Page 69 of Rookie Rules

The third period began with the crowd standing.

Northstar killed an early scare when Gabriel stopped a breakaway with his left pad. Mateo cleared the rebound without touching the forward beside him, an act of restraint so visible Rowan slapped the boards in approval.

Two shifts later, Luca found open ice.

He stole a puck near the blue line and accelerated. One defender back. Finn driving left. Rowan trailing through the middle.

The defender gave Luca the outside lane.

He could beat the angle.

The highlight formed before the shot did: opening-night goal, number 88, cameras collecting proof that every promise made about him had been reasonable.

Luca pulled the puck inside.

The defender's stick reached.

Rowan called once behind him.

Luca ignored the first impulse and moved the puck back.

Rowan caught it, drew the defender one stride farther, and returned it immediately. The pass arrived before Luca was fully ready, which was why the goalie was not either.

The crease shifted toward center.

Luca shot into the space the goalie left.

Goal.

For an instant there was no sound, only the sight of the net lifting behind the puck.

Then the arena came apart.

Luca hit the glass with both gloves. Teammates reached him in a wave. Finn grabbed his shoulder. Rowan arrived close enough that their helmets touched for one second inside the celebration.

Public contact. Safe contact.

"Good read," Rowan said beneath the noise.

Luca wanted to kiss him.

The desire was absurd, immediate, and impossible to mistake for hockey.

He shoved Rowan's shoulder instead.

"Pass was acceptable."

Rowan's mouth almost moved.

The game tied at three.

The next ten minutes became smaller and harder. Gabriel froze a shot through traffic. Nolan took a hit to move the puck. Luca had another chance from the right circle and sent it wide because the defender's stick changed the release by half an inch.

On the bench, Vale shortened the rotation. Rowan's line went over the boards with two minutes twelve remaining.

"One good possession," Rowan said before the faceoff.

He won it back. Nolan moved the puck up the wall. Finn absorbed contact and chipped it into space for Luca.