Fire & Ice - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

After the game was over things were a bit crazy. We got back into the locker room and started to celebrate then had to break it up to do some media. When we were all done answering questions, I finally got a chance to get cleaned up and join the rest of the team in going back to the hotel for the night.
When we pulled up to the hotel coach set some ground rules for the night and told everyone to keep it together. We still have one more game to play before we could all let loose. With those thoughts in mind we were release from the bus and rushed into the lobby to be greeted by our families. Cassie once again holding up her sign and it led me right to them. She dropped her sign and jumped right into my arms as I got close enough. This time I didn't spin her around. Just held her tight and gave her a few deep kisses.
"I told you you were going to be great today." Cassie said as she returned her feet to the floor.
"You're right, I should listen to you more often." I said and gave her a kiss on the cheek before pulling away and pulled my mom and Alyssa into a hug. Travis brought up the rear and once everyone was greeted we made our way into the ballroom for dinner with everyone else.
Dinner was good and everyone was in a giddy mood to have made it to the championship game. Coach came back towards the end dinner and gave us the times for practice tomorrow before making it known that we are facing Ohio State in the final game. Some of my good mood fell away after that because I knew this last game would be a battle.
"So help me, if McMichael lays one hand on you I'm going to get down on that ice and beat her myself." Mom said after we got the news.
"You'll have a line of people behind you." Travis said and raised his water glass.
"Right, maybe we should let him go first then." Mom said and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Seriously though, if she hurts you, I'm going to waiting for her after the game." Cassie said her voice had an edge to her that made me believe her threat of violence was actually real.
"Hey, the only person who is going to be leveling her, will be me." I said not wanting things to get out of hand.
Dinner ended shortly after that as we had the early practice slot tomorrow. Cassie and I were already snuggled in bed together when Stacey came back into the room with Becca already dressed in pajama's not far behind her. I didn't say anything to the pair as they got in bed together and turned on the TV. I made sure to set the alarm as Becca kept the TV volume low as an old episode of the George Lopez Show ran in the background.
The next morning came early and nobody liked how loud I set my alarm. Becca and Stacey both used the bathroom before I did so I managed to get a few more minutes sleeping wrapped up with Cassie before I had to get out of bed.
Practice was long and hard. Coach was pulling plays deep out of our play book for this game and wanted to make sure everyone was up to speed on them. He also already warned me that since we are considered the home team for this game, he is going to be throwing me out there whenever Tatianna is on the ice. She is mine and mine alone to cover this game.
With the message received we made it back to the hotel in one piece and got cleaned up before we went back down to the ballroom for a game tape session. We watched reruns of our games this season against Ohio State so coach could point out some patterns of play they have. After two long hours of game tape we were finally freed from the ballroom and we all made our way back to our rooms. Cassie was waiting for me on our bed when I pushed the door open. Stacey stayed with Becca and the pair were going out to lunch with Becca's parents so we had the room to ourselves.
I spent mom a quick text and let her know I was going to take a bath if her and Alyssa wanted to pick someplace out for dinner later. Once mom got working on dinner reservations, I ran myself a warm bath and slowly sank my aching body into the tub. Cassie didn't join me in the water but sat on the floor right outside.
"This reminds me of the first weekend you came home with me, just in reverse." Cassie said and moved some of my wet hair off my face.
"I know, it would be nice if you were in here with me." I said and gave her a smile.
"Next time, you need to recoup from practice for the game tomorrow." Cassie said and returned the smile.
"I'm holding you to that next time." I said as my eyes fluttered, feeling too relaxed in this bath to keep them open.
Cassie let me doze off for a little bit but woke me up when we needed to get ready to head out to dinner. I was ready to call it a night and skip dinner but I knew I couldn't. After slipping on a sweatshirt and some jeans, Cassie and I made our way down to the lobby and found my mom and Alyssa waiting for us.
"Travis went ahead to get us a table." She said as we went outside and got into the rental car they got for the weekend while they were here.
The drive over to the place was quiet, I'm still ready for bed but just need some food in me. We pulled up to a bar restaurant and got out. Mom and Alyssa lead the way while Cassie and I brought up the rear. As we walked into the bar the place was pretty empty except for the back of the place. As we got closer Cassie gripped my hand harder and leaned in closer.
