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***Raf_TML*** · 02-02-2025, 02:08 PM

Waking up is always the hardest part of the day. Well, at least it’s certainly not helped by having a 70lb dog laying on your chest. But such is the morning of one Florence-Amélie Mackenzie. Thankfully, she trained her pup well, and it only takes one word to get her off the bed.

“Down”

The dog hopped down, with all the grace of a baby chick, and strutted up out of the room. Amé rolled over, draped her legs off the side of the bed, and slithered into some fuzzy slippers. She glanced over at the clock. 5AM. Lovely. While not a morning person in the slightest, at least waking this early allowed her to see the beautiful view of the sunrise between the Vancouver skyline.

Amé grabbed her phone and sleepily walked out to the living room. The quiet swishing of the dog’s tail led her through the kitchen, and back to her dog bowls.

“Time for the good stuff, eh Eden?”

Her phone buzzes, and the name Nicole pops up on screen.

< Good morning, sleepyhead~ >

Amé giggled, and tucked her phone back into her pocket. After 2 years of living in Vancouver, she still hadn’t gotten used to being so far away from her girlfriend. They still got to see each other pretty often with regular games happening in Detroit, but it wasn’t the same. Nicole would make the trip for dinner and the night. In the meantime, they would keep up over the phone. She types up a quick reply.

< Isn’t it a bit early for you Honeybuns? >

That always got a giggle out of her, despite the morning still looming strong over her vision. She hops in the shower, with the sweet sounds of Eddie Vedder blasting over the sound of the water. You would think after all this time that the neighbors would get sick of her singing along every morning, but maybe they enjoyed her weak attempt at the grizzled vocals. Out of her shower, she gets to work on preparing her breakfast. Toast. Eggs. Bacon. Coffee. For some people, the repetition would get to them, but she would never stray from the routine, so it was still her favorite.

<Good luck in the big game tonight babe, take down those…castles? Whatever a Citadelle is, you’ll crush them! Love you. >

Now that she had that out of the way, it was out for a walk with the dog. The fresh morning air was always a welcome scent, and the quiet ambiance of the city felt as refreshing as any brew. The pair strolled around, past the SkyTrain entrance, the record store, and the coffee shop, making it to the park in record time. Amé threw the ball a few times, and then the two headed back to the apartment. A new text flashed up on her phone screen.

< Good Morning Mackenzie, hope the morning is treating you well. See you at the rink at 8! >

It was her GM Seany. The two had become well acquainted in the two years she’d been playing for his Whalers. While the team she’d been backstopping was by no means exquisite, she was the standout performer in his eyes. The last year’s draft seemed to go well though, and the team was rebounding from a record slump.

< Oh, and by the way, we’ve got a special surprise for you tonight. See ya soon! >

Curious. She’d never gotten a text like this before. She slid her phone back into her pocket, and packed up her things. Pads, Sticks, Helmet. Just before heading out, she made sure to give Eden a treat, and with a kiss on the snout, she headed out the door.

“Be nice to the sitter today, okay Eden?”

Thankfully, with her new apartment, the commute to the arena was just a few short stops on the subway. She stepped out of her building, put on her headphones, and made it to the station just in time for the next train to pull in. The timetable gods were finally with her this morning. The chime rang, the doors closed, and she was off towards the arena. After the ride, it was just a walk up the stairs and over to the team entrance, where she was greeted by the sight of her teammate, Noxu. The two had a bit of a sibling rivalry, after being drafted to Vancouver in the same year, both with high expectations. He was drafted earlier, and you’d be correct in assuming he would never let that go.

“Morning Big Mac, hope you aren’t too sore after that shelling last game!”

She grinned, always prepared to return fire.

“Yeah bud, no thanks to you for turning it over every shift”

He laughed, and the two headed into the locker room.

The vibes in the room were immaculate, everyone still buzzing after the late-game win over Maine last night.

“YOOOO GOOD MORNING BIG MAC!!”

Hans Gronlund, Vancouver’s star defenseman, runs over to greet Amé with a high five, nearly knocking her over. The two had built a strong friendship on and off the ice, considering Gronlund would often be the only thing between the opposing team and herself. The guy could block shots like nobody’s business. Sometimes Amé wondered how he managed to walk after taking that many pucks to the shins. Plus, he was always so energetic, much opposed to the calm and composed tendie.

