My stick handling had been second nature, and having done so in practice for years, I easily deked out the defense and wound up to shoot on Nyberg. Only I didn’t, because that was what he was expecting. Instead, I chipped it over to Quinn, who shot a beauty of a one-timer at the top left corner of the net, dinging off the crossbar and down into the net.
And the Knights didn’t have time to answer.
When the clock finally hit zero and the buzzer sounded, I stood up from the bench and hopped over the boards with the rest of my teammates as the Knights quickly vacated the ice. However, as I made a move towards our goalie, my teammates chose instead to surround me in a large group hug.
We did it, boys !
Congrats, Wellsley !
This one was for you.
It was heartwarming, knowing that these men whom I still didn’t know all that well had played today for me. Because most of them knew what it felt like to be in the same situation, and they wanted to give me something to lift my mood. Something to hold on to and something to prove I hadn’t been a weak link, but a core part of the Knights’ line-up.
Something to carry forward as a Royal-to know that I was the type of player who could make a difference.
The celebration of our win continued into the locker room ; the energy of the room high as Coach Lennox walked into the room with a grin on his face.
Way to fight for the win tonight, he said, clapping to further the enthusiasm. You guys capitalized on the opportunities you were given and defended well when we had a man in the box. All things that will help us lock down a spot in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
You know it, Coach !
He chuckled at Ruderman. Get yourself dressed, because you’re out in front of the press tonight. Which made sense, since he’d picked up a goal and an assist tonight. And Quinn, you’re up too.
You got it.
Coach nodded. Now, I know you’re all tired, but the last one on the bus is getting an extra round of suicides at tomorrow night’s practice.
A round of grumbles and laughs filled the room as Coach turned to leave, and while most of the guys continued stripping off their equipment, I followed him. Not caring that all I’d taken off so far were my helmet and gloves.
Hey, Coach, wait up, I said, hopping not-so-gracefully over the discarded equipment of the guys around me. I-
Wellsley, he cut me off, sighing as he stopped and turned to face me, I know you were probably looking to go out there and talk to the press to let them know you’d found your feet with this organization, but I thought it was best to keep the focus on our win. I didn’t want everything to suddenly fall on your shoulders, but you did play well tonight. That’s not up for debate.
Unexpected, especially since it was actually a relief that I didn’t have to go out in front of the reporters. I still hadn’t fully recovered from the last shit show, but the encouragement was certainly nice to hear.
That… actually wasn’t what I wanted to talk about.
Oh. He straightened, a small crease forming on his forehead. Then what is it ?
Well, I know you’re not exactly policing our rooms tonight or anything-
No, sir. Y’all don’t need babysitters.
My lips twitched. Yeah, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be meeting up with some of the Knights for a drink later, and then I’ll likely head over to my- The next word, foreign to me, got stuck on my tongue for a moment. -girlfriend’s for the night.
His brows rose. Nobody mentioned you left a girlfriend out here, Wellsley.
Yeah, I chuckled, bringing my hand up to rub the back of my neck. That’s because I technically didn’t. We agreed we wouldn’t do long distance, but, you know, things changed.
And they changed quickly, apparently. I’d come back to Boston excited to see my friends, play some hockey, and catch up with Lia, and now I was leaving tomorrow with not only a win for the Royals, but a girlfriend.
Well, I’m not standing in the way of anything, he replied. I know you’ve got a life here, and you’re off the clock until tomorrow morning. Have fun, just be in the lobby and ready to leave for the airport tomorrow at eight.
I will be, I agreed before turning to head back to the locker room.
Now that the game was behind me, I was itching to get out of this gear and catch up with the guys, knowing it would be my last time in Boston for a while. And because of that, it felt like time was simultaneously running too fast and too slow as the team packed up and headed out-Lopez, a second-string defenseman, being the unlucky soul who was gifted an extra round of suicides. When we finally got back to the hotel, it was already after nine, and after a quick shower and a change of clothes, I called an Uber to meet up with everyone at Apollo’s.
I was expecting a few guys to be there-Nyberg, Brookes, Orlov, maybe Schmidt-but when I walked in closer to ten, after two texts from Nyberg making sure I was still showing up, I was surprised to see almost the entire team had made it out.
Wellsley, Orlov exclaimed when he saw me, grinning as he raised his beer in greeting. You came !
I smiled back, realizing most conversations had died down amongst the group and all eyes were on me. Of course I came, I said, sidling up to Brookes and nudging his side. Did you guys think I was going to bail after absolutely annihilating you guys on the ice ?
Oh, the guy has jokes, Nyberg drawled.
That he does. I smirked, nodding down to his nearly empty beer. Did you want another drink ? It could be a consolation for that last-minute goal tonight.
The guys let out a collective ooh at the burn while Nyberg shook his head with amusement and downed the rest of his drink
You know what ? I’m gonna take you up on that, he said, throwing an arm around my shoulder and directing me toward the bar.
When the bartender looked over at us, I held up two fingers. Can we get two Heineken ?
Passing over a ten as the bottles were slid toward us, I waved at him to keep the change and knocked the neck of my bottle against Nyberg’s in cheers before taking a swig.
You know, Nyberg started, you played great out there tonight. Even though the whole team knew your style of play, the guys still had trouble keeping a read on you, and I’ll admit, I was expecting you to take that last shot instead of passing it off.
And that’s exactly why I didn’t.
He nodded in understanding. But yeah, it’s like you somehow honed your skills and changed your game while still being the strong center you’ve always been. It shows, and I think the move out west spurred it.
In the chaos of switching teams, moving, and getting my footing with the Royals, I hadn’t realized that my game had changed or evolved. There hadn’t been any time to even consider it. But he was right. I’d gone to Los Angeles with something to prove-with a fire burning inside me to show not just the Knights, but the country, that I was a valuable player. That I could help bring home a cup. And I’d done just that. I’d put my head down, studied, integrated into the system of play the Royals used, and had absorbed all the advice I could from my new coaches.