"Surprise"
We came up to the tables and I found Dawn and Malcolm sitting with Travis along with Cassie's parents, Chad and a bunch of the guys from the men team all here. My jaw hit the ground as I quickly pulled into a hug by Dawn and Malcolm. Willa and Marshall came up next and Chad even gave me a quick side hug before he went back to sitting with the team. Travis brought up the rear and put me in a headlock for a second before he pulled me in for a hug.
"Did you really think they would have missed this game?" He asked when he let go.
I was still pretty speechless at all the people sitting around the table. Before college started I barely had my mom in my corner. And now I have all of these amazing people here cheering me on. It took a few minutes for the tears that welled in my eyes to disappear and I went around the room and thanked everyone for coming out.
The night ended up being one of my favorites. We all had dinner together and as we were finishing a lot of my teammates came through the doors. Cassie texted Becca to get the word out that the guys team made the trip and they came to hang out. We stayed at the bar for another hour or so after that before most of the team wanted to turn back and head for the hotel for the night. My mom and Alyssa stayed at the bar with Dawn and Malcolm and Willa and Marshall while Cassie and I got an uber back to the hotel with Becca and Stacey. They were both as wiped out as I was and were ready for bed by the time we got back.
The next morning when we woke up I didn't want to move. Coach let us have the morning off so I got to sleep in and stay in bed wrapped up with Cassie and she slept peacefully next to me. Becca and Stacey were still very much asleep next to us but I couldn't sleep anymore. My anxiety for the game woke me up and I couldn't fall back asleep no matter how hard I tried.
It was about an hour of light dozing when I felt Cassie stir next to me. Her blue eyes slowly opened and I gave her a smile. She nudged her head into my neck when she saw me awake and I just held her tightly. We didn't stay in bed for too much longer. I got up and took a shower before heading downstairs to the ball room for breakfast. Becca and Stacey joined me and Toni at the table not long after I sat down. There wasn't much said between us while we ate. We all knew what was riding on this game.
After the team was done with breakfast coach kept us in the ballroom for a while. We replayed our last game against Ohio State again to try and get our minds on track for the game later and it helped a bit. When the game was over coach ran through some new plays he drew up overnight and then he released us. While some of the girls went up to their rooms, I went down to the hotel gym. I couldn't sit still with all of this anxiety coursing through me so I hopped onto one of the bikes and just started to peddle.
I must have been down here for a while just listening to music and peddling away when I heard the gym door slam shut. It broke me out of my quiet, almost meditative state and I slowed to a stop. Toni was looking around the gym and when she spotted me she walked over to me.
"What are you doing? You're going to kill your legs before the game." Toni said and handed me a water bottle.
"I can't sit still; I hate the late game times. Too much time to kill during the day." I said and continued to chug the water Toni gave me.
"Okay so how about you come and join the rest of the team, we are going play floor ball." Toni said.
"Sounds good, I might need to sit for a little bit first." I said and slowly got off the bike.
Before Toni could answer, the door to the gym opened again and in walked Megan. She came over to us and looked between Toni and I.
"Did you tell her yet?" Megan asked.
"No I was waiting for you. So as you know, Megan and I are graduating this year and there are 5 other seniors. This year's recruit class is going to be large to replace us all which led to Megan and I talking." Toni said.
"This will be a young team next year but together we have decided that we want you to be captain next year. If you accept you get to pick your two assistants but we wanted to give the captaincy to someone who wants it and also deserves it." Megan said. I was left speechless.
"You don't have to decide right now. Take the game to think about it but we wanted to tell you before we brought it up to the team." Toni said.
"Okay, uhm thank you before for thinking of me. I'll let you guys know after the game." I said trying to wrap my head around it.
Toni and Megan led me out of the gym and we joined the rest of the team in the ball room. I sat out for the first few rounds to give my legs a break before joining in on the fun and tried not to think about the news from Toni and Megan. After a few rounds of floor ball we all took a break and got to eat some lunch. When everyone was finished we all left the ballroom to go up to our rooms to get ready for the game.
When I got up to my room, Cassie was missing but I think that was on purpose. While Becca lingered around with Stacey, I used the time to take a hot shower to try and relieve some tension from my muscles. The hot water worked wonders and when I was done I used the blow drier to dry my hair. I made sure it was all looking good before I started to pull on my suit. Last suit for the season. It made me sad to think about as I finished up the final buttons of my dress shirt.
