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“Nice assist!” I called to Tommy as we reset at the center face-off dot. He raised his stick in salute. Even scoring against my team, he made me a proud coach.

The rest of the first period whirled by in a blur of fast breaks and crisp passes. The campers held their own beautifully alongside the pros. Milo especially showed remarkable awareness on the ice, anticipating plays before they developed.

During a brief break between periods, I gathered my team for a quick strategy session. “Alright, we’re only down by one. We’re doing all the right things so we need to keep that up and find a way to⁠—”

“Score more than them?” Mimi interrupted with a cheeky grin.

“And keep them from scoring.” I laughed. “In particular, we’ve got to watch out for their defense, creating breakaway chances. Let’s go get this win.”

Everyone cheered as the players lined up for the face-off.

The second period started strong for us as we broke up several offensive plays. Then Caleb won a face-off in our zone, sending the puck back to me. Mimi broke free along the boards. My pass hit her stick perfectly, and she deked around Daniel before roofing the puck to tie the game.

The crowd erupted. Fighting the urge to search for Andre’s reaction, I congratulated Mimi on her beautiful goal.

The teams traded chances as the period ticked on. Ry and Bellamy’s competitive streak flared when Ry stripped the puck from Bellamy during a breakaway, only to have Bellamy chase him down to recover it. Their battle ended when our goalie covered the puck.

With just under a minute left, Milo and Tommy showcased their skills on a breakaway. Tommy drew our defense to him before making a no-look pass to Milo, who sent a blistering slap shot past our goalie’s glove.

The final buzzer sounded with Dix’s team winning two to one. As we lined up to shake hands, my impending dunk tank appointment couldn’t dampen my spirits. The joy radiating from everyone—especially the campers—made everything worthwhile.

After cleaning up and changing back to street clothes, I navigated through the crowd, accepting congratulations on a fun and successful afternoon. I found Andre in the lobby talking with my moms.

“There’s our star player,” Mom called out as I approached.

“Even if his team lost,” Momma added with a teasing smile.

“Hey, we put up a good fight,” I protested, accepting hugs from both of them.

“The kids were incredible,” Andre said.

Mom nodded and gave me a meaningful look. “Just like someone I remember at that age.”

“Though hopefully with fewer pucks through windows,” Momma said with a laugh.

“That was one time.” I groaned, though a smile escaped at the memory.

“I’m going to need to hear that story,” Andre added.

My moms exchanged knowing looks before Momma said, “Well, we’re going to go grab good spots for the dunk tank.”

“Oh no, you’re not going to sit there and watch, are you?” I feigned mortification.

“Of course we are.” Mom took Momma’s hand. “Probably take some pictures too.”

“Maybe we should live stream it,” Momma said.

I shook my head as they happily headed out, loving them completely.

Andre turned to me with that playful smile. “So, was I that distracting?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “But if I did, I’d say it was worth it. I’ll have to come watch you work sometime so you know what it feels like.”

“I don’t think working with books qualifies as a spectator sport.” Andre’s voice had a seductive edge.

“I’m pretty sure you could make it one.”

His chuckle warmed me through. “Ready to get dunked?”