Page 53 of Bonus Game
Yeah, that would be a blast.
He made a mental note to look up whether there were any hockey couples later, but the shrill blast of Sullivan’s whistle cut through the rink and abruptly ended the conversation.
“I’m going to put Carr on his ass,” said Sloan. He lifted his gloved hand, his blue eyes glittering with barely contained rage as he flashed Riley a grin. “And if you need help with Banner, tag me in. I’ll crush him into the boards for that last hit he landed on me.”
Riley felt like he was about to make a deal with the devil, but at this point, he had nothing to lose. He put his glove on and bumped his fist to Sloan’s. Smiling at him felt foreign, but not…awful.
“We’ll play for ten minutes this time,” said Coach Sullivan. “And those ten minutes will be tough, but we’re not here to humiliate you. Your coaches want you to have a taste of what it feels like to play against guys who have been in the NHL for years. Our rookies aside, we have guys here today who have made names for themselves and won trophies and cups. So, learn as much as you can from them, because you never know when you might get a call to be on a Citadel line. We’re fostering future teamwork here, boys.”
The air felt electric as Banner took position for the puck drop, and Riley forced himself to breathe when Sullivan gestured him forward with a curt wave.
“What were you and Sloan chatting about?” Banner asked him, smirking.
Riley bent low, clocking Sloan’s location just in case a miracle occurred and he won the face-off. “None of your damn business.”
The puck touched the ice, and Banner flicked it out of the way like Riley knew he would. Face-offs were one of Banner’s specialties, which was impressive for a rookie.
Ten minutes felt like ten hours as Riley tried, and failed, to establish any control of the puck. Both the Admiral and Citadel goalies were fighting for their lives as pucks hit them from all sides, filling the rink with loud thumps and curses as the game continued.
The only time the Admirals had any success was when Riley and Sloan were playing together, but then Carr, Banner, or both would follow and squash any chance they had to score.
Riley felt like he was moving upriver without a paddle, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t having the time of his life. And for the first time since Sloan arrived, they werefinallycommunicating.
It wasn’t the same as having Jake. It couldneverbe the same as having Jake controlling plays from the center, but they were getting somewhere.
The score was twelve to zero because the Citadels had torn the Admiral goalie’s confidence to shreds, but all they needed was one goal. One goal, and Riley would go to sleep later still crying, but happy after getting his ass handed to him.
He didn’t think it was going to happen, but then Sloan sent Riley a backhand pass without looking his way, and instinct drove him to slap it between the Citadel goalie’s legs before he had time to drop to the ice.
The goddamn puck went in, and Riley stupidly threw his stick in the air as he was tackled by his screaming teammates, their laughter exploding when the stick came back down and hit their helmets.
The Citadel players joined in, and someone knocked Riley’s helmet off with an aggressive ruffle that left him staggering. It was only one goal, and the Admirals were about to lose the game, but it still felt like a win.
“You fucking beauty!”
Riley didn’t have time to duck out of the way when Sloan wrapped his arm around his neck and dragged him in for a kiss on the cheek.
“I didn’t think you were going to catch that pass!”
Riley wrestled Sloan’s arm away from his neck before he ended up pulling him off his skates. “I didn’t think I was going to either, but that was awesome.”
A whistle blew, and the celebration pile slowly dispersed to make room for Sullivan and the other coaches. She smiled and clapped her hands, looking pleased as punch as her gaze swept over them.
“I think that’s a good high note to end the game on. We’ll let you guys take a break and then work through a few easy drills to cool down before it’s time to hit the showers.”
Riley was on board with this plan. It was a short practice, but his body would appreciate the extra rest before his game later that night.
The Admirals would be sluggish after the effort they put in today, but the experience they gained would help them in the long run.
Sloan didn’t skulk away like he usually did, and instead chose to do passing drills with Riley for the duration of their practice. Now that the excitement had faded, Sloan was less chatty with him, but he could admit that they weren’t the worst match-up in the history of the universe.
A glimmer of trust had been forged between them, and although Sloan was still a prick, he was less aggravating when he wasn’t starting a fight over every tiny grievance he had.
When the whistle blew and they were allowed off the ice, Riley trudged to the locker room, soaked in sweat and bruised in places he didn’t think possible. Carr had the decency to shoot him apologetic frowns as Riley pulled his clothes off, revealing a lot of areas with purple and red skin.
Sloan had fared no better, and he had a nice scratch on his chin from where his head had bounced off the glass, but he appeared unbothered by his condition.
“Sorry about the rough play,” Banner muttered, so quietly that Riley almost missed it over the locker room chatter. “We’ll go easier next time.”
