Page 3 of Offensive Plays

Chapter 1

Michael

Two Months Later

Male Commentator: Paige, this is one for the books. By some miracle on the ice, the Heatwave have been able to come back from a three-point deficit in the final four minutes.

Female Commentator: I've never seen anything like it, Hank. That has got to be one of hockey's all-time best playoff comebacks.

Male Commentator: History in the making. In case you're just tuning in, we're in the final minute of Round two, Game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs live from Space City Arena in Houston, Texas.

Female Commentator: And there goes the puck drop. Keelan Landry battles it out, and the Heatwave wins the face-off.

Male Commentator: It's been good to see Landry back on the ice after nearly six months on long-term injured reserve. It's like he never left.

Female Commentator: According to his teammates, he never did. He was at every practice and every game. A true captain through and through.

Male Commentator: What a comeback. And here goes Joshua Hicks, the Heatwave's first-line left winger, who just scored that last rebound shot. He passes it back to an open Landry. They're heading straight to the Nashville goaltender.

Female Commentator: Hicks makes a quick pass to his lineman, Michael Ferguson. Ferguson lines it up. Oh, Nashville steals it back.

Male Commentator: You can just see the frustration in Ferguson's body language. He turns to skate back across the neutral zone. Oh, Nashville receives a check on the boards from defenseman Zane O'Connor. Tell you what, Paige, I wouldn't want to be caught in that position.

Female Commentator: Speak for yourself, Hank.

Both: (chuckle)

Male Commentator: The puck is loose. And there goes Hicks taking it back across the Houston offensive zone. The arena is the loudest it's been all night. Fans are on their feet.

Female Commentator: Hicks passes it to Ferguson. Ferguson lines it up with seven seconds left on the clock.

Male Commentator: What is he doing?

Female Commentator: Something distracted him, but he takes the shot...and it...hits the iron! No goal.

Male Commentator: Oh! And there's our buzzer.

Female Commentator: Nashville wins this one, Hank. The boys were so close. That last shot would've won them the series. But now they're tied with their rivals. What do you think was the hesitation there just before Ferguson took that shot and missed?

Male Commentator: The amount of pressure these players face in the final seconds of a game like this...one could only imagine, Paige.

Female Commentator: Well, they have one more shot to make it into the conference finals. Let's hope they can get it together for Monday night in Nashville.

"Ican't believe I missed that shot!"

The words rip out of my throat like a roar as I yank off my helmet and toss it to the waiting equipment manager.

"It happens to the best of us, man," Zane says from behind me.

I shake my head as we round the corner into the locker room.

Just before I took the shot, I could feel the reverberations from the crowd's cheers inside my chest. We were right there. The fans were counting on me.

And then, I saw...her. And I fumbled. One split second was all it took. Now, I've let my team and my city down.

We're all quiet as we take off our gear. I don't even bother to look at our team captain. We both know I screwed up. I don't need his heated glares reminding me.

Coach Murray doesn't even announce himself like he usually does. He strolls in, hands in his suit pocket followed by the assistant coaches.