Fire & Ice - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Once I stopped I looked up and saw the ceiling. My body felt numb for a second while I caught my breath and slowly the rest of the world caught back up to me. First sound, second pain. I couldn't tell from where in body exactly, but I was definitely hurting. Becca was by my side already and reached a hand down for me to take. Slowly I went to lift my left arm up when blinding pain radiated through my shoulder.
"Fuck" I said finally feeling where the source of the pain was coming from. Becca and Toni helped pull me up as I cradled my left arm.
Becca called to Marissa and as soon as we got to the bench, Becca passed me off to our waiting trainer. Marissa held onto the top of my hockey pants and helped me into the dressing room.
"What is it?" Marissa asked as we got to my locker and she sat me down. I ripped my helmet off and tried to hold my arm still.
"It's my shoulder, I think she popped it completely out." I said and tried not to move it too much.
"Okay, you aren't going to like me for the next couple of minutes. I'm going to get this jersey off of you then put it back in place. I would say we should probably take you to the hospital to make sure there isn't any other damage but I have a feeling you are going to refuse that right now." Marissa said and started to peal my jersey off me.
"You're damn right I am, there is still another period to play. Just put it back in place, I'm go home for spring break and I can have a doctor look at it then. I need to be out on that ice." I pleaded.
"Okay, this going to be just like last time, just it's going to hurt worse, you might want to bite down on this." Marissa said and handed me a towel. I didn't say anything but just stuck an end into my mouth.
Just as she was moving some padding off my shoulder to get a look at it, the team started to come down the tunnel into the locker room. Oh this isn't going to be fun.
"Alright, I'm going to do it now McKenna, on three, one, two" Marissa didn't even wait to three, she pulled my arm straight and my shoulder popped back into place. It was a good thing the towel was in my mouth to muffle my scream of pain. As she finished my vision went black for what felt like a few seconds before something that stunk was placed under my nose. It woke me right up and I found Marissa sitting in front of me.
"You with me McKenna?" She asked.
"Why don't you wait till three before doing the painful thing?" I asked weakly needing a few seconds to recover from the shock.
"Good you're still with us. I gotta move it around for a few minutes. I'm going to put some tape on it and then you'll be good to go." Marissa said. I just nodded and closed my eyes.
The pain was barely there now as Marissa started to move my arm around to make sure my joint was good. I could hear coach talking with the team and I tried to perk up a bit to pay attention when a bottle of something orange was placed in my hand. I didn't even ask what it was, I just started to drink it.
The drink had to be some kind of orange juice, Gatorade and Pedialyte hybrid because it woke me right up. When Marissa was done with my shoulder, she helped me into a new jersey and I stood up on my own. I made a few movements with my arm to test it myself. The pain was still there but when we hit the ice I'm hoping the adrenaline will help take it away.
Coach gave us some new tips for the third period and before I knew it, we were all walking down the tunnel. The third period started just like the first two. Hard and fast. There was no slack after already playing two full periods of hockey. Both of our teams were hungry and wanted to take this championship with us back to our schools.
The first half of the third went by without either of us letting up a goal. Time was starting to slip away and I know neither of our teams want to go into over time to decide this game. Then it happened. One of Megan's line mates, Kate, a fellow senior, was working hard driving towards the net on the right wing. She managed to get a shot off while battling against an Ohio State defender and their goalie blocked it. But it produced a juicy rebound that Megan flew in to capitalize on. Nobody was blocking her as she raced up the middle of the ice. The puck bounced right to her stick and she lifted it up and shot it right into the middle of the net.
The bench erupted. All of us were on our feet along with all of our fans in the stands. The girls all came over and we have them high fives and we all felt like we were on top of the world. Coach sent out our line next as Ohio State sent out the line Tatianna plays on. I know things are about to get really messy. I took the face off against Tatianna and got into my stance.
"How's the shoulder Bertinelli?" Tatianna asked as she got into her stance.
"Back in place just in time to kick your ass McMichael." I said just before the referee dropped the puck. With the flick of the referee's wrist he dropped the puck and I didn't even try to go for it. I rush right into Tatianna and was able to push her right off of it as she wasn't expecting me to go for her body.
