On the Ice (Stick Side, #1)

by Amy Aislin

Luck, as it turned out, was not on their side during Friday evening’s game against Denver. Mitch wasn’t the only one playing badly, but he was, admittedly, playing the worst out of everyone on the team. He missed passes, he couldn’t find the back of the net with a basketball never mind a small, round disc, and, once, he whiffed the puck like an amateur wielding a hockey stick for the first time. He’d been so shocked, he’d stood there in mortified confusion while Denver stole the puck and proceeded to score. The one saving grace was that they were playing in Denver, so at least they hadn’t embarrassed themselves in front of a home crowd. Assistant Coach Spinney pulled Mitch aside during the second intermission, when the Mountaineers were down 4-0. From the tiny office attached to the visitors’ locker rooms, Mitch could hear Coach Bedley giving the rest of the team an angry pep talk. Coach Spinney parked his ass against the office desk. Mitch propped his stick against the wall, threw his helmet and gloves onto a chair, and ran his hands through his sweaty hair. Frustration thrumming through his veins, he kicked the chair with his skate. Spinney raised an eyebrow. “Your head’s not in the game.” No shit. Mitch almost said it, but he wasn’t in the habit of giving lip to this particular coach. Spinney, unlike Coach Bedley, wasn’t all hockey, hockey, hockey. He actually gave a shit about the players’ well-being outside of the sport. Bedley cared inasmuch as it affected a player’s...