Just as I finished up the door opened and I turned to look and found Stacey walking into the room with Cassie. Stacey didn't say anything to me as she went right into the bathroom to get ready. Cassie gave me a smile and I returned it as I pulled on my suit jacket. When I was done Cassie stood in front of me and helped fix my lapels. Once they were smoothed out Cassie wrapped her arms around my neck and looked me in the eyes.
"Whatever happens today, you're still my number one Mac." Cassie said and her fingers played with the baby hairs at the base of my neck.
"Thank you for coming out here for this and being by my side through it all. I don't know where I would be this season without you by my side." I answered and wrapped my arms around her waist.
"I want to warn you because I know you don't look at your phone before games. Tatianna has been talking a lot of shit about you online. She is out for blood this game and I want you to make sure you keep your head on a swivel." Cassie said looking worried.
"Thank you for the warning love." I said.
Cassie nodded and leaned in and gave me a kiss. It was only a few seconds later that Stacey stepped out of the bathroom dressed in with a Wisconsin hockey polo on tucked into a pair of black dress pants. She didn't have to say anything to let me know that she was ready to leave for the game. With one final kiss for Cassie, I grabbed my backpack and left the hotel room.
I felt like Stacey and I were marching off for war as we started down the hallway. The farther we went, the more teammates we picked up along the way amassing a small army. By the time we reached the lobby the whole team was together and coach looked surprised to see us all ready walking down together. He didn't have to say anything to us and just watched us all get onto the bus.
The bus ride was quiet. All of us in the zone to much to be distracted by small talk. When we got to the arena our social media team was buzzing around us to get some shots of us getting off the bus and into the locker room. Once all of the players and coaching staff were inside, I shut the door on them. With one look at my face they got the hint and left us alone to get dressed for the game.
Getting ready was another quiet affair. All of us knew we were here to do a job and none of us wanting to leave without that trophy. As I finished putting my chest protector on Marissa came over with some more padding.
"I saw the Tatianna's latest run of her mouth. This is to help you." Marissa and and started to replace the padding around my ribs for something sturdier. Once it was all in place she had me move around a lot to make sure I would be able to move on the ice. When she was happy with it, Marissa clapped my shoulder and left me to pull my jersey on. That's when I realized this game is going to be a war. We are going to leave it bruised and blooded but it will all be worth it as long as we come out holding the trophy.
Before I knew it, it was time to go out for practice. I left my eye black off for now and just grabbed my helmet. As we got out onto the ice I paid no attention to the team on the other side of the red line. I could hear my name being tossed around but I just focused on warming up my legs. As practice started to come to an end I looked up around the arena at the crowd. It was hard to tell the difference in the fans as both Wisconsin and Ohio State's schools colors are red and white. But after another minute of scanning I found my mom and Alyssa. They were both talking to each other while Cassie sat right underneath them watching me. When my eyes met hers she reached up and tugged on my mom's hand and pointed at me. They both gave me a wave and I pointed to them. Even though there is a lot riding on this game, I know I just need to have fun and play for them.
I watched them for another few seconds before I headed back down the tunnel. The anxious knot in my stomach loosened just a bit and I sighed as I sat down at my locker. I took my helmet off and wiped away the sweat from practice and just watched the rest of the girls around me start to get ready. Music was bumping and everyone seemed to be in their zones' and we were all ready. Looking around the locker room I gave more thought about being captain. I know with some help I can do it. I was assistant captain on my travel team and I loved getting to help be that role model for all of my teammates. With my mind made up I found Toni talking to Megan and I got up and walked over to them both. Toni saw me coming and stopped talking to Megan as I got closer. Megan turned around and when she saw me she gave me a smile.
"I want it. I know that I can be a great captain next year and I want the chance to prove it." I said to them.
"We'll tell the team after the game, think of your assistants but I have a feeling I already know who they might be." Megan said and gave me a knowing smirk.
She was right. I wouldn't do this without Becca and Stacey. I have to talk to them about it but right now we have a game to win. I gave them both a smile before walking back over to my locker and grabbing my eye black. I rolled it over my cheeks and then put it away as Megan and Toni both gather the team around them in the middle of the locker room.
