Mandy was sitting next to his parents. She'd been on edge since their arrival at Kip's house. He raised his glove hand at her as he skated off the ice between the second and third.

She blew him a kiss in response to his wave. Colton was jumping up and down, vibrating in his seat. The game had been tight, with New York ahead, two goals to one, at the end of fourty minutes.

And then slowly, the minutes ticked by. Doug scored, tying the game. Kip stopped shot after shot. The crowd was deafening. And then, Kyle scored his second of the game, putting Calgary ahead with just four minutes to go. The volume was ear shattering, and she and Colton joined along with every Calgary fan in the building.

The ten second count down came. The crowd calling out the numbers. Kip was relaxed, the puck in the other end of the rink.

And then, unbelievably they had won. Kip thought there was going to be a riot as the crowd erupted in louder cheers and the entire team tackled him. Kip thought his heart was going to pound out of his chest. It didn't seem real, even as he held the Cup as a champion of the league. He'd been the best. He could relax. There'd be a contract and he could propose to Mandy, move her to Calgary, and life would be perfect. His dream would be complete.