The rest of the team shuffled in, followed shortly by the big man himself, Seany.

“Good morning everyone. I’m sure we’re all still buzzing about the win last night, but we need to make sure we are locked in for tonight’s matchup. This is one of the most important matches of the year, and we need to make good on our ability to shut them down.”

Quebec has been running the league since before Amé even got drafted.Last season, they had a record number of wins on the way to another championship. Vancouver, on the other hand, was setting records as well; Lowest average fan attendance, Least Wins in a season, and most importantly for Amé, most shots against in a season. She wore through more sets of pads last season than she would in *years* back in her junior years. This season was different though. The latest batch of rookies were taking the place of the complacent vets that had filled their spots the previous year. Games were starting to go their way, and they started to look like a real team.

Tonight was the chance to prove to the league, to their fans, and to themselves that they had what it takes.

Practice was grueling, and the locker room afterwards was dead silent. Half the team was laying back in their stalls, panting. The other half was hitting the showers, trying to wash away the waterfalls of sweat from all the sprints the coach had put them through. Once they regained their strength, Noxu, Hans, and Amé all got up and headed out. They had a routine of going out to the same spot for lunch on game days.

Noxu broke the silence first.

“So, how’s the girl Amé? You put a ring on her yet?”

“Yeah, I hear she just got a new job! Is she moving out here?” Hans added.

Amé scratched her neck. “No, she’s still gonna be staying out in Michigan. She gets worried in cities like this”

Nicole’s decision to stay in Michigan certainly stung Amé, even if it made logical sense. The two had spent almost 2 years living together before she got drafted out to Vancouver, and the time apart was draining for both of them. Amé assured her however that once she made the big leagues, that she would make sure to move in together again.

“I can’t say I didn’t try to convince her, even sent her some pics of the dog making the most pitiful faces, but she wouldn’t budge.” Amé added.

“That’s too bad, Vancouver is such a nice place, but I get it” Hans replied.

The group walked into the local deli, ordered some sandwiches, and sat down.
Noxu took a bite of his sandwich. “I hear that some of the Quebec players have been talking smack about tonight’s game, eh?”

Hans rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I’d imagine winning the cup that convincingly would give some people an ego”

Amé sat there silent, not wanting to comment. She was incredibly superstitious about discussing games, to the extent that she often won’t even mention the team’s name.

“Imagine having an ego in this day and age, how ridiculous” Noxu laughed.

Hans and Amé shared an eye roll so hard that they could nearly see their brains.

The group continued to chatter over their meal, until it was time to split up.

“Alright, I’m gonna go back to my place for a nap but I’ll see y’all later. See ya Nox and Hans!”

The two waved back, and Amé headed back to her apartment for a well needed rest.

---

The alarm once again woke Amé out of a deep sleep.

“Has it really already been three hours?” She uttered to the dog.

She crawled out of bed and gave the dog a pat on the head. “It’s probably time to get going, but I’ll see you later tonight Eden”

It was time to head back to the arena. She made her way down to the subway. Fans of the team were starting to filter towards the arena now, with a few stopping to ask for pictures or just to say hello to the young netminder. Once they got to the arena, she made her way back to the locker room. Waiting outside the door however, was GM Seany. He had a grin on his face, which was a bit worrying.

“Hey Mac, before the game, I figured I’d let you in on a secret that we’ve been cooking up for you.”

Still grinning, Seany pulled a blindfold out of his pocket, and handed it over to Amé.

“Put this on, you’ll understand in a minute. Oh also, make sure you crank up your music real loud, I’ll give you a tap on the shoulder once you’re good to take it off.”

Amé took the blindfold and, with a nervous grin, put it on. She made sure to crank up the music on her headphones too, before giving Seany a thumbs up.

She felt him guide her through the door, and up the stairs into the GM suite. Weird that he would be taking her there, but whatever, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

She felt him tap on her shoulder. The time had come, and now she had to deal with whatever crazy surprise Seany had for her.

“HI HONEYBUNSSS!!”

Amé opened her eyes, and standing before her, was Nicole. She was holding a bouquet of flowers, and quickly ran up to Amé, wrapping her up in a hug. Tears began welling up in Amé’s eyes. It was the first time that the two had met in months, with the road schedule keeping them apart for the first half of the season.

“I know, I know, it’s weird. But, I figured I would come to support you during the biggest game of the season, and I wanted to see the home crowd!”

