Game 3: Sunday, April 14—Purgatory Brandon (Series tied 1-1)
"Ow…Ow…Ow!" Nicole hissed as Kate worked, "Motherfu—"
"Okay, seriously? You're numbed up. Who knew you could be such a whiner, Red?" The trainer said with a hint of amusement, momentarily stopping her actions. "You know, you really shouldn't move so much while I'm trying to sew your face back together."
Nicole frowned, but apologized, promising to try to sit still.
She'd taken a high stick to the face that had left a gash right underneath her bottom lip that extended ever so slightly onto her chin. The action, a double minor penalty for high sticking, had earned the Devils a four-minute Power Play because Nicole had started bleeding on the play. It could've been a big break for the squad, a long time with a one-man advantage trailing 2-1 with just under five minutes remaining in the third. Nicole was beyond pissed that Doc had sent her down the tunnel for stitches, desperately wishing to be out there for these important moments.
She held onto a little hope that she might get to go back out for the last minute or so, or maybe her teammates would come through and tie it up and she'd be able to go back out for overtime, but those hopes seemed to be dwindling as she watched the clock tick down from where she sat, hearing the horn signifying that Brandon had potted an empty-netter to all but seal the deal.
Nicole was more than certain that Kate was good at her job, but still wasn't all that fond that there was currently a needle being driven through her face. Even though Kate had applied a local anesthetic before she started, that didn't mean that it didn't hurt (even if she may have been being the teeniest bit dramatic). She hadn't been able to see the gash before Kate got to work, but knew it had to be at least kind of deep judging from the amount of blood that soiled her white jersey. She could only imagine the reaction that Waverly would have once she saw her face.
"Waverly's gonna kill me," she mused aloud, "or she's gonna be worried that I didn't go back out on the ice, she's gonna think it's seri—OW!"
She flinched again, earning a scowl from Kate.
"Your girlfriend's gonna kill me if you end up looking like Frankenstein, so sit still, stop being a baby and let me finish. I'm almost done."
This time she did her best not to move or talk, allowing Kate to just do her job. She started to hear the team file into the locker room next door, most of them silent after being handed another loss. The only distinguishable sound, Shae slamming the door and yelling Fuck!, encapsulated the team's feeling about falling behind two games to one in the series.
"Someone's angry." Kate couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape as she switched out her suturing tools for a small bandage to protect the stitches.
"I'm sure she'd call it passionate." She rolled her eyes a bit.
"She can call it what she wants; doesn't change the fact she's a hothead."
"Not really sure I wanna go in there right now," she said, overhearing a muffled version of some intense monologue from the captain.
"Not even two minutes ago you were itching to get out of here."
"Yeah, but that was to go back to play, not to get yelled at."
"Well," Kate started, "unless you've got some other injury, which will keep you out of the next game by the way, I'm afraid I can't help you out." Nicole pondered the idea, but decided a fake injury wasn't worth it and decided to bite the bullet. Begrudgingly, she hopped off the training room bench and made her way to the door. "Godspeed," Kate sent her off with a chuckle.
As it turned out, she had lucked out and walked in at the end of Shae's rant, just in time for a more subdued Nedley's critique of the team's play. He acknowledged that there was a lot to work on, mostly things that worked during the season that they had gotten away from because of playoff nerves, but also took a moment to praise the things they had done well.
With the game being a Sunday matinee, the team had time to relax and recover from the game. Nedley had assigned them to watch game film that he'd be sharing with them and to take notes on things they did well as well as things they could improve on. They'd have team breakfast tomorrow morning and discuss their notes then.
She'd been assigned a room with Powers and Finning again, but found herself alone there, the other two going down to the hotel bar to watch the Raptors game on the big screen. They'd invited Nicole, but she politely declined, knowing Waverly would be calling soon.
Her phone rang as she was getting her first proper look at the laceration on her face after an hour or so of Shannon calling her "Rocky" and Vic calling her "Scarface".
Waverly Earp would like to FaceTime…
"Hey Waves," she smiled, giving an excited wave to her girlfriend through the camera.
"Oh my god, look at your face!"
"It is a nice face, isn't it?"
Waverly rolled her eyes.
"Nicole….whateveryourmiddlenameis Haught, you cannot keep getting yourself hurt."