"This is it guys, all season has led to this final game. I speak for all seven seniors in this locker room right now who want to leave the arena holding onto that trophy for the second year in a row. Our job isn't done until it is in our hands." Megan said.
"This isn't going to be a game. This is going to be a war. Ohio State is pulling no punches today, they have been talking up this match up on their social media all season and now we are playing for the championship against them. This is what they wanted. They are going to use their dirty play to their advantage to try and help them win. Don't feed into their bullshit. The hockey gods are on our side tonight, I know it." Toni said.
"Let's go out their and win. Badgers on three, one, two, three"
"BADGERS" We all yelled back at Megan.
We all made sure to take our gear before getting in line to walk out of the tunnel. As we took the ice the roar of the crowd was loud and it put a smile on my face. Coach put Megan's line out onto the ice for the first shift of the game and she lined up against Ohio State's captain. The referee got into the center circle spoke to them for a few second and then dropped the puck.
The game was off with a start. Ohio State won the face off and pushed into our zone right away. Our defenders skated back hard to match up with the speed Ohio State put out right away to meet them. They were barely able to get back in time to block the shot that was released from their offensive player.
It took a hard poke check from Megan to get the puck out of the zone so they can rush to the bench and change. I took a look to see where the puck was coming from and to see who was already on the ice before I jumped the boards as our first line came in for a change. The change was messy though as the puck got stalled in the neutral zone and we had to be careful to make sure we didn't get a penalty for too many men on the ice. After we fixed our mess, I was able to take a look at everyone on the ice. Becca has the puck and was able to get it across the blue line into the offensive zone.
Just as I got into the offensive zone Becca passed the puck back to me. I got it on my stick and took a look at everyone around me. Then I saw her. Tatianna was pushing hard against her skate blades to get over to me as fast as she can. I looked at my players and passed the puck off to Toni and planted my feet as as Tatianna came in. Since I knew it was coming I lowered my shoulder and pushed up just as Tatianna's shoulder connected with mine. Tatianna bounced right off of me and her back hit the ice.
I gave her a smirk and continued on with the play Toni and Becca were trying to set up. The play didn't get far, only one shot that went wide and it was already time to change lines. I jumped over the boards and watched as Tatianna skated towards her bench and I couldn't help myself.
"How's your shoulder McMichael!" I yelled in her direction and watched as her head whipped right over to me. I smirked and watched as she narrowed her eyes.
"Watch your back Bertinelli." She said with venom and continued her way to her bench.
"Are you asking to get killed out there today?" Toni asked and pushed my shoulder.
"No, I just wanted to let her know that I got her warning. If she comes up from behind and tries to take me out though you should scream Omaha and I'll make sure to ready myself." I said.
"Alright, tell the bench then on your left, I'll get the right." Toni said and turned to Stacey.
I relayed the new codeword to Becca and she passed it down the line. Coach confirmed the word and made sure everyone on the bench knew what it meant, he also wanted us to use it if something dirty was about to happen to anyone on the ice. I think it gave everyone some peace of mind that we were all going to look out for each other on the ice. After all of our Ohio State games, all of us usually come out with a few new aches and pains.
It wasn't long before I was out on the ice again. Tatianna kept things clean as we were both trying to win this game for our team. Our petty fighting finally took a back seat for once and we were just able to play. The first period came and went without another dirty hit and the score remained tied zero-zero. But even though there weren't any dirty hits, there were plenty of heavy checking between both teams.
In the locker room Coach went over the Omaha again to really make sure everyone understood the meaning. After it was clear we all did, he didn't have any critiques for us. He was happy with our fight and play style so far and he didn't want us to change anything about it. The mood was light and all of us just wanted to get back out onto the ice to continue this battle of a game.
But finally, we were walking back out of the tunnel for the start of the second period. The second period went much like the first. It started out with Megan's line and we came in after they got us set up in the offensive zone. We had a few good looks during the shift but we couldn't put anything in the back of the net. Tatianna was a thorn in my side and just kept as close to me as possible.
In the closing minutes of the second period I had the puck and I was taking it behind the net to try and set up something from behind the goal line when it happened. All of a sudden, someone screamed out Omaha. I only had the chance to look up when I hit a brick wall shoulder first and went spinning down onto the ice.