Becca was able to get the puck and she skated up ice with it away from myself and Tatianna. It took a few more seconds to detangle myself from her but that is all that it took. While I was too caught up in getting even for the hit, I didn't see Becca get her pocket picked and the Ohio State player to rush up ice. Just as Tatianna finally let go of me I turned to find there player taking a shot from the right dot. Our goalie was screened by one of our players and she couldn't pick up the puck and it sailed right past her and into the back of the net.
"Fuck!" I yelled as I skated over to the bench. I might have just cost my team with game. Coach was already yelling at us by the time we got there and I knew I messed up big time. It took them less then a minute to tie the game back up.
The rest of the third was full of hits. With the scored tied again, neither of us wanted to let up the deciding goal. As the clock kept ticking down and all of the blocked shots kept going up and I was getting frustrated. Tatianna kept checking me and I tried to return her hits but at the same time, I was trying to save my shoulder. It was getting harder to do both as the game kept going so I gave up on protecting my shoulder and started using it to hit back.
But the rest of the time ran out and the goal horn sounded and I hung my head. We are now going into sudden death over time. We all went back down the tunnel into the locker room and I took a seat in my locker. My shoulder is killing me from hitting back and my whole body is sore. I don't know how I'm going to be able to move tomorrow. Just as I took my helmet off Marissa came over to me with a bag of ice. She pulled my jersey off and placed the ice on my shoulder before wrapping it into place.
Coach went on about different plays he wanted us to run and the whole team focused on him. We only played a few over time games during the regular season but the rules for the playoffs were different. In playoff games, we play a full twenty-minute period but it's sudden victory. The first goal scored is the winner. Coach let us know that we are going to be playing normal shifts to begin the overtime and if it goes on later he will shorten the bench, limiting playing time to Megan's line and ours.
With a new game play drawn up, we all got suited up for over time and marched back down the tunnel for hopefully our last period of hockey this season. I rolled my neck a few times trying to loosen up and took my seat on the bench between Toni and Becca. We went over a few things we wanted to try while we waited for our first shift on the ice. When it came we all jumped over the boards and tried to run the play Toni drew up for us. It didn't work like we wanted it to but it did produce a few rebounds.
When we hit the bench again we all went to work to iron out the play hoping it will give us another few scoring chances we can capitalize on. As we watched our teammates on the ice, I had a good feeling about our shift. We all jumped over the boards as our shift started and got the puck into our offensive zone.
We tried to go in front of the net heavy to try and get one into the net on a screen but that didn't work. Becca's shot went wide and it hit off the goalie's pad. Toni was able to get to the puck first on the left side of the net and she started to skate it behind the net to try and set up a play when I saw our opening. Tatianna was in front of me and didn't see me coming up from behind her towards the middle of the ice but Toni did. She stopped in her tracks and passed the puck to me in between Tatianna and one of Ohio State's defenders. By the time Tatianna turned around the puck was already on the blade of my stick and I pushed the puck up and over the goalie's leg pad into the back of the net.
The goal horn sounded and all I heard was screaming. I just scored the winning goal to win the NCAA Division one women's ice hockey championship. It didn't take long before the whole team rushed the ice and jumped into our winning pile. Sticks and gloves were everywhere and it almost made it hard to get around as everyone came up to me to give me a hug. The weight of my mistake from the third period lifted from my shoulders and I felt like it was easier to breath.
As everyone calmed down a bit, I took my helmet off and unbid my braid before putting my hair up in a messy bun. I took a look around the ice and saw that Toni and Megan started to line up to go shake hands with the other team. So I got in line towards the back with Becca and Stacey in front of me and we slowly made our way through Ohio State. It didn't take long before I got to Tatianna. Her eyes were red and she looked ready to fly out of here. But when she saw me, she stood up a little straighter and held her head up high.
"Good game" I said and held my hand out. Her hand grabbed mine and stopped me from moving forward.
"I'm sorry for this season, for how much of an ass I've been to you since everything went down in high school. Next season will be different." Tatianna said.
"Thank you Tat. You play a really good game and I enjoy getting to play against you, you always challenge me and push me to be better." I said.
"That means a lot coming from you. Just know that I'm coming for the trophy next year." Tatianna said with a smile.
"Well, I'm always up for the challenge." I said. Tatianna gave me another smile before finally dropping my hand and continuing on down the line.