"Rayleigh." Nicole said simply, ignoring the nice, albeit unnecessary, concern of her girlfriend. It was a part of the game, and honestly this wasn't even that bad. Waverly's concern came from a good place, and was endearing, but Nicole knew that short of bubble wrapping her entire body, she was always going to worry about her safety.
"Huh?"
"My middle name. Rayleigh."
"Hold on hold on hold on."
Nicole heard the voice, though didn't see it come from Waverly's mouth. She was starting to think that maybe the call had lagged, but when she saw a second person enter the screen, she knew she should've realized it wasn't her girlfriend's voice.
"Your name is Nicole Rayleigh Haught?" Wynonna asked, laughing a little more than she probably should've.
"Mhm. And?" Nicole nodded, quirking an eyebrow at the older Earp.
"Oh nothing, just thinking it's a little pretentious of your parents to—"
"—Go away Wynonna," Waverly interrupted her sister, shoving her off screen. "I think it's pretty. Like you."
The way her girlfriend's eyes scrunched up when she smiled had quickly become one of Nicole's favorite things in the whole wide world. Nicole couldn't help but smile back, face blushing at the comment.
"Even with this big ol' ugly gash on my face?"
"Especially with that big ol' ugly gash on your face." (She heard Wynonna gag somewhere off in the distance). "Just don't go off and get any more of those. You're already lucky you didn't get yourself a black eye in that fight the other day."
"Waves, it really isn't that bad, and it's kinda a part of the g…" Nicole trailed off, not daring to finish the sentence, catching the stern look on Waverly's face. She revised her sentence instead. "I promise I'll do my best to try to avoid getting hit in the face with any more sticks, or fists, probably especially fists, that really hurt."
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Nicole."
From the looks of the outside, Nicole wasn't quite sure that the diner would be able to handle them all. But, Nedley had insisted upon going to this specific little joint for team breakfast, and in the end, there had been more than enough room for the entire team. She chalked it up to it being dimensionally transcendental, or whatever they called it on the Doctor Who episode she'd managed to stay awake through when they'd hung out with Jeremy and Robin.
Twenty-two players, two coaches, plus Doc, Rosita and Kate all sat around a comically large table assembled by the diner staff who were far too friendly for Nicole's liking this early in the morning—especially considering that they were technically the enemy in this city. Once they'd been served and were well into their meal, Nedley addressed the team, asking them to go around the table and say one thing that they thought they did well last game, and one thing they would focus on doing better in the next.
A lot of notes were similar—needing to connect passes better, making the smart play instead of the fancy one, so when they reached Nicole, she struggled to find something unique to add.
"So, uh, for a positive, I'd say communication in the defensive zone and on the breakouts was good across the board," the team around her nodded, "and one thing I definitely want to work on next game is keeping my head up and avoiding hits."
She hadn't expected the amount of laughter that the comment had earned, even Nedley cracking a smile as he drank from his coffee mug.
"Yeah, no shit Haught," Saunders said through her own laughter.
"I swear to god I thought we were gonna have to start calling you a crash test dummy." Shae chirped from beside her, her turn being next. "For a positive, I'll say that I'm proud of everyone for not giving up. I know this series has been tough so far, but if we keep on working I know we'll be able to come out on top." A chorus of cheers and tapping knives on coffee mugs came in response to the captain's praise. "And for the next game, I'd like to work on making sure Nicky over here doesn't die."
The table continued to be in good cheer, laughing at Shae's joke, before she eventually corrected, saying that she'd like to focus on making better plays in the neutral zone. Nicole found herself a little suspicious, considering that this had been one of the few times Shae had been (almost) openly amicable toward her.
Once they had finished the meal, the team stood to head back to the hotel across the street, thanking the diner staff as they left. The elevator was packed as they rode to the fourth floor the hotel had blocked off specifically for the team. She was about to swipe into her room when she felt a sharp tug on her jacket, and was quickly pulled into the one next door.
Disoriented and in shock, she barely registered that this was Shae's room as she was pinned up against the door. For a second, flashes of that night at the UofA party ran through her mind, the dark of the curtains still being drawn in the room not helping her differentiate past from present.
"What the hell did you say to Bunny?" the taller woman almost growled, still pinning the redhead's shoulders to the doorway with her forearm.
"Huh?" Nicole managed, still more than a little jarred from the manner in which she'd been put in this situation. She was sure she had whiplash from the violent 180 Shae's attitude toward her had taken in just under an hour.
"What the fuck did you say to Bunny?" she repeated, no change in her tone.
