Chapter 116: Chapter 116

The applause still echoed around the arena, but I barely heard it.

My eyes refused to leave Ryder.

He rolled his right shoulder once, tightened his grip around his stick and skated back into position as though nothing had happened.

As though slamming into the boards at full speed was just another part of the game.

It wasn't.

At least... not for me.

I had watched him fight through physiotherapy.

I had watched him hide pain behind crooked smiles because he didn't want his teammates worrying about him.

I knew that tiny wince hadn't been my imagination.

Mrs. Brooks leaned closer to me.

"Don't watch only Ryder."

I looked at her as she smiled gently.

"Watch the game."

I nodded, forcing myself to breathe.

She was right.

If I wanted to become the journalist I claimed I wanted to be, I couldn't let my heart blind my eyes.

I uncapped my pen again.

The scoreboard showed just over three minutes gone in the first period.

Western Helms 0 – 0 North Ridge

The opening exchanges had been exactly what Coach Bennett predicted.

Nobody was taking unnecessary risks.

Every pass had a purpose and every hit carried a message.

North Ridge wasn't interested in entertaining the crowd.

They wanted control.

Western Helms wanted momentum.

Neither team was willing to surrender either.

"Pressure!" Coach Bennett shouted from behind the bench.

"Don't let them settle!"

Blake exploded across the neutral zone, stealing a pass before firing the puck deep into North Ridge's end.

The crowd rose immediately.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Western Helms' first line chased after it with relentless energy.

A defenseman reached the puck first.

Instead of panicking, he calmly wrapped it around the boards.

Exactly as Coach had warned.

Patient, disciplined and calculated.

Ryder intercepted the clearing attempt with one quick touch then another.

He slipped the puck toward the slot. A freshman forward arrived at full speed.

His stick met the puck perfectly.

Crack!

The shot flew toward the top corner.

The entire arena stood.

North Ridge's goaltender reacted with unbelievable speed, throwing up his glove.

Smack!

The puck disappeared into the leather.

There was silence then applause.

Even Coach Bennett clapped his hands once.

"Good chance!"

The freshman lowered his head in frustration.

Ryder skated over immediately.

"Hey."

The younger boy looked up.

"You did everything right."

"But I missed."

"No."

Ryder shook his head firmly.

"He made a save."

A small smile appeared on the freshman's face.

"There's a difference."

He tapped the boy's helmet.

"Do it again."

The freshman nodded.

"I will."

Watching that tiny exchange warmed something inside me.

Six months ago...

Ryder would've been angry.

Now...

He was encouraging someone else after one of the biggest missed chances of the game.

I smiled as I scribbled another note.

"Captains don't erase mistakes. They erase fear."

The game resumed.

North Ridge answered immediately.

Their captain carried the puck through centre ice with effortless composure before dropping it back to one of his wingers.

A beautiful cross-ice pass followed.

Western Helms' defense scrambled.

The shot came quickly.

Our goalie dropped to both knees.

The puck struck his left pad.

Rebound. The arena gasped.

A North Ridge forward lunged toward the loose puck.

Before he could reach it—

Blake dove across the crease, knocking it safely into the corner.

The crowd exploded.

"Great block!"

Coach Bennett pointed toward Blake.

"That's the sacrifice we need!"

Blake didn't celebrate.

He simply climbed back to his skates, breathing heavily.

As he passed Ryder, the captain bumped his shoulder.

"Good save."

Blake smirked.

"I figured our goalie deserved a little help."

Even Ryder laughed.

The tension eased for only a heartbeat before another line change began.

The pace never slowed.

Players jumped over the boards in perfect rhythm with fresh legs and fresh pressure. Time slipped away faster than I expected.

Half the first period had disappeared.

Still...No goals.

Mrs. Brooks leaned back in her chair.

"What do you notice?"

I kept my eyes on the ice.

"They're respecting each other."

She nodded.

"Keep going."

"Neither team is forcing the game."

I watched North Ridge complete another clean breakout.

"They're waiting....for mistakes."

"And Western Helms?"

I looked toward our bench.

"They've stopped trying to win alone."

A smile touched her lips.

"You've been paying attention."

Below us, Coach Bennett called a timeout.

The players gathered tightly around him. Nobody sat. Everyone remained standing, sweat dripping from helmets and cages.

Coach spoke quietly.I couldn't hear every word.

But I watched their faces. Nobody looked discouraged or afraid.

Instead they looked...Hungry.

Coach drew something quickly on the whiteboard.

Ryder nodded.

Blake asked a question. Coach answered immediately.

The assistant coach tapped a line combination with his marker.

The timeout ended.

As the players skated away, Coach stopped Ryder with a hand on his arm.

He said something too quiet for anyone else to hear.

Ryder's expression softened.

He nodded once.

Then he tapped the Western Helms crest stitched across his chest.

Not dramatically. Just once.

Coach smiled.

It was the smallest smile I'd seen from him all afternoon.

The puck dropped again.

This time Western Helms looked different. This time they looked sharper and more aggressive.

The forecheck came in waves then one line attacked.

Then another.

North Ridge struggled to clear their zone for the first time all game.

The noise inside the arena became deafening.

"Western!"

"Helms!"

"Western!"

"Helms!"

The chant rolled through the building like thunder.

I could actually feel it beneath my feet.

Ryder stole another pass near the blue line.

Without hesitating, he fired it toward the net.

Traffic crowded the crease. The goalie couldn't see.

The puck bounced loose, Bodies crashed together abd sticks swung desperately.

Then—

Blake found it. He snapped his wrists.

The puck rocketed through a forest of legs.

For one breathtaking second...Nobody knew where it had gone.

Then the red goal light flashed. The horn blared and the arena erupted.

I jumped to my feet so quickly my notebook slid onto the floor.

"GOAL!"

Students screamed.

The band burst into the school anthem.

Blue-and-silver towels spun wildly through the air.

On the ice, Blake threw both arms upward before Ryder reached him first.

The captain wrapped an arm around his teammate, laughing as the rest of the team piled in.

Even from the press box...

I could hear their shouts.

Coach Bennett didn't celebrate wildly.

He simply closed his eyes for the briefest moment before exhaling.

Relief.

He immediately pointed toward the bench.

"Reset!"

His voice carried above the celebration.

"We're not finished!"

The words snapped everyone back into focus.

North Ridge gathered quietly around their captain.

Just calm discussion.

I remembered exactly what Coach had said during film study.

"They don't lose control."

He'd been right.

Not even after conceding. The scoreboard changed.

Western Helms 1 – 0 North Ridge

I looked down at my notebook, my hand trembling slightly from excitement.

Then I wrote one final sentence beneath everything else.

"This isn't the end of the battle."

"It's only the first punch."

Across the ice, North Ridge's captain adjusted his gloves before glancing toward Ryder.

There was no anger in his eyes. Only quiet determination.

Somehow...

That frightened me more than if he'd looked furious.

Because I had a feeling the hardest part of this game...

Hadn't even begun.