All Chapters of Hockey Rivalry: Bed first, game later : Chapter 171 - Chapter 177

Ethan Oliver Harrison's POVOne Day Before the ChampionshipThe briefing room felt smaller than usual.Coach Marshall stood at the front with a thick file in his hands. He passed copies around while talking about formations, weak spots on the American side, and what he expected from every line.Most of the guys listened carefully. A few took notes while others nodded along.I sat near the end of the table with my hands hidden beneath it.Daniel leaned closer. “Are you nervous?”I shook my head.The truth was, I had been picking at the skin on my left wrist for the past hour. It was already raw, and every time I caught myself doing it, I would stop for a few seconds before my hand found its way back there.I pressed my thumb over the sore spot and forced myself to focus on Coach Marshall.“...if they overload the left side, don't chase the puck. Trust your defense and stay in position.”I nodded along with everyone else, even though I had only caught half of what he said.When the meet

Kane Hau Alexander's POVThe arena was already alive by the time we arrived.Thousands of voices merged into a deafening roar that echoed through the concrete corridors beneath the stands. They hadn't even announced the starting lineup yet, but the chants had already begun. Some shouted my name. Others called for Team America. A few had started chanting Ethan's name.Normally, this was my favorite part. Before every game, I'd linger in the tunnel, wave at the fans, flirt shamelessly with a few girls, and make sure Ethan caught me doing it just to get under his skin. He always pretended not to care, but the glare he'd send me afterward made the teasing worthwhile.Today, I walked straight past the crowd. I wasn't in the mood. I hadn't been since yesterday.Ethan hadn't answered any of my calls, and deep down, I already knew why.I pushed open the locker room door and sat down without saying a word.Around me, my teammates talked louder than usual. Some were stretching. Others checked a

Daniel's POV"I am not nervous."That was what I kept telling myself.It would have been more convincing if my hands had stopped shaking.I flexed my fingers inside my gloves and glanced toward the stands. The arena was a sea of blue, white, and red, every section packed with fans chanting over one another. Somewhere in that noise, I heard my name.I looked up.My parents had somehow found seats close enough for me to recognize them. My mother was on her feet, cheering so loudly that the people around her had started laughing. Beside her, both of my dads looked just as tense as I felt.A smile tugged at my lips before I quickly looked away. This wasn't the time to get distracted."Focus, Daniel," I muttered under my breath.The scoreboard glowed above the rink.Canada 2 - 1 America.We were ahead, but one goal meant nothing against a team like America's. One mistake was all it would take for everything to change.The whistle blew, and play resumed. America came at us immediately.The

Ethan Oliver Harrison's POV When we got to the garage, it wasn't as quiet as I'd expected.Nathan was busy directing everyone toward the cars while Shula stood beside him with folded arms, occasionally correcting whatever he was doing. They seemed to have become friends.The moment Catherine spotted us, her entire face lit up."My baby!" She hurried toward me before anyone could stop her."Mama Bear!" I laughed.She pulled me into such a tight hug that I nearly dropped my backpack."I missed you," she whispered, patting the back of my head the way she always did."I missed you too."She leaned back just enough to study my face. Her smile slowly disappeared."Have you been eating properly?"I blinked. "That's the first thing you ask after not seeing me for weeks?""It is." She pinched my cheek. "You're thinner."I chuckled. "I literally just finished a championship. And I'm supposed to lose weight.""I understand. But it's still worrisome,” she murmured.I laughed helplessly. "Don't w