"What? Nothing? Shae what're you talking about?"
"I know why you were suspended in February."
This wasn't exactly a surprise to Nicole who had had a hunch that Shae would either be told, or find out somehow. She was just struggling to see the relevance now.
"O-okay, why does that mean you have to pin me up against the door right now though?"
"Because that hag is breathing down my neck now, asking me all kinds of questions."
"What does that have to do with me, exactly?" Nicole challenged, still not sure what Shae was getting at. The captain didn't move, but Nicole saw the muscle in her cheek tense, and the pressure of her forearm against her chest growing stronger, now making her a little more than uncomfortable. (Now it was really starting to feel like that night all those years ago).
The silence hung thick with the (admittedly unnecessary) tension in the air. The only thoughts that Nicole's brain would allow sped through her mind like a jet plane. Oh my god, don't kiss me. Do NOT, please don't do it. She's not, is she? She can't. I have a girlfriend—OH GOD, Waverly's gonna kill me—this didn't end well five years ago and it won't end well now.
When Shae still wouldn't move, Nicole shook her head, as if the physical act would shake the thoughts away. She took a deep breath (or tried to, the weight of the woman's forearm pressed against her chest making it harder than it should've been) to try to help clear her mind and decided she'd have to break this.
"Shae, it's kinda hard to answer you when you're pressing me up against the wall like this." Almost like she'd just realized their situation, Shae jumped backward as if she'd been burned. "Thank you. Now can you explain what the hell you're talking about, because I'm kinda lost here."
"Bunny's been dropping hints, and asking all kinds of questions about…" Shae gestured vaguely with her hands, "…you know."
"She asked if you were gay?"
"Not in so many words, but yeah."
"And you think that I told her?"
"Did you?"
"How do you think that conversation went Shae? You think she pressured me and I said Oh, hey I think you should know that your captain shoved her tongue down my throat in college?" Nicole said after a singular hollow laugh. "God, Shae, she threatened to trade me because I decided to be out and proud on TV. Do you really think I'd put you or anyone else in a situation like that? Do you think I'd out you to save my skin?"
She could see Shae bite the inside of her cheek and cross her arms, and for a second she thought she might've gotten through to the woman.
"You kissed me."
"Excuse me?"
"That night. You kissed me."
Somewhere in the back of her mind Nicole knew that it probably wasn't the best idea to get into an argument of this kind in the middle of a playoff series they were currently trailing in, but here they were.
"You and I clearly have different memories of what happened that night."
"Not a memory, just the truth. You can't tell me you weren't looking to do that all night, and then you did."
"How can you be so delusional?" She huffed. "I didn't even know I was gay until you kissed me. I didn't even want to go out to that party, but Pierce and Kennedy said it was recruit tradition. I wasn't looking for anything. You were drunk and you found me in a corner of the room, and you shoved me up against the wall and you kissed me." When Shae didn't respond, she continued. "Look, obviously you've got some internalized homophobia or something, but don't take it out on me, and definitely don't tell me what happened that night, I remember every single second."
"I'm not gay."
"No one's saying you are." Nicole conceded, trying to drop the intensity that had crept into her tone and lowering her voice. The walls in the hotel room weren't exactly thick, and neither of them needed anyone else hearing this conversation. "But you have to know that there is nothing wrong with being gay, or bi—kiss whoever the fuck you wanna, but you don't have to live in deni—"
"Look, I don't care about you flying your little rainbow flag, but don't accuse me of being something I'm obviously not."
"I'm not, Shae—"
"—Just get out of my room."
Not in the mood to continue in a losing argument, she left the room. Apparently the only thing that had changed in five years was that there was less explicit homophobia in the way Shae Pressman kicked her out of her room.
Game 4: Tuesday, April 16—Purgatory Brandon (BDN leads series 2-1)
TSN (TSN_Sports)
CEWHL Playoff action tonight:
TR Summerside (TR leads 2-1)
St. John's Charlottetown (CHA leads 2-1)
Purgatory Brandon (BDN leads 2-1)
Peg City Moose Jaw (PEG leads 3-0)
16 Apr—12:00 PM EST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
Off to a roaring start! Nicole Haught nets her second goal of the playoffs just :45 into the first to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
16 Apr—7:09 PM CST
TSN (TSN_Sports)
Blue Devils fall behind 4-1 midway through the second period. Timeout called by head coach Randy Nedley.