Never did I think Tatianna would actually apologize for her actions. I just hope next season she actually sticks to her word. We are going to be playing against each other for the next three years and I rather not leave every game we play in injured. We made our way through the rest of the line and Ohio State waved towards their fans before they left the ice for our trophy presentation.
It took another few minutes before the NCAA people got everything ready on the ice and started to give out our awards. While we were waiting, coach came by and gave us all championship hats. I was able to fit mine over my hair and just laughed as I watched Becca and Stacey struggle. Next up was a few individual awards but the only one that matter to me was MVP of the tournament. Coach of the year went to the coach from Minnesota as they really rebuilt their program this year basically from the ground up and still made it to the NCAA tournament.
Then finally it was time for the MVP. I like to think I had a pretty good tournament but I wasn't sure who else did from teams on the other side of the bracket. I just closed my eyes for a second and then opened them when I heard them announce my name. Becca and Stacey pushed me towards center ice and I smiled as the NCAA official put the medal around my neck. I had to stay for a few pictures before I went back over to my team.
Next came the trophy. Toni and Megan both skated over towards center ice and took a few photos with the officials before they were handed the trophy. All of our teammates crowded together as Toni and Megan came over with the trophy. When they got to us we all mobbed them as the thrusted the trophy into the air. It took a little while but finally I got my chance to hold the trophy. As I took the trophy I pushed it into the air and looked up to where I knew my mom and Cassie were sitting. I turned to face them and gave them the biggest smile I could make. I could see my mom wiping tears from her eyes from here as Cassie was just jumping up and down holding her sign. Alyssa was the one who was taking pictures as I pointed over to them and gave them a wave.
Just as I was about to hand the trophy off to the next girl, Toni and Megan came over to me and told me to hold onto it for a second as they got the girls together.
"So now that the season is officially over, we have some news." Megan started as the team gathered around us.
"As you all know we are graduating this year along with a good portion of the team. With that in mind we selected our replacement for your next captain. We picked McKenna and she accepted." Toni said.
"Well I can't do it alone, Rebecca and Stacey would you like to be my assistant captains?" I asked them. Becca and Stacey both looked at each other and smiled.
"Of course!" Becca said and came over to hug me.
"It will be a great honor to stand by your side McKenna." Stacey said and gave me a hug.
"Okay really quick, we are going to get one picture with the new captains then we are going to hand out our individual trophies. After that we have about five more minutes on the ice before we need to head back into the locker room to change and get ready for some media before we head back to the hotel." Megan said informing the team.
With all of our marching orders we got moving. The pictures were quick and then we got our individual trophies. Once my trophy was in my hand I skated over towards where my family was. They all came down towards the glass and we managed to get a few pictures together before I headed back into the locker room.
When I got there Marissa was waiting for me. After I put my medal and trophy down she helped me out of my gear and pulled the tape off my shoulder so I could get into the shower. After I was done, I changed into the championship t-shirt they left us in the locker room before going over to Marissa. She gave me some Advil for the pain that started to come back in my shoulder now that the adrenaline wore off from the game. Next she put some icy hot patches around my shoulder before pushing my arm into a sling with stern instructions to leave it there until I see a doctor.
After I was all put together I started to pack up all of my gear and I managed to grab a few more shirts, hats, and a championship sweatshirt for myself. I also took my jersey from the locker with me. When I get home I think I want to frame it to remember my first NCAA championship. With everything stuffed into the duffle bag I brought with me, I left it in my locker before making sure all of my gear was put into my hockey bag so the team can take it back to school.
As I finished up coach rounded us all up for a few more pictures and then we were release to do some media. I tried to keep it short wanting to get back to the hotel to see my family but it still took a while to have everyone get through there interviews. By the time we got back onto the bus to head back to the hotel, the game has been over for almost three hours and I'm just looking forward to a hot bath and then bed.
Once we got back to the hotel I knew it would be a long night. I know the team is going to celebrate from now until we get back to campus. We barely made it inside the lobby of the hotel when all of our families were yelling well wishes to us. But once again, I was able to find my people by looking for Cassie's sign. I weaved my way through the crowd with my heavy duffle bag over one shoulder and my other arm in the sling.
