Page 13 of Offside Angle

A few people snort. I roll my eyes.

Damian doesn’t even look up from his tablet. “You can chirp. Just don’t be stupid about it.”

“That’s vague, Coach,” Cole complains.

“Exactly,” Damian replies.

Elias keeps going, but the room slowly starts to loosen up as people throw in their own comments.

“What if we overload their left side?” Shane suggests from the back. “They always cheat to their right.”

“Only if we can get the puck there fast enough,” Roman mutters. “Their transition is quick.”

“I can be fast enough,” Cole says confidently.

“You’re fast until you’re not,” Tyler shoots back.

“Fuck off, Texas.”

Laughter ripples through the room, but it doesn’t kill the focus.

Just when it feels like we’re wrapping things up, Cole opens his big mouth. “So who’s starting in net for the first two games?”

The room immediately erupts.

“Shane,” Tyler says without hesitation.

“Obviously Shane,” Cole adds. “He’s a fucking genius between the pipes.”

A bunch of the guys nod and murmur in agreement. Even some of the rookies look toward Shane like the decision has already been made.

Shane just leans back in his chair with that signature crazy goalie grin, clearly enjoying the support.

I stay quiet, but I get it. We’re used to Shane. He’s been our guy. He’s steady, he’s clutch, and when the game gets chaotic he somehow gets even better. The vets especially trust him with everything.

Damian, however, doesn’t even blink.

“Roman starts the first two,” he says calmly.

“Coach, with all due respect—” Cole begins.

“We know Roman’s good,” Elias cuts in, more measured. “He’s got the KHL experience. But Shane’s been our guy all season. We know how he plays. We know how he handles pressure.”

Damian looks around at all of us, completely unfazed by the pushback.

“Exactly,” he says. “We know Shane. We trust Shane. That’s why we’re saving him.”

He lets that sink in for a moment before continuing.

“We let Roman take the first games. He’s more than capable. If things go sideways and we need a reset, we bring Shane in later. He comes in fresh, locked in, and ready to steal a series if we need him to.”

Some of the guys look skeptical. Others seem to be turning the idea over in their heads. Shane’s grin has faded into something more thoughtful, while Roman just sits there calm as ever, arms crossed, like he’s been expecting this conversation.

I glance between Damian and Shane, then over at Elias, who’s watching everyone carefully.

It makes sense, strategically. But it still feels weird. Shane has been our backbone for a long time. Handing the net to Roman for the opening games of the playoffs feels… risky.

Eventually the tape ends and the lights come back up. The room slowly starts to shift as people stretch, close their notebooks, and begin gathering their things. Conversations pick up again — some talking about the game plan, others already moving on to what they’re doing after this.