16 Apr—8:21 PM CST
VANCE KERR (VKerr_CEWHLN)
Quick line shuffle in Brandon—Nicole Haught reunited with Victoria Powers and Shannon Finning after top line of Boardman-Haught-Pressman struggles. Uncharacteristic absence of chemistry between the line so far tonight.
16 Apr—8:27 PM CST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
Ready for the start of the third period, still trailing 4-2.
16 Apr—8:52 PM CST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
Super Powers—Vic shoots, Vic scores a beautiful top-shelf one-timer courtesy of Nicole Haught.
bobcatsCEWHL 4, Devils 3
16 Apr—9:12 PM CST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
TIE GAME! Beth Harris wires one past the goalie for the Devs second goal in 37 seconds.
16 Apr—9:13 PM CST
TSN (TSN_Sports)
When it rains it pours—Nicole Haught nets her second of the game to take the 5-4 lead for Purgatory. 5:14 remaining in the third.
16 Apr—9:22 PM CST
PURGATORY GAZETTE
SPORTS: Blue Devils Survive Shaky First Half to Tie Series in Brandon
By: Jeremy Chetri
The Blue Devils got of to a fast start in Game 4 Tuesday evening in Brandon when Nicole Haught scored forty-five seconds into the first period. It looked as if they'd run away with the game from the start. And then the trouble hit.
It started with a goal from the Bobcats' Cleo Clanton, and then the top line's chemistry seemingly inexplicably disappeared. Pucks were held onto for too long, passes weren't connected, and turnovers were made. Frustrations were evident, most notably in an exchange between captain Shae Pressman and rookie center Nicole Haught who appeared to be jawing heatedly back and forth at each other.
When the Devils fell behind 4-1 midway through the second, Sheriff Nedley had seen enough. A quick shuffling of the lines later, Corine Saunders scored a goal seconds before the second intermission to send the game into the break at 4-2. Saunders had been bumped up to center Boardman and Pressman, and Haught returned to center the Finning-Powers duo. Goals by Powers and defenseman Bethany Harris just 37 seconds apart tied the game, and Nicole Haught's goal with 5:14 remaining proved to be the eventual game-winner. Shae Pressman added an empty netter in the final minute of the third to account for the final score of 6-4.
The Blue Devils appear to have won this game despite the tension between Pressman and Haught, not because of them—even if Pressman finished with a goal and an assist and Haught tallied two goals (including the game-winner) and added an assist on Victoria Powers' goal. Nedley's line jumbling may have saved the game, but the two stars will need to sort out whatever problems may reside between the two of them if the team is going to find a way to win the series.
The series shifts back to Purgatory tied 2-2 for a pivotal Game 5 on Thursday, April 18 at 7PM. The winner of game five has historically gone on to win the series 78 percent of the time, so there is no understating how important this next game will be.
Game 5: Thursday, April 18—Brandon Purgatory (Series tied 2-2)
Nicole met Wynonna at the arena much earlier than she would've been under normal circumstances, really needing to get her mind right for the game. That's how she found herself on the ice at 9 am desperately wishing the sound of the music blasting through her headphones would drown out the all the noise that had been filling her airspace since Monday.
Thirty minutes and an entire bag of pucks scattered across the sheet later, she hadn't felt much better. Sure, they'd managed to tie the series back up, but she couldn't help but feel like that last game was a loss. Bunny Loblaw had reared her ugly head again, calling her and Shae out for "unprofessionalism". It had been the first time all season that the outspoken owner had been right in a claim. Nicole supposed that even a broken clock was right twice a day (though she couldn't imagine her making another proper claim any time soon).
She and Shae had admittedly been unprofessional last game, and it had almost cost the team. Nicole chastised herself the whole way back home to Purgatory for letting her emotions get the best of her in such a public setting, but Shae had been ignoring the open pass to her all game, nine times out of ten resulting in a turnover and had led to two of the Bobcats' goals. Nicole had decided to confront her at what in hindsight wasn't the best time, right as they stepped on the ice for a faceoff in the second period. Shae all but tore her head off. Five minutes later, the Bobcats scored and Nedley had had to call a timeout, effectively separating the two of them—like kindergartners.
As her headphones started to play Born This Way by Lady Gaga, she ripped them from her head, not in any mood to listen to any sort of upbeat pop song at the moment. Nicole found the nearest puck and put her entire body into the shot, stumbling to the ice as the twig snapped in half. She muttered under her breath about that stupid piece of shit, pushing herself up to a knee, throwing the broken pieces of her stick down to the ice.
