouted for Poole to come off the ice and then they had the extra attacker on, the net empty.

The score was still at 4–3 and it was a long shot that they could even it up, but they tried. They battled in their offensive zone, vying for every opportunity.

No hesitation, just shot after shot.

Webber kept fending them off, dialed in, unwavering.

Leif’s throat grew tight as the seconds ticked down. Just one more goal. Leif could do it, he knew he could.

But Anker Henriksen snagged the puck, shooting it toward center ice where Crawford hovered. Leif tore after him but he was too far away and Crawford skated toward the empty net. He fired the puck in from the slot and it went in cleanly, bounced off the twine, then back out into the crease.

The lamp lit up and the crowd lost their mind as Luke Crawford somehow managed a Gordie Howe hat trick. Ugh. The guywasn’t a goal scorer at all. A good year for him was maybe five goals. Did he have to get one tonight?

Nicky muttered something under his breath about Crawford’s parentage and Leif sighed.

With just seconds left in the game, they’d give it one final shot on the next faceoff …

But the horn sounded and the game was over.

The Harriers had won the game 5–3.

“Good hustle!” Nicky called out as he slapped Leif’s shoulder. “And I’ve got some good news for you. We’re going to the playoffs!”

Despite the loss, hope bubbled up in Leif’s chest. “Yeah?” he asked hoarsely.

“Washington lost to New Jersey. The wild card spot is ours.” Nicky beamed.

“Then we’re gonna have to kick some ass in the first round because I want a rematch with Boston in the second.”

“So do I,” Nicky said, his eyes sparkling with the kind of fire that Leif knew meant he was ready to compete. “Let’s fucking do it!”

Leif grinned back at him. Oh yeah, their captain wasback.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Tanner was flying high as he piled out of the rideshare in front of O’Neill’s Pub. Connor and Jesse had arranged it all of course, wanting to be sure no one drove.

Drinks would be flowing tonight.

Tanner hated that he couldn’t go straight to Leif, but hehadto show up for Luke’s celebration or there would be a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer. Sure, he had a totally deserved reputation for having a lot of hookups, but no one would believe that he’d skipped a huge team party just to get his dick wet.

And, well, he couldn’t exactly tell them that it was so much more than that going on with Leif.

And there was no way Tanner could tell them how much he cared about Leif. Not when in a few weeks they could be facing each other in the second round.

This was the first season in a long time that the Harriers had a decent shot at making a long run. Last year, they’d been in badshape with injuries and sickness. This year, they were all doing pretty good—at least by pro hockey standards—and they had a great roster.

Tanner could feel it in his gut. This was theyear. This was theirchance.

And he knew it would fuck stuff up if they found out about him and Leif. They’d question his loyalties. His ability to put personal feelings aside and focus on the game. And what if it got out somehow and Leif’s team found out? That would be even worse.

Tanner could handle whatever the Harriers threw at him. They were good dudes. They might not like the idea of him dating a guy on a rival team but they’d come around. But the Rockets? It sure didn’t sound like it.

And maybe Leif had Nicky Calhoun and Ian Salter, but that wasn’t enough. Not when the rest of the team finding out Leif was dating him would fuck everything up for Leif.

Because your GM could build a great roster—and the Rockets didn’t even really have that—but it didn’t meanshitif the guys didn’t respect each other. If they weren’t pulling together. A locker room had to be tight. Tighter than any personal differences.

A team with a bunch of homophobes finding out that their top line center and alternate captain was dating a rival? No fucking way. It would crack the locker room into two camps.Especiallybecause they didn’t have the kind of captain that Boston did.