Rhys

The day finally came—the Stanley Cup Finals that we had been looking forward to for months. We had been practicing for days after the media tours ended, and it was one of the craziest moments of my career.

Due to the long break we had because of the issues with the Westbridge Falcons, we had to practice ten times harder than the usual practice, and it was crazy because during those days, no one went home.

It was either we were on the ice, exercising, or building our defensive team.

Tonight was the first game, and our opponent turned out to be the Southbridge Bears, one of the craziest hockey teams in the world. The day I heard they won the Northern Finals, I knew we would have a hard time taking them down.

But I had faith in the Avalanche, and they believed in themselves too, because the locker room felt alive as I entered to address them.

Everyone was laced up, geared up, and ready to fight for what we had worked so hard to reach.

I stood in the center of the room, looking at my teammates, smiling when our eyes met. Everyone was ready to hear what I had to say.

I cleared my throat and raised my voice so it carried through the entire locker room.

"Listen up, everyone. We have reached this point after everything we have been through this season. All the early mornings, all the late nights, all the bruises, the battles we fought have brought us here," I began, pointing to everyone in the room.

"This season, we are going to take the Cup again. I know this is still only Game 1, but we cannot treat it lightly. We have to fight with everything we have from the very first puck drop," I placed a hand on my hips, crossing my legs for a moment, then as I continued my words, I resumed pacing around.

"The Southbridge Bears have great players among them, players who can change the game in a single shift. They are fast and they are strong, but the Northern Avalanche never gives up a fight. We always grind through every moment and support each other by pushing harder even when the pressure tries to break us. Tonight, we will go out there and show them exactly what we are made of and why we have held the Cup for two years."

The team erupted into loud cheers and banged their sticks against the benches, voices rising together in crazy energy that always lifted the mood.

"Yeah!" Jaxon shouted as he raised his stick up. "If those Bears think they can outskate us, they obviously have not watched Miller trying to keep up with me during practice. They are going to need all the luck they can get, because we are bringing more than they can handle." He hit his stick on the bench.

Everyone laughed, the sound rolling through the room and loosening some of the heavier nerves that had been sitting there.

It felt good to have that moment of lightness before we stepped out, because the ice might turn out to be what we didn’t expect.

"We got this, Cap," Miller muttered, sending a thumbs-up toward me.

I nodded at him and looked into everyone’s faces until my eyes met with Kayden. He was smiling at me, and when his eyes met with mine, I returned the smile.

"Everyone!" Coach Reddick clapped his hands together as he stepped forward. "Alright, boys. Enough talking for now. You all are going to get out there and show the world what the Northern Avalanche is truly made of. I trust that you will do well, which is why you should leave nothing behind tonight on the ice. Do your best!"

Another wave of cheers rose up, even louder this time, voices overlapping with excitement.

Then, as we always did before heading onto the ice, we gathered closer for our slogan, stretching forth our hands.

"Cold as ice!" I called out, starting the rhythm we all knew so well.

"Hard as stone!" The team roared back in one powerful voice.

"Avalanche! Take the throne!" Everyone screamed together, clapping their hands.

"Let’s go!" I yelled.

They all turned back toward the benches, grabbed their sticks, wore their helmets, and began skating toward the tunnel that would lead us out onto the rink.

I could hear the roar of the crowd in the arena growing louder as our team’s name was announced.

My heart pounded hard against my chest, knowing that we were about to face the final games. Even though this was my third time in the finals, I still couldn’t shake off the nervousness spreading through me.

I could feel my hands shaking on the stick, matching the rhythm of my heart. If I was feeling like this, I couldn’t help but wonder how Kayden was feeling.

I looked around for him and saw him standing side by side with Miller, who had a hand on his shoulder.

I heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that at least Miller was by his side to guide him.

The tunnel opened up, signaling that it was time, and we all skated out onto the ice and were welcomed by the bright arena lights.

The roar of the crowd grew even louder at the sight of us. We all looked around for a few seconds, waving at the fans.

The Southbridge Bears were already warming up on their side, their jerseys a forest green with silver and black trim. It gave them a confident yet predatory look. They looked fast, but so did we.

That was why we were the Northern Avalanche, after all.

Up in the broadcast booth, the commentators’ voices sounded over the arena speakers, their excitement clear despite the noise of the fans.

"Welcome to this year’s Stanley Cup Finals, ladies and gentlemen! The Northern Avalanche have done it again. They are back for another shot at the Cup after claiming it the last two seasons. With Rhys Calder as their team captain, this team has shown time and time again that they know how to finish strong. But the question on everyone’s mind tonight is whether they can make it three in a row, or if the Southbridge Bears will finally be the ones to dethrone the defending champions."

The second commentator jumped in smoothly, his tone picking up even more energy. "And let’s not forget the personal story that has everyone talking off the ice as well. Captain Rhys Calder and his teammate Kayden Vale have been making headlines far beyond the rink lately. Their relationship has been trending nonstop—#RhysAndKayden and #AvalancheRomance have been dominating sports feeds for weeks now. What started as teammates has clearly grown into something much deeper, and it’s been fascinating to watch how these two have balanced their personal connection with the intense pressure of chasing another Cup. Will the romance fuel them or add extra weight tonight? Only time will tell, but the fans certainly seem to love the story."

The crowd cheered at the mention of Kayden and me.

Another voice added with a chuckle, "They went from denying any connection to openly trending every weekend. It’s one of the most talked-about storylines in hockey right now—even in the sports world!"

The arena announcer’s voice boomed next, cutting through the ongoing cheers. "And now, welcome back to the ice... number 26, Kayden Vale! After the fallout with Westbridge Falcons, he has returned to the ice."

The moment Kayden’s name was called, the entire arena erupted with even louder cheers. "Kayden! Kayden!"

The sound vibrated through the boards and up into the rafters.

I glanced toward him as he waved at the fans who continued cheering him.

The support from the fans seemed to lift something in him, and it lifted me too, knowing he was right there on left defense beside me.

After the announcement, we warmed up for a brief moment and got into our positions as we prepared for the opening faceoff.

As we lined up for the puck drop, the referees skated into position at center ice. The crowd noise dipped just enough for the officials to get ready.

The two centers, Miller for us and the Bears’ captain, crouched low, their sticks hovering as their eyes locked on the referee who held the puck high.

Then the puck dropped, and Game 1 started.

The Southbridge Bears came out incredibly fast, their forwards surging with speed that forced us to react right away.

Their wingers pushed hard into our zone on the very first shift, testing our defense early.

I skated hard along the right side, keeping my position tight, when one of their players glided up beside me during a quick line change. It was Damian Fernadez, a beta—an old flame from college.

He used to be what I thought would be my boyfriend because, after all, he was my first, but things didn’t turn out well during my fourth year in college, and we ended things.

He paused hockey for a while after an accident and only returned this season, and now we were meeting again after so many years.

"Rhys Calder," Damian said with a smooth, confident grin as he passed close enough for only me to hear. "Fancy seeing you again after a long time." He gave me a quick wink, the one he usually gave whenever he was teasing me in the past. "Let’s make this interesting."

I frowned and kept my focus on the play, offering a short nod in return, but the brief encounter sent a small ripple through me—one I hoped would never happen again.

The pace between both teams stayed relentless. The Bears were pushing hard, using their speed to create early pressure, but we answered with our own grit and structure.

Miller battled in the neutral zone, Jaxon and Luca flew along the wings, Kayden stayed solid on left defense, and I held the right side, reading every rush and trying to shut down their attacks before they could reach us.