Page 15 of Offensive Edge
Aside from a quick power play goal in the second, every moment of the game against the Calgary Cowboys was hard won. Tommy took an awkward hit in the first period and they were down a forward for most of the game.
They ended regulation 2–2, with dwindling morale.
Coach Peters took a moment during the TV time-out between regulation and overtime to pump some confidence back into them.
And then Rowan and Theo had their first chance at overtime together.
They had spent time in practice working on their 3-on-3 OT strategy, but it was always different in-game. Heightened, more intense, unscripted. Theo won their face-off, and Rowan and Vic spread out, trying to cover as much ice as possible while remaining open for Theo’s pass.
Possession is everything in overtime, and Rowan got smashed into the boards, the puck pickpocketed by the Cowboys. He sprinted to their D-zone and watched the 2-on-1 as the Cowboys shot on Sammy. The puck was buried in his glove, and Rowan tapped his pads as he glided by, heading back to the bench for a shift change. The second unit went out and held their own for a minute before it was time for Rowan and Theo to hop back over the boards, this time with Link.
There was no one in the world Rowan would have rather been on the ice with at that moment, regardless of how much Theo hated him.
The Cowboys were a big team, and even though Theo was a big guy as well, the check he received down in the attack zone was awkward, and he went down. In the split second between being on his skates and being on the ice, he still managed to pass the puck straight to where Rowan was in front of the net. A miracle of a pass. From there, it didn’t take much to send the puck into the back of the net.
Theo was already back on his feet. He wasn’t limping or struggling. He was smiling, and Rowan wished that his teammates would hold off on their celebratory crush of a hug so that Rowan could have one moment with just Theo. This Theo, who had just won the game with him and was giving Rowan a smile.
He didn’t get that. Instead, the boys came tumbling onto the ice, swallowing Rowan and Theo up in a hug.
Rowan loved nothing more than to win in Calgary. He knew he’d get tapped for media to talk about his home game, and he already knew what he was going to say.
“How did that overtime goal feel? One strength of the Serpents right now is that you’re such a fast team, which we really saw out there during the extra time.”
“Felt great, obviously. It’s good to see that in our first shot at overtime this year, we pulled out a win.”
“Do you want to talk us through that final play?”
“Not a whole lot to say. Theo is the best passer in the league. I have no idea how he got that puck to me. From there, scoring was easy. He did the heavy lifting.”
“It looks like you and Lane are having a lot of fun out there on the ice. Have you found the youthful vigor you had together in junior?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on out there, but it’s working, so we’re going to keep trying to do it.”
“You’re in your hometown tonight. We saw your parents in the crowd earlier. Are you going to get to spend any time with them?”
“Yeah, grabbed dinner with them, and I’m going to stay over tonight. Sleep in my childhood bed,” Rowan laughed. He knew out there on the internet somewhere was a video the Victory made of how he spends his summers, which included getting the tour and the lore from the house he grew up in. Everyone wanted to see the little pond in their backyard he skated on when he was a kid. It was always weird to have such personal things be public. He didn’t like it, so he gave the same tidbits people already knew about him over and over.
* * *
“I feel like I don’t know what’s happening in your life these days, honey. What are you doing in San Jose? Tell me about your team. How’s Theo?”
“How’s Theo,” Rowan scoffed. He was slouched in the same kitchen chair he ate almost every breakfast and dinner in for at least the first ten years of his life. He had a mug of tea in front of him, because he knew he needed to have a drink assigned to him in order for his mom to stop offering.
“Are you two still...having trouble connecting?”
“You could say that. He’s made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want me to be there.”
“That’s a shame. I thought you two would just fall back into it. Michelle was a little more apprehensive.”
“You still talk to Theo’s mom?”
“Of course, honey. Not every day, but yes, we stay in touch. Hockey bonds the parents as well as the kids. You know that.”
Rowan shrugged. He didn’t have kids. He didn’t know.
“What did Michelle say?”
“That Theo probably still feels heartbroken and abandoned.”
