Page 90 of Goalie Interference

Fuck. I mean Ivanov.

I let out a breath. That’s right. Focus. I have a job to do. A job that has nothing to do with Ivanov.

“You ready?” Gavin asks me when the anthem ends and the lights come back on.

I hold my fist up for him to bump. “More ready than I’ve ever been.”

“More ready than you were last night?” Tavish teases.

“Leave him alone,” Connor says as he skates by. “None of us tease you when your wife comes to a game.”

“Yeah.” Tavish laughs. “That’s because my wife isn’t playing for our opposing team.”

“And neither is mine,” I say. “Ivanov and I aren’t married.”

“Yet,” Connor says as he bumps my helmet with his, then skates away while Tavish follows him, laughing.

Gavin stops himself in front of me and places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy you two worked your shit out,” he says. “But I swear to the hockey gods, Ander, if we lose this game because you’re distracted by him, I’m sending you up to Alaska to spend the rest of the season on my dad’s commercial fishing boat.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” I grin at him. “Your dad’s awesome.”

“You can visit him in the offseason. Right now, I need you to help us win this fucking game.”

Nikolai

This feels like a playoff game with how hard both teams are battling. The score is tied two a-piece as the third period nears its close. Overtime is in our future if we don’t score soon.

It’s not like my boys aren’t trying. This has been a high shot count game from both teams. But Ander and I are both playing our best hockey tonight. It’s reminiscent of last season’s playoffs. And honestly, it’s a good test for my team. We’ve had it easy this year. Our division is weak and, as a whole, the Eastern Conference is much stronger than the Western, where the majority of our games are played.

Don’t get me wrong. We’ve worked hard for our winning record. But it has been a while since we have truly been tested. Even the losses this season were never that big of a deal or a cause for concern. They could easily be explained away by unlucky puck bounces, or an exhausted team from a tight travel schedule.

But tonight is different. The Blizzards are giving us all they’ve got. And since I have spent more time than I should admit watching Blizzard’s games this season, I know for a fact that they have been due for a reset for a while. I can sense a heater in their future. I only hope it doesn’t start with a win against us.

Across the ice, I see Ryan pass the puck to Brandon as he nears the Blizzard’s net. Ander creeps out to challenge him.

I always love watching these two play against each other. The way they know one another so well. The fact that they know each other’s tricks. The way one can read the other. It’s fascinating.

But also infuriating, as Ander plucks Brandon’s shot out of thin air before it even comes close to finding the back of the net. The buzzer goes off, announcing the end of the third period. Sudden death overtime, here we come.

Ander

I can do this. I know I can. All I have to do is weather the storm a little longer.

A storm that has been relentless all game. Last I checked, I’ve stopped thirty-eight of forty shots on goal. Ivanov has stopped thirty-six. This game is practically dead even in all ways. Two great teams going toe to toe.

At center ice the ref drops the puck and Ryan comes away with the faceoff win. Of course he does. Faceoffs are one of Ryan’s many strong suits.

Unfortunately, he’s not so strong at deflecting hits. Gavin has completely leveled him before he can get the puck out of the neutral zone.

The St. Louis crowd boos him loudly. But I know Gavin. All that is going to do is fuel him. On the ice, he lives for this shit.

He gets control of the loose puck then passes it to Connor. I would hate to be Ivanov right now. It wasn’t that long ago that Connor was a Broad Wing instead of a Blizzard. For our entire careers up until the Olympics, I had to keep his shots out of the net. Hardest job I’ve ever had. No one in the NHL has a shot like Connor. His accuracy. The speed of his release. The amount of force he can get behind it.

The way it thumps when it collides with the netting before you even know it went past you.

Sorry, Ivanov. My cheeks lift into a grin. Connor beat you. This game ends three to two.

Nikolai