The Rise of the Isles II Mat Barzal

Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

"Mat, let's go!" Bailey yelled.

Mat got all of his hockey equipment ready and ran from his room to the front door.

"Shit, I forgot my phone," Mat said.

"It's okay, I'll get it," Bailey said, going to his room. He spotted it on his dresser next to a small, white envelope. She couldn't help but flip it over to see who it was for.

Bailey was inscribed in Mat's handwriting right in the middle. She took another glance at it.

"Bails, did you find it?" Mat called.

Bailey panicked, put the envelope back, and took Mat's phone to him.

"Got it," Bailey said, handing him the phone.

They got in the car and went straight to the rink. Bailey was still nervous.

"Are you okay, Bailey?" Mat asked.

"I'm super nervous," Bailey said.

"Don't be," Mat said, trying to calm her down. "Play a song or something, maybe that will help,"

"Okay," Bailey connected her phone to his aux cord. "I can't promise any Justin Beiber though,"

They both laughed.

"Anything works," Mat said.

Bailey played her workout playlist that usually gets her hyped up for games. She played The Kids Aren't Alright by The Offspring, one of her favorites.

Mat and Bailey both sang along to the music. Mat tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song.

They got to the rink and got dressed before getting on the ice for warmups. They were pumped. They were ready. They were excited. Even Bailey, who was experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions.

Bailey found Olly and started passing with him to make it seem like things were okay. She had to get her mind off of Mat and the letter and everything going on between her and Olly. She had to focus on one of the biggest games of her life. Although they were all equally important in getting ahold of the Stanley Cup, she was the most nervous for this game. It was her first playoff game, she had to play her best and try her one-hundred percent hardest.

She had her mind focused on one thing and one thing only. The puck. That would be where she needed to be when she was on the ice. Bailey shot a few pucks in the net before the coach called them in for his famous speech.

They skated on the ice as the jumbotron introduced the starting lineup. They did a lap around the ice, then stood for the National Anthems, first of the United States, then of Canada.

"You're gonna do great," Mat nudged her arm after the anthems.

"Thanks," Bailey said.

Mat went up for the faceoff; the game started from there. The first faceoff was won by the Boston Bruins. Their right-wing got a hold of the puck. Bailey pressured and won the puck. She took it down the ice and took a shot which hit the post. No one was there for the rebound, so the Bruins' defense got possession. From there, the defense passed it to one of their outside wings. He brought it up the ice. Bailey tried to get the puck. She took a hit on David Pastrnak for the Bruins. She tried to get the puck once more, Pastrnak's body shielded it from her. Bailey shoved her stick between his legs to try to get the puck. She got possession. She looked for Mat in the center and passed it. Mat took it up the ice. He held the puck for a while, before passing it to Jordan Eberle on the other side. Eberle did a wrap around the goal and instead of taking the shot, he passed to Bailey. Bailey took a shot. She hit the post. Mat tried to tap it in for the rebound. The goaltender, Tukka Rask, tried to glove the puck but missed it by an inch. The puck flew past the goal as well, soaring the boards. Bailey skated to go get it before her shift was over. She got the loose puck and passed it to Mat. Mat back to Bailey. Bailey saw an open shot. She took it. She scored! Her first playoff goal was scored against the Boston Bruins. She did her "bow-and-arrow" celly as the guys crowded around her.