Nicole was wearing the new jersey that Amé had gifted to her after she was named Captain during the offseason. She even had green and blue nails for the occasion. She looked incredible.

The two backed out of the hug, and Amé set the flowers down on Seany’s desk.

“Yeah, I’m realizing I probably should’ve saved the flowers for after the game. I just thought they were cute” Nicole giggled.

“They’re perfect sweetheart, although to be fair, I’m sure the cuteness rubbed off from you~” Amé chuckled.

Seany, getting increasingly uncomfortable, backed away towards the door.

“I’ll let you lovebirds have a minute, I’m gonna go, uh, talk to the coach, or something.”

He rushed out of the room, leaving Nicole and Amé giggling.

“For real hun, go play your heart out, I’ll be up here rooting for you the whole way!”

The two shared a short kiss, another quick hug, and Amé headed to the door.

“I’ll be looking for you up there, my love!” She ran out the door, and down to the locker room. It was time to gear up.

The pressure was on, and the team was revving up during warmups. As the captain, Amé was always the first on the ice, skating a few laps and then posting up in net to help the team prepare. She made sure to peek up towards the GM booth, spotting Nicole, and waving up at her. She took her gloves off and made a heart with her hands, blowing a kiss, and then returning to warmups. The buzzer went off, and the team headed back into the locker room to get their final preparations in place, and to hear the rousing speech by Seany. He walked into the room, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

“Alright Whalers, tonight’s the night. We’re going to go out there and show the world what we’re made of. This Citadelles team is tough, and it will by no means be an easy night. We’re gonna grind them down and show them our truest quality, our grit. While we may not be the strongest team in the league, or the fastest, or even the most skilled, we make up for it in our resilience and compete level. No other team can get knocked down over and over again, and come back as strong as we have.

This is our ice. This is our rink. This is our time. Now get out there, and let’s kick some Quebec buns!”

“LETS GO WHALES” The team chanted, before lining up to take the ice.

Over the stadium PA, a familiar voice prepared to announce the starting lineup.

“Good evening Whalers fans! It’s time to get up, get loud, and get ready for tonight’s starting lineup!” Nicole had been given the nod for tonight’s lines, the lucky girl.

“At Center, we have River Yekaterina Volkova!”

“At Right Wing, we have Matthew Leroux!”

“At Left Wing, we have Aaron Noxus!”

“On Right Defense, we have Zach Mulder!”

“And on Left Defense, we have Hans Gronlund!”

“Lastly, in net, captain of your Vancouver Whalers, Florence-Amélie Mackenzie!”

The crowd erupted with cheers and applause. “LETS GO WHALERS” chants erupted in the stadium. The anthem was played, and the lights came on.

Time to kick some Citadelle butt.

The ref dropped the puck. Quebec won the first faceoff, and immediately made clear that they meant business. The forwards ripped down the ice, immediately starting a 2 on 1 rush towards Amé. She had to make a sprawling dive to catch the shot, her first save of the game. The first goal of the game would come quickly, with Noxu scoring the first goal. Quebec would return the favor, sniping one top shelf past Amé’s glove. Vancouver would get their second in the final minute of the first, a power play marker for the defensemen Gronlund. After the first 20, the shots were already 19-9 in favor of the Citadelles, but the score still stood at 2-1 Whalers. The team was headed back into the locker room for intermission. Seany was there, ready to get after the rest of the team for their play.

“We’re holding our ground out there guys, but come on. You have GOT to pick it up, we cannot keep relying on Amé to win the game. Keep scoring goals, and lock in on defense!”

Period 2 began much the same as the first, with Quebec winning the draw and laying into the Vancouver end. Vancouver would not take long to respond, however, as a stretch pass up the middle from Noxu to Volkova sent her streaking on a breakaway, where she threw the puck top shelf over the shoulder of the Quebec netminder, raising the score to 3-1 early in the second. Macket would score the 4th for Vancouver, solidifying their lead even more.

The game wore on, with Quebec still maintaining the advantage in terms of shots and possession time. In the final minute of play, a bad turnover by Vancouver’s 4th line sent the Citadelles streaking up the ice, nearly allowing a breakaway but being chased down by the Vancouver Defense. They got off a shot, which was quickly deflected by her blocker, bouncing off into the corner. Quebec recovered the puck, passing it around the Vancouver end for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the second period, much to the delight of Amé, as well as the very tired Whaler 4th line, who had been trapped on the ice for a very extended shift. Shots after the second stood at 33-20 in favor of Quebec, but the score was shockingly one sided with Vancouver leading 4-1 heading into the 3rd.

