Chapter 19: Blood Moon Siege

Stanley Cup Final – Game Four in Toronto

Scotiabank Arena had never felt more tense.

Nearly twenty thousand Toronto fans packed the arena in red and white, their voices rising in desperate chants.

“Leafs! Leafs! Leafs!”

They knew the situation.

Down 3–0 in the series, this game meant survival.

Vancouver’s small pocket of traveling fans waved green flags stubbornly from the corner sections, shouting back whenever the Leafs crowd paused for breath.

The Grizzlies stepped onto the ice with quiet confidence.

Alex led the way, Brody skating beside him. From a private suite high above the rink, Jake watched the warmups carefully, arms folded.

Security around the building was tighter than ever. Drones buzzed quietly over the roof. Police stood at every entrance. After the hunter attacks in previous games, the league wasn’t taking chances.

Even so, everyone knew Victor Kane was still out there somewhere.

Waiting.

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First Period Fire

The puck dropped and Toronto attacked immediately.

Their captain stole the puck off the opening faceoff and burst toward the net, but Vancouver’s goalie flashed the glove and snatched the shot clean out of the air.

The save drew a roar from the crowd.

Moments later, the Grizzlies countered.

Brody stripped the puck along the boards with lightning speed and slid a perfect pass toward center ice.

Alex caught it smoothly.

One defender tried to close the gap.

Alex shifted the puck forehand, then backhand, and slipped it between the goalie’s pads.

Goal.

1–0 Vancouver.

The crowd groaned while the Vancouver bench erupted.

Toronto answered later on a power play when a deflected shot bounced into the net.

1–1.

The hits grew heavier after that. One Leafs forward slammed Alex hard against the boards, drawing a warning from the referees.

Alex responded a few shifts later with a crushing reverse check that flattened the same player.

Even the Toronto crowd gasped.

Brody laughed from the bench.

“Consider that payback.”

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The Battle Tightens

The second period stayed intense.

Toronto pushed hard, desperate to stay alive in the series. But Vancouver’s defensive structure held strong.

Midway through the period, the Grizzlies earned a power play.

Brody controlled the puck near the circle and fired a quick pass toward Alex.

Alex didn’t hesitate.

His one-timer screamed into the top corner.

2–1 Vancouver.

The Vancouver fans in the crowd exploded again.

Toronto managed to tie the game late when a strange bounce off a referee’s skate redirected the puck into the net.

2–2.

The tension in the arena grew even heavier.

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Overtime Drama

The third period passed without another goal.

Overtime arrived once again.

Both teams played cautiously, knowing one mistake would end the game.

Then it happened.

Alex intercepted a pass near center ice and accelerated down the wing. The defender trailing him couldn’t catch up.

Alex wrapped around the net and slid the puck inside the post.

Goal.

3–2 Vancouver.

For a moment, the arena went completely silent.

Then the Vancouver bench erupted in celebration.

The Grizzlies now held a 4–0 series sweep.

The Stanley Cup was theirs.

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Chaos in the Darkness

As the celebration began, the arena lights suddenly flickered.

Then they went out.

The building plunged into darkness.

Confused shouts echoed through the stands. Emergency alarms started to ring.

Security lights flickered along the corridors as several figures rushed toward the ice from the tunnel areas.

Hunters.

The Grizzlies players reacted instantly.

Alex and Brody moved quickly, knocking weapons away while security teams rushed toward the scene. Jake sprinted down from the suite entrance and helped tackle one attacker near the boards.

Within moments, police flooded the ice.

Five hunters were arrested while the crowd was safely evacuated.

Somewhere outside the arena, a dark van sped away into the Toronto night.

Kane had tried again.

And failed again.

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Quiet After the Storm

Later that night, the Grizzlies gathered inside their hotel penthouse overlooking the city.

The Stanley Cup sat on the table between them, gleaming under the lights.

Brody leaned back on the couch, still in disbelief.

“We actually did it,” he said.

Alex rested his hand on the Cup for a moment.

Jake stepped beside him and smiled quietly.

“All the chaos,” he said softly. “And we still got here.”

Outside the window, Toronto’s skyline stretched into the distance.

But above the city, the moon glowed faintly red.

The hunters might be retreating for now.

Yet everyone in the room knew one thing.

Victor Kane wasn’t finished.