this is so delayed lmfao i'm so sorry

[1608 words, ready for grading]

Sophie Bordeleau was finishing her third season in the SHL, and once again she'd soared to new heights. She'd doubled her goal total from the previous season with 32 tallies and had a point-per-game year with 71 points, good for second on the Citadelles behind Shylo Moxii. The Citadelles once again won their division for the third consecutive year, and Sophie Bordeleau was named one of the last players into the All-Star Game, making her first game in her career. Getting the playoff bye, she hoped that she could be a big contributor in helping Quebec City finally get over the hump and win the Four Star Cup. The Citadelles' first opponent in their playoff gauntlet would be the Regina Elk. Having gotten past the Great Falls Grizzlies in a battle of expansion teams, the Citadelles would face their younger siblings in what was expected to be a tight series. The two teams traded the first two games of the series, then the next two. Neither side could get an edge as the first four games were all extremely close. Sophie herself was facing some tight checking and found it difficult to get herself open to create any good chances, and the offensive power that had been so electric in the regular season was having trouble adapting to the defense. The Citadelles were able to regroup after Game 4 and take the next two games to win the series and advance, but their next series against the St. Louis Scarecrows would not be any easier.

The semifinal series against the Scarecrows began much the same as the first for Quebec City. While the offense was more able to use their free-flowing game plan, Sophie still couldn't seem to have anything find the back of the net. The games were inconsistent as well, with the teams once again splitting the first four games, but the Citadelles took game 5 with a 3-0 win. Going back on the road to play Game 6, Sophie finally managed to score a goal, but the team wasn't able to get it done with a 6-4 loss to take the series to a game-deciding match. Emotions were high in the room leading up to that game, but they needn't have worried. Sophie Bordeleau was able to come up big with two assists and with a 4-1 victory, Quebec City was going back to the finals. Their opponent would be a juggernaut in the Nevada Battleborn. They'd won the Laurifer Trophy by nine points and hadn't lost a game yet in these playoffs. Nevada didn't have a single superstar on the team, but breakout rookie Paul Peterson led a murderer's row of depth that was the best in the league. Quebec, meanwhile, had one of the best players in the league in Shylo Moxii, who'd scored 48 goals in the regular season, while Sophie and Tommy Thompson provided excellent depth down the middle. Team legend Louise St. Martin anchored the defense for one last ride, while the reliable Justin Time guarded the net for the final time as well before going up to Edmonton in the offseason.

Sadly, it was not to be. Nevada's relentless attack was just too much and they defeated Quebec in four games. It certainly wasn't uncompetitive by any means, as two of the games went to overtime, but the Citadelles just couldn't get the bounces. Sophie managed to score two goals in the finals, but it just wasn't enough. As the Battleborn piled onto the ice to celebrate, Sophie could only stare at her feet on the bench in exhaustion. Three times they'd been deep in the playoffs, and three times they'd run into a juggernaut team to be stopped short. It was heartbreaking. Next season would be her last in Quebec City, and who knows if they'd get this far again. Team veterans like Shylo Moxii, Louise St. Martin and Justin Time would be leaving, and it would be up to her to lead the charge for next season. The first couple weeks back in Quebec City, she tried to train but could only see the missed opportunities in her head. To get away from it, her and Jamie took another trip to the West Coast. Last time, it had been business as Sophie came to attend prospect camp, though they'd been to Pride as well; this time, it would be just for pleasure. With more time on their hands, the pair took the time to visit all up and down the coast; Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego were all on the itinerary this time. The couple took long walks, visited new eateries, saw the sights, and generally played tourist for a couple weeks. It was nice, and Sophie was able to forget about the looming move at the end of next season.

Even though it was summer, hockey wasn't over yet, as Sophie still had the IIHF and WJC tournaments to play. The IIHF games were up first, and Team Latvia was looking to build on a young core. Sophie herself struggled against the higher level of competition, only managing to pick up two assists, but Latvia managed to stun everyone and make the medal round on a tiebreak. Matched up against a much deeper team in Sweden, Latvia's young guns played hard and even managed to take the lead in the first period on a power-play goal by Sekai Wollker. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold on forever, and a 20-shot second period by the Swedes yielded three goals that they would ride to victory. Even with the defeat, it was a huge step for Latvian hockey and they seemed to have a bright future. Next up was the World Junior Championships. Despite logistical delays, once the tournament finally got going, the unified UCORCAL team of the Russians, Czechs and Latvians were a juggernaut. Boasting an elite offense that featured centre Koty Kochan playing defense, UCORCAL finished first in the round robin with a 9-3 record, the best offense in the tournament, and seven straight wins going into the medal round. Sophie herself led the round robin in points with 15. UCORCAL's quarterfinal matchup was against Team World, a plucky squad that had finished at .500 in the round robin. Sophie's team got out to a quick lead with a Munko Aitmukhambetov goal, which was quickly equalled while Dork Dipplet was in the penalty box. UCORCAL wouldn't go away, however, and Pyotr Gallen restored the lead midway through the second period. Team World tied it up again early in the third period, but they just couldn't hold back the UCORCAL offense as Aleksandr Iskandrov scored the go-ahead goal halfway into the third period and Aitmukhambetov sealed it with an empty-netter to advance the team to the semifinals. 

Next up, the top seeds would take on DACH, who had squeaked out a close win over Finland in their quarterfinal match. The offense was expected to keep humming, and when Terry Leviathan popped in a buzzer-beater right at the end of the first period it seemed they'd have a great advantage. However, DACH adjusted in the intermission, and when they came out for the second period, it was a completely different team. DACH looked unstoppable, throwing 22 shots on goal and scoring three goals in 3:53 to take a 3-1 lead. UCORCAL just couldn't adjust and looked flat the rest of the game, finishing with a 5-1 defeat to a team they were expected to handle. The team's body language said it all. They'd expected to keep playing their game, and when they got punched in the mouth they just never recovered. UCORCAL would have one more game for the bronze against Canada, and they hoped to regroup and make themselves proud; unfortunately, it was not to be. The Canadians jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but just 28 seconds into the second period Sophie hit Bavel Pure with a pass down low. Pure managed to find Teodors Skalbergs open, and UCORCAL was back in it. Sophie herself would get the equalizer in the third period. Seeing KC Brady with the puck in his own zone, Sophie turned hard and had a step on the defender when she took the pass. With three explosive strides, she was past the defender and able to pull the puck back to her forehand and beat the goalie with a quick shot. Tie game. The celebration was short-lived, as just 32 seconds later Tommi Koivu took the lead back for Canada, and the game would end in a 4-2 defeat. UCORCAL's vaunted offense had been able to get just three goals in the final pair of games, and the defense had given up 92 shots in those games. It was simply a team getting overconfident and underestimating an opponent, and once the illusion of invincibility was broken the team had to scramble to recover.

Even with the offseason of heartbreak and failure, however, there was a silver lining. Quebec had a solid draft, bringing in seven new players, and they hoped to contend again. Sophie herself was named an alternate captain, signifying her role on the ice and in the room. With this and an expected transition to play first-line centre for the Citadelles, she was going to be faced with the spotlight, and she was ready to take it on. Pulling the jersey on over her head before the team's first game, Sophie took a second to take a deep breath. This was going to be the year that Quebec City broke through, and she was going to do everything in her power to make it so.