After a round of chatter in the locker room, the team headed out to finish up what felt like a surprisingly lopsided match. However, shortly after puck drop, a deflection on net cut down the Whaler lead by 1, followed quickly by a second Quebec goal. Now that the score was becoming close, the tension in the air became thick. A 4-1 lead was cut to 4-3 in just 5 minutes. The team had to close the door on Quebec, especially with the growing momentum against them. Shot after shot, and Amé held strong, until an unfortunate break led to a tripping penalty against the Whalers, with only 3 minutes remaining in the period. With just over a minute remaining in regulation, Cristoforo Roccamontepiano launched the puck into the net after a flurry of shot attempts, evening the score at 4-4.

This was a nightmare scenario for the Whalers. They had led the game for nearly all 60 minutes, and had choked a 3 goal lead away in less than 15. The buzzer rang, and the team huddled up by the bench to await their overtime instructions.

The shots were 47-25 at the end of the 3rd. It was not looking good for the Whalers. Amé had become numb from the repeated pounding that she took from both the puck but also the Quebec players themselves, repeatedly rushing the net.

Amé looked up at the GM booth. Nicole was standing there, watching carefully and trying to cheer on her girlfriend. The two locked eyes. Nicole and Amé both raised their hands, and formed them into the shape of a heart, and then blowing a kiss.

It was time to win this game. For her.

The ref blew the whistle, it was time for OT.

The Citadelles won the faceoff, and, as they did in all 3 periods, got a few shots off at Amé. She glanced them off with ease, and sent the puck up to her teammates, who returned the favor. However, the last shot from Noxu deflected off the netminder’s pad in just the wrong way as to set up Roccamontepiano for a breakaway. Amé skated out to close the distance, slowly backing up as the forward flew towards her. He tried to get her to jump, but she reached out with her stick to poke it away from the streaking player. The puck slid just in front of her as he blew past.

Now was her time.

Amé shot the puck forward, where it landed perfectly on the tape of Aaron Noxus, who broke away from the Quebec defenders, and slid it home between the legs of the Quebec netminder.

The crowd erupted. The players cheered. The goal horn blared.

Amé looked up to the box. Nicole was going crazy, cheering, jumping, and hugging everyone else in the box.

The team skated up and cheered, huddling up with Noxu to celebrate the game winning goal.

The Whalers had just slain their dragon. The up and comers, fresh off nearly the worst season in league history, had just stunned the reigning champions in a defiant OT win.

The Quebec players filtered off back into the opposing locker room, and the entire Whalers team celebrated on the ice. They eventually made their way back into the locker room, where Nicole was waiting. She ran into the tired, sweaty arms of Amé, nearly crying.

“I knew you could do it babe, I never doubted it one bit!”

The arena announcer came back on, announcing the stars of the game.

“Tonights first star, from the Quebec Citadelles, Cristoforo Roccamontepiano”

The crowd booed.

“Tonight second star, from your Vancouver Whalers, Aaron Noxus!”

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Noxu took a lap on the ice.

“And tonight’s final star, Florence-Amélie Mackenzie!”

Amé walked out of the locker room, and skated out on the ice, thanking the cheering crowd for their support.

Unbeknownst to her, Nicole had snuck out on the ice behind her, and was patiently waiting just past the door to the bench.

Amé turned around, and saw Nicole, bent down on one knee, reaching into her pocket.

“Amé, I have loved you for nearly 5 years now, and over that time, I have learned so many amazing things about you. The way that you stretch when you first wake up. The food you eat for breakfast. The adorable little grin that you get whenever you get excited. The way you always pack your gear for every game. I want to be able to spend the rest of my life learning about you. Will you, Florence-Amélie Mackenzie, marry me?”

Amé stood there, completely frozen, with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t believe what was happening to her. To think, at the start of the day, she thought this would just be another game in the long 66 game season. Now it is the most incredible day of her life.

“YES!” She blurted out, quickly skating over and nearly running over Nicole, who was struggling to maintain her footing on the ice. The two embraced, and the crowd erupted in cheering and clapping.

“I always knew you would be my keeper, Amé”