"Jesus Christ, maybe I should take your place tonight."
She heard, more than saw, Wynonna and decided not to turn to face her. If it were Waverly, the girl would've made her way across the ice in her boots to comfort her girlfriend, but she'd had to run errands with Chrissy this morning and wouldn't be in until just before the game. Nicole was holding out hope that if she ignored Wynonna long enough that she'd just get bored and go away. But by the sound of skates gliding across the ice toward her, she should've known that Wynonna usually did the opposite of what people hoped she would.
"Get up Haught, I wanna play." Wynonna said, now standing next to her.
Standing begrudgingly, she faced the woman.
"How'd you know I'd need a stick?" She asked as Wynonna offered one of the two she was holding. "You didn't sabotage this one, did you?"
"No," she scoffed, taking her hand to her chest dramatically, "and I'm offended you'd think that."
"Well, you do have a reputation for prank pulling."
"Never with something so sacred as a scorer's stick." Nicole searched Wynonna's face for any trace of lying or mischief, but couldn't find any. "Come on Red, sauce me a biscuit."
"Is that your attempt at hockey lingo?"
"Maybe."
"Well it's awful." She said with a laugh.
"Just shut up and pass me a puck."
Nicole took the nearest puck and passed it to the woman across from her, who received it and sniped it top shelf with ease. Nicole stood there, mouth agape, not knowing about her best friend's secret ability.
"Close your mouth Haught stuff, you're gonna catch flies."
"I had no—how did you?"
"I told you I should take your spot tonight." Wynonna shrugged.
"I had no idea you played."
"I don't get why people don't believe me when I tell them I could've gone pro."
"Why didn't you?"
"You've met me. Teenage juvenile delinquent, free spirit, town pariah whatever you wanna call it. No college program's gonna take a kid with subpar grades and a hefty record."
"Well that's too bad, we could've been teammates."
"I'm too good for this league anyway." Wynonna shrugged off the comment. "Anyway, enough about me. Why are you out here ten hours before the game angrily shooting pucks and snapping your stick in half?"
The older Earp sauced her a short pass, that she slapped toward the empty cage, sliding into the bottom right corner.
"Stupid fucking drama."
"Such as?"
"Bunny Loblaw."
"Is that supposed to be news?"
"No, but now it's causing problems with team chemistry."
Wynonna gave her a puzzled look, but then seemed to stumble upon a realization.
"That fight you had with Shae last game."
Another pass landed on her stick as she spoke.
"Bingo." She said as she took the shot.
"What did Buns Buns do?"
"She started asking Shae questions that freaked her out, and she accused me of outing her to Bunny."
"That's a little ridiculous, even for her."
"We fought in the hotel before the game, and it just carried over. She can't even look at me, and when she has to, I swear to god she's plotting my death."
"Well fuck her."
"I think that's what got us in this situation in the first place."
"That was actually pretty funny Red." Wynonna laughed an honest to goodness laugh. "I guess I must finally be rubbing off on you."
"Yeah maybe."
"Okay, but seriously. Fuck that bitch, okay? You are badass, record-breaking, Nicole freaking Haught, alright? Just do your fucking shit out there tonight and win the damn game. You'll shut Bunny the hell up and it might help you get in good with your captain there."
Nicole looked up at the scoreboard as she took the ice late in the third period. The Devils trailed 3-2 with 3:15 left. Nedley had gone with the decision to keep the lines together that helped them win the last game. She took to the faceoff dot just outside the attacking zone with Finning on her left, Powers on her right and Hansen and Thomas behind her. Everyone in the arena was on their feet, willing their team to come up with the goal to tie the game.
She won the draw with ease, Thomas gaining possession of the puck as they set up an entry into the attacking zone. The two defensemen set up along the blue line, Thomas still holding the puck, looking for a pass. She had Vic just outside the left faceoff circle and Shan on the opposite half-wall. Thomas opted for the point to point pass, Hansen receiving the puck and making a slap pass diagonally across the ice to Powers. Nicole posted up in front of the goalie, setting a screen, dealing with shoving from the Bobcats' defender in front of the net. Powers looked to make a pass into Nicole in front of the goal, but as the puck got to her, she felt the shaft of a stick pressed forcefully into her back and then stumbled to the ice as the puck slid into the corner untouched.
Nicole was furious