Page 150 of Rookie Rules

He no longer needed Rowan to see it.

With four minutes left, Rowan lost an offensive-zone faceoff. The opposing center pulled the puck cleanly to the wall. Their winger chipped past Mateo and turned the play into a two-on-one.

Rowan pursued. His hip shortened his stride by inches. At NPHL speed, inches became separation.

The pass crossed. Gabriel pushed hard, but the shot beat him over the pad.

3-2.

Vale pulled Gabriel with ninety seconds remaining. Rowan's line controlled the zone. Finn worked behind the net. Luca moved high, exchanged with Nolan, and attacked downhill.

The shooting lane opened.

So did the pass to Rowan at the left post.

Luca released the puck.

Rowan set his blade.

The pass struck the heel instead of the tape and bounced through the crease. Rowan turned. His edge held. The puck did not.

The horn ended the game before they recovered possession.

For a moment all six Wolves remained where the failed play had left them. Then Rowan skated to Gabriel, touched the goalie's mask, and led the line through the exit.

The loss moved them to 6-7. Not collapse. Not crisis. One regulation loss in November, against a team close enough in the standings to make two points feel expensive.

Vale spoke for less than a minute.

"Execution was there," he said. "Conviction wasn't. We fix it tomorrow."

Players undressed in the heavy quiet particular to a winnable loss. Luca removed his gear with methodical speed. When media entered, he answered every question without defensiveness.

"The final pass missed," he said. "That's on me."

Rowan looked up.

Luca continued. "But the read was right. We make that play again."

It was precisely what Rowan would have told him a month ago.

The reporter asked if the top line's chemistry had cooled.

"Chemistry isn't magic," Luca said. "It is work. We go back to work."

Rowan had no place to put the pride.

The questions moved to Rowan.

"Was Bennett forcing that last pass because of what you said after the first period?"

"No. He made the right play. My route was late and the execution missed by inches."

"Your line has produced only once at even strength in two games. Are you changing the combinations?"

"Coach Vale sets the combinations. We created enough to win. We did not finish enough to win."

The answer protected Luca without making him fragile and held Rowan accountable without manufacturing a crisis. It was captaincy stripped to its proper function. Rowan could still do that much cleanly.