Pucking Novels & Stories

I had to react faster. The puck left Finn’s stick, a blur of black plastic. I saw the rotation of the rubber, the exact moment the friction would wear off, the precise nanosecond it would hit the edge of my blade. It wasn't just sight; it was pure, geometric calculation. When the puck arrived, the sheer force I put into the one-timer was monstrous. The stick bent impossibly deep, and the puck launched off the curve with a sound like a gunshot. It didn’t just hit the net; it slammed into the back padding, tearing a small, circular hole right through the nylon mesh.

I whispered to myself before I skate back into position, trying to force my breathing steady. I glanced at Scarlett one more time before I tightened my grip around my stick, this time when jake sends the puck I reacted too quick tapping it before I am fully centered. It spins off my stick and wobbles toward theo, he slowly looked up at me like I had just insulted him.

GAVIN The rink was alive with the loud scrape of blades on ice, pucks smacking against sticks, and the heavy breathing of fourteen exhausted players pushing through practice drills as cold air bit my face, my eyes sharp on every movement. “Five more laps!” I barked, my voice cutting through the air. “Push harder, gentlemen. I want to see legs moving like you actually plan on beating the Cyclones on Thursday!” The guys groaned but obeyed, pushing off into another round of sprints around the rink. Their sticks clattered against the boards as they rounded the corners, their breath puffed out in visible clouds in the freezing air.

The dark smirk on his face was a silent challenge, a reminder of his pre-game promise at the red line. I am going to break your defense tonight, Wolfe, I thought, my jaw tightening as I lowered my stance. The referee dropped the black rubber puck. Kofi’s stick swept forward with a lightning-fast crack, winning the draw cleanly. He sent the puck sliding back to our defenseman, who instantly launched a hard, flat pass up the left boards.

Across. Back again. The puck kept moving while every player wearing black somehow remained exactly where they needed to be. Lukas chased until his lungs started burning and still, he made no mistake. Adrian finally forced one along the boards and the puck rolled loose. Good. It was fifty-fifty. Nikola threw himself toward it and so did a Dragon. CRASH. Both players hit the boards together hard enough for the glass to shudder but Nikola somehow emerged with the puck. "I WON!" He lasted exactly two strides before another Dragon arrived, another hit and the puck disappeared again.

I was already anticipating where it would go next when one of the guys suddenly slid into my path. I had to pull up and the puck disappeared around him. My brows knotted into frowns and I chased after it but another guy crossed in front of me. And then another. "What the fuck?" Veering left, I tried to find an opening but another set of skates appeared before me again. It took me a minute to understand what the hell was happening. They were boxing me out. Every time the puck drifted into open ice near my stick, one of the guys would intentionally cross my line, cutting off my momentum or stepping in front of my blade to sweep it away.

The pain I braced for never came. A gust of wind swept past, and Nathan's tall frame blocked me. He caught the blazing-fast puck in his hand with a low grunt. I opened my eyes and saw a spot of red seeping from the edge of his glove. "Are you okay?" I shot to my feet, my voice shaking. Nathan tossed the puck back onto the ice and turned to glare at me. "Are you stupid? You don't know how to duck? If I hadn't caught that, you'd be in the hospital with a concussion right now!"

Jace’s POV My lungs burned as I dashed off the face-off dot, I dug my stick blade into the ice, the puck snapped back to me clean. I dropped my shoulders low, and drove hard. I carried it through the neutral zone, faked left, cut right, and ripped a wrist shot that whistled past the goalie’s glove. The net rattled, my teammates banged their sticks against the boards.

I responded. "It's Thursday." "I know what day it is." "Then you know what's due." He opened the passenger door of a gray van parked beside my truck. "Get in." "My truck's right here." "Your truck stays. Get in." I looked at the van. The rink doors opened behind me, and a few of the younger guys came out laughing. Derek lifted a hand, and I lifted mine back. "You want to grab food?" he called. "Can't."

I lunged low, sweeping my stick along the surface to undercut the puck’s momentum before Miller could pin it against the boards. My composite blade caught the edge of the rubber. With a fast flick of my wrists, I dragged the puck out from between Dominic’s boots, flipping it backward past the center line. Gavin Vance read the play, snapping his stick down to secure possession for the Titans. The crowd noise rose again, but I kept my eyes on the puck and the man chasing it. “Maren recovers the draw!” the PA system roared over the deafening crowd.