Login

***boom*** · 03-31-2022, 02:27 PM

[1092 words, ready for grading]

note: this piece was supposed to have been out like a week and a half ago but I got busy sorryyyyyyyy

The dust had settled from the excitement of the draft, but Sophie's exhilaration certainly hadn't. Being drafted to the "hometown" team, her dreams were coming true, but with that certainly came more attention. When she visited stores or went out, people would wish her luck. The city of Trois-Rivieres wasn't small, but Sophie felt like the people she knew every day since she was a child saw her in a different light now. Training camp was on the horizon, but she could at least enjoy her summer at home while it lasted. There were summer off-ice and on-ice training sessions to attend, but there was also plenty of time to enjoy the parks and rivers around the city, take long walks with Jamie, and keep in touch with her friends before heading down the river to Quebec City for training camp.

As the pre-season came around, Sophie found herself on the second line between sophomore players Petra Sabor and Rylie Versi, a recent draft pick of the Edmonton Blizzard. She wasn't quite sure what to expect. This would be an increased role for her from before, as when she played for Nevada she was a winger on the third line. Sophie would also get a bit of time on the power play, and resolved to put everything she had into proving herself to the management that she deserved to have been taken in the first round. It took a few games before she started to get comfortable in her new deployments, but after that something unexpected happened: she started scoring. First it was two goals to help Quebec beat Vancouver 7-4 on home ice, and then it was two more goals in a road game against her brief teammates in Nevada, though the team fell short 5-2 in that one. Sophie tried to temper her expectations given that it was just the preseason, but it was easy to get excited with the team playing well and her seemingly adjusting to playing in the league. Most of the shots had been from close to the net in heated battles, but as the season went on she hoped to be able to get back to her strengths at finding space and getting the puck off her stick for shots and passes quickly.

At last it was time for Sophie to take to the ice with her teammates for her first-ever home game as a Quebec City Citadelle at the Videotron Centre. They had played one previous game in the regular season, beating Regina 6-2 in an away game with Sophie scoring two goals, including the game-winner. On this Sunday night, those closest to her were in attendance to watch Quebec take on the Detroit Falcons. As the players were introduced in the pre-game festivities, Sophie could feel her heart pounding in her chest, until at last it was her turn to be introduced. "From Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, number 20, Sophie Bordeleau!" the arena announcer boomed over the mic as she skated out towards the blueline to join her teammates. She scanned the crowd for her family, but couldn't see much with the lights dimmed and the bright spotlights. No matter, she'd be able to pick them out later. With the last player being introduced as Aksel Fiske, the captain, the anthems were sang and it was time to play some hockey. Sophie didn't get off to the best start, taking a tripping penalty, but the team was able to kill it off. Late in the second period, Sophie's line had dumped the puck into the zone and was headed to the bench when the Falcons goalie cleared the puck up to a teammate at centre. Faced with a blown change, she was caught out on the ice with Aksel Fiske and Bodhi Utah coming in for the next line, but dug in and raced back on the backcheck. Fortunately, the Citadelles defender managed to poke the puck away and Sophie picked it up at centre, pivoting as she did. She saw Bodhi headed up the left side and hit him with a pass before heading for the bench. Before she could get there, she saw out of the corner of her eye Bodhi flip the puck over to Aksel, who was able to slam it home for the game's first goal. The horn went off and Sophie raised her arms in celebration, giddy that her family had seen her make a play.

The rest of the night was enjoyable as the Citadelles won 2-1 off a Brady Bertrand goal. Meeting her family after the game, there were many hugs and celebrations exchanged, and Sophie gave a silent thanks that she'd been able to play so close to home and the people she loved. "Thanks for coming, guys! I'm glad you enjoyed the experience," she gushed to the assembled group. "Any time! We'll have to go to more games when we can make the drive out," beamed Jamie, who undoubtedly couldn't be happier at seeing her girlfriend living her dreams. "We're so proud of you, Sophie," said her mother with a twinkle in her eye. "This is what you've always wanted, and it makes us so happy to see you doing well out here in the big city," she smiled. Even with her fast start to the season, Sophie felt that these were the only people she truly needed to impress to be happy.

The weeks went on and something odd happened: Sophie just kept picking up points. Her chemistry with Rylie Versi and Petra Sabor kept getting better, and it felt like the three of them were in sync, with three of the higher point totals on the team. Despite this, Sophie took the increased media attention in stride, and her friendly nature and small-town girl persona made her a pretty solid interview presence. With 6 goals and 15 assists in 25 games, she was just barely in second place for rookie scoring behind Hynek Heidinger, and Quebec had been rolling with a 16-7-2 record to start the season, though this was only third in the division behind Maine and Detroit. With all the buzz, Sophie had nevertheless found time to go home when the team had extended breaks, and being at home with her family and friends was a really nice way to escape it all. That is, if you could ignore the increased presence of people wearing Citadelles jerseys and waving flags from their cars. That was something she'd simply have to get used to, but life went on as it always had.

Evok · 03-31-2022, 02:32 PM

LETS GOOOOOOOOOO SOPHIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Citadelles

***RAmenAmen*** · 03-31-2022, 02:35 PM

She's back!!! Keep them coming and good luck Sophie!

***boom*** · 04-01-2022, 12:30 AM

thanks friends :3

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us