Page 83 of Rookie Rules

Luca turned before he could stop himself.

Their helmets nearly met. Rowan's eyes held his for one second too long or exactly as long as a captain might celebrate a go-ahead goal.

The camera above the glass caught all of it.

The opponent changed its matchup after Luca's goal. Their best defensive pair stayed tighter through the neutral zone, one player shading toward Luca before Rowan even received the puck. The adjustment removed the clean weak-side pass but opened space for Finn.

On their next shift, Rowan recognized it first. He shaped his body toward Luca, pulled both defenders right, and sent the puck left. Finn entered alone and forced a blocker save.

At the bench, Luca leaned past Rowan. "They read the graphic."

Finn nodded solemnly. "My invisibility is tactical."

The line did not score, but the defense could no longer overload one side without paying somewhere else. Their chemistry was not one trick. It was the speed at which all three recognized who had become the threat.

That mattered more than a caption.

It also made the caption inevitable.

Northstar carried the 2-1 lead into the third, then gave it away on a failed line change. A forward entered behind the defense and beat Gabriel over the blocker.

2-2.

The building tightened. The Wolves had lost two games earlier in the month by turning one mistake into three. Vale shortened the bench but did not pull Luca's line from the next offensive-zone draw.

Rowan won the faceoff back. Nolan moved the puck down the wall. Luca took contact to protect it and heard Finn call from the middle.

He could not reach Finn directly.

He put the puck into Rowan's corner instead.

Rowan arrived, drew the defense low, and sent it through the crease. Finn changed his blade angle at the last instant.

Goal.

3-2.

Finn came off the bench after the celebration and pointed both gloves at Luca and Rowan.

"Graphic element," he said. "Show some respect."

Luca hit his helmet. "Tasteful blue line."

They defended the lead through the final six minutes. With the opposing goalie pulled, Nolan blocked a shot, gathered the puck, and sent it the length of the ice. It crossed the goal line with twenty-three seconds remaining.

4-2.

The horn made the Wolves 5-3.

Not a contender. Not saved. Five wins the organization had not been promised.

In the locker room, Claire waited until Vale finished before showing them her phone.

A clip of Luca's goal had already been posted by the local broadcast. The caption read:

HALE + BENNETT: NORTHSTAR'S DANGEROUS NEW DUO.

Finn read over Luca's shoulder. "I have become punctuation now."