What You Don't Know

It's the last game of the season. We're at the Garden for the championship game. I'm pumped...and nervous. We're all in the locker waiting for the call to come out onto the ice. Tonight, they're playing Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin when we skate out. It's going to be awesome and intense. Jake is sitting as far away as possible from Brettly and I. Owen told me while we were warming up that he hasn't spoken to his brother in days. Their parents have decided to take them to counseling. Owen is fucking pissed about it and is going only to please him mom.

When we get the call, we head out. Our goalie, Alexei, and I always walk out last. It's just our team's thing even though every other team's goalie goes out first. We're playing Atchison-Hoffman High School for the season ending game, the championship match. As we get close to the rink, I hear the crowd getting louder and louder, and I hear the music playing. I hope I can see my mom, my sister, and Gracie in the stands. It's a full house tonight. When Alexei and I skate onto the ice, the crowd is already going insane.

I look to where my mom and sister usually sit, and they are there with Gracie and her parents. Brettly's parents are in front of them. They're cheering so loudly. They have banners and their faces painted in our colors. Before we know it, warm ups are over and our centerman is at the center of the rink for the puck drop. The puck hits the ice, and the game is on. The second line is on first. Mine is up next, the first line.

There are so many close calls in the 1st period, but no goals were scored. Owen missed by less than an inch on a breakaway. We go into the 1st intermission wanting more. Coach comes in to the locker room and gets us even more pumped up. His swears between every few words remind me of Boudreau. We go out during for the second period. Just as the puck drops, Jake and the opposing player drop their gloves. They've wanted to go since last season. They square off like Shawn Thornton and Milan Lucic, ready for the fight. Jake goes in for the first punch and lands it. From then on, it's a pounding from Jake. When the refs break them up, they're both thrown from the game with a ten minute misconduct but Jake to an applause, even from Brettly with a stick tap.

We skate up and down the ice with more and more missed opportunities. Then, one guy takes a cheep shot at my knees against the boards, and there's no call. I don't immediately go after him because I'll getting a fucking retaliation call, but I'll get him. I go back to the bench and wait for our lines to be out again. When Coach calls my line to hit the ice, I bolt. I head straight for that motherfucker. He's up against the boards with the puck. I put my full body weight into him, and then I hear a shattering. Not of bones, of glass. A piece of shattered glass hits our heads and some of fans heads. There's glass everywhere. The guy I hit through it is bleeding pretty badly from his nose. I notice that I'm bleeding from my wrist where the glass sliced me. Lucky for us, the second period is almost over. We can get patched up and be back for the third period.

When everyone joins me in the locker room after the second period, we're crazy frustrated and crazy determined to score first and win this damn game. Coach is yelling at us, pumping us up, "Come on! You fuckin' got this shit! Don't those fuckers screw this fucking shit up!" We go out to the third period with insane confidence. The crowd is even louder than it was before. It's insanity here at the Garden. It's sounds like a Bruins game but without the arena filled. Coach asks me to be the centermen for the puck drop instead of left/right winger. I can do all three. It gives me an idea. I yell to Anderson, one of the defensemen, "Golden pathway!" Our team's secret phrase for our favorite play that can only happen in this type of situation. It mimics the goal path of Bruins in Game 7 against Tampa Bay, but we can get through more easily because, hopefully, we won't be going from our side of the rink. The puck drops, and I'm off.

Anderson passes it to the left winger, Mikey. Mikey saucer-passes it to me, and I shift it into the back of the net. It's in! It fucking went in! Get's the goalies every fucking time. Anderson, Mikey, and the rest of my line mates practically tackle me in celebration. Zombie Nation sounds off. I can hear all of the Cassidy Falls fans going insane. Somehow, we knew that was enough even with about nineteen minutes of play left. We just knew it. We kept pushing ourselves to our limits. Our bench continued to be vocal and encourage every line and defensive pair. Alexei kept every single puck out of our net. When the final buzzer sounded, our crowd went insane. We went insane. Every tackled Alexei, and then they facewashed me and gave me huge hugs. Man hugs.

When we receive the trophy, we are almost in tears. I've almost never been so happy in my entire life. When our photo session was over, we were able to see our families. They were invited onto the ice. I see Gracie through the throng of people, but she goes over to Brettly first, understandably. Then, my mom and sister finally find me. Their faces are priceless. They're both crying. I hug my mom so tightly and my sister just as much. "Thank you so much, mom, for everything," I say in tears. She just just smiles at me with tears glistening in her eyes. She's the best mom anyone could ever ask for.

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While I'm standing with my mom, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Gracie. She's in tears too and gets me going again. I pick her up, and she wraps her legs around me. She molds around my stinky gear, and I mold my mouth to hers. We release our lips from each others. "I love you, Ty," she says to me, looking straight into my eyes. "I love you, too, Gracie," I say, letting every emotion out. "My parents are going to be at Brettly's tonight and my sister will be gone too. Do you want to stay over after the party at Brettly's?" she says in hushed tone "God yes, baby girl," I let out quietly.

I put Gracie and ask my mother. She says yes. I can. Us hockey players head back to the locker room to shower, change, and do interviews with the local news station and newspapers. This is almost everything I imagined it would be. I can't believe how great this is. I thank god every day that I have this and have my family and friends to support me. I can't wait for tonight either. The party is going to be crazy, and then my night with Gracie is going to be just...indescribable. Let's do it! I yell in my head as I yell out loud in the locker room, "Fuck yeah boys! Fuckin' rights, boys! Fuckin' rights!"