Finally I was able to push all the way through the crowd and pulled Cassie into a hug. We didn't say anything for a minute as I just held onto my girl, already feeling better just being in her arms. When we pulled away I leaned in and gave her a kiss before she stepped away from me and let my mom come in next.
"What happened with Tatianna? We all saw the hit and you guys talking after the game. How is your arm?" Mom asked. If I didn't put my hand on her arm she probably would have rambled on all night.
"She dislocated it when she hit me. I'm okay for now, Marissa popped it back into place. When I get home can you make me an appointment with one of your doctor friends because it still hurts a bit." I answered.
"Of course, we'll do it now so you'll gave an appointment for right when you get home." Mom said.
"Thank you, and Tatianna and I were actually cleaning the air. I'll tell you more about it later okay, there are more people here for me to see." I said.
Mom just nodded and pulled me into another hug before letting me go. It took about a half an hour to get through my own crowd. After I finished I saw that most of the team was already heading into the ballroom to party for a little while. I told my family that I'm going to stop in for a little while before going back up to my room for the night.
Cassie joined me in the ballroom and we hung out with the team for a little while. This party was going to last most of the night but I was so tired and sore I didn't have the heart for it now. So after about a half hour we made our exit and went back up to the room. Cassie ran me a bath while I undressed and I was so happy to see it already mostly full by the time I was done.
Just like yesterday, Cassie didn't join me but stayed right by my side to keep me company. The hot water worked wonders on my body and by the time I was done, most of my aches and pains were gone. We both just changed and got ready for bed. I had an early flight back with the team and Cassie wasn't that far behind me.
The next morning when my alarm went off, Stacey wasn't in her bed. I can only assume that she slept in Becca's bed last night. I didn't take to long in bed as I needed to pack everything up for the flight. As I was finishing up I heard the door open and Stacey stumbled in. She definitely looked like she partied all night long. I didn't say anything to her, just pointed towards my wrist to let her know we didn't have a lot of time before we had to go. She nodded and started to work on packing her own bags.
When all of my stuff was packed up I sat back down on the bed and Cassie crawled into my lap. I wrapped my good arm around her started to run my fingers through her hair.
"What time is our flight to Boston tomorrow again?" Cassie asked breaking the silence.
"Early, like 7am. It's a three-hour flight, so we will get there around 10am and my mom will pick us up from the airport. When does your flight get you into campus?" I asked.
"I'll be back at the dorms by 2pm." Cassie informed me, her words slurring as she faded back to into sleep.
It wasn't long before Stacey was ready to go and I gave Cassie a kiss goodbye. Most of our teams families were downstairs already to see us off and I smiled as I found Mom and Alyssa both waiting for me. I put my luggage down on the floor and gave them both a hug.
"I'll be waiting for you and Cassie at Boston Logan tomorrow morning. Have a safe flight back to campus." Mom said after she let go.
"Yes you will, I love you mom, see you tomorrow." I said and pulled her into another hug before giving Alyssa another quick one and leaving with the team.
The bus ride to the airport was quiet as most of us were still pretty tired from the night before. It wasn't long before we reached the airport and getting through security was actually pretty easy. The flight back to campus wasn't long and I got to sleep for most of us. I felt like it was going to take a few days for my body to not be so sore after these games. Being cramped on the plane didn't help but I knew I had one more before I could really get the chance to relax.
When we got back to campus there was a crowd waiting for us at the hockey house and things picked up a little bit. As we climbed off of the bus in front of the house, Toni and Megan got to parade around with the trophy. Coach already let us know that the formal awards dinner will be towards the end of the semester and I was glad to not have to think about that for a while. Finally the crowd started to break up and coach actually told the bus driver to take Becca and I back toward our dorm. I was super grateful not to have to walk with all of my bags and my injured shoulder.
With the ride, getting back to our dorm was quick. Becca wave bye to me and told me we would catch up again when we get back from spring break. I quickly agreed with her and pushed my way into my quiet dorm room. I didn't even both unpacking yet, just grabbed an ice pack and sat back on the couch to relax for a bit before Cassie came home. Turns out I ended up getting too relaxed because the next thing I knew it was late afternoon and Cassie was cooking something in the kitchen. I just smiled and I looked over at her. What a perfect way to cap off my freshman hockey season.