Page 183 of Game Misconduct

“Let’s do this thaaaaaaaaaaang,” Tanner bellowed and pumped his fists.

He turned to Crawford and they did their chest punches and suddenly everything fell into place.

It felt like a dream as Tanner shot onto the ice after Jesse a few minutes later.

Every lap around their half of the ice, every practice shot, every second of the anthem on the bench. It was perfect and right and Tanner slipped into that beautiful groove.

There was magic in the air as Graham got the first goal of the game and Jesse blocked shot after shot from L.A. That magic practically crackled on the bench as Tanner watched Rafe pull the puck off the boards and shoot it to Mickey, who set Anker up for a goal.

Tanner could feel that magic as he went out again in the way the puck seemed magnetized to his stick, every pass crisp, every shot clean.

L.A. was playing hard but no matter what they did, it felt like the Harriers were unstoppable.

The mood, thecertaintythat this was their moment, their year, seemed to lift everyone’s mood and even Connor managed a nice little tap in goal despite his bum shoulder.

The look of sheer relief that went across Tom’s face after he got a goal in a few minutes later made Tanner hug him even harder and shove him into the arms of their teammates who did the same.

No one blamed Tommo for what had happened. They loved him. He was one of them, no matter what.

Even when Tanner went down in a tangle of limbs by Jesse’s net after one of the Suns’ forwards smashed into him, he popped up quickly.

He went to the bench because something didn’t feel right at all, but he only laughed when he pulled off his glove to see a finger cocked out at a weird angle.

Dislocated.Fun.

He’d seen Crawford reset his own fingers himself so he tried it, pulling it out and feeling it pop back into place. It sent a weird surge of nausea through him, and he had to put his head down on the boards and breathe through it while Crawford laughed at him.

When the queasiness passed, Tanner glanced up, grinning at his D-partner and jostling his shoulder. “See, I’m a tough guy like you!” he boasted loudly, breaking into giggles a moment later because he couldn’t take himself seriously at all.

Crawford guffawed and that laughter turned infectious. Even their coaches started to chuckle, and Tanner smiled as he watched Jesse at the far end of the ice, swaying to the invisible beat in his head, loose and relaxed, like he’d picked up the mood on the bench.

That energy followed throughout the game and although L.A. managed to score, there was nothing but calm certainty from the Harriers after.

Shot after shot. Block after block. Save after save.

As the clock wound down in the third period, Tanner skated like he’d never skated before and the moment the puck touched his stick, he knew it was going in.

He took it hard to the L.A. net, weaving around their defensemen like they weren’t even there. It took less than a second to deke around one, and then he was slipping the puck in over their goalie’s shoulder, cementing the Harriers’ win.

They’d done it this year. The Cup wastheirs.

Leif’s cheeks were a little wet as he watched the Harriers pour out onto the ice to celebrate, tumbling out in a joyous mess of bodies.

“C’mon!” Mandy tugged at Leif’s hand, dragging him away from his seat. “We have to get down there!”

He followed without really seeing where he was going as he replayed that last, beautiful play of Tanner’s.

They’d have won anyway. The Harriers had been two points ahead and it had been clear since the beginning of the game that L.A. was outmatched tonight.

Whatever they’d done to pull it together again, the Harriers had clearly decided that there was no way they would lose.

It had been breathtaking to watch, and although Leif had winced at the sight on the Jumbotron of Tannerresetting his own fingeron the bench, he’d also seen the way the team responded to him.

The closeness. The camaraderie.

They’ddeservedthis win.

So although it had made Leif ache with desire to be out there himself, to see his own team hoist the Cup, he knew Tanner had been right. It hadn’t been the Rockets’ year, but itwasthe Harriers’ and Leif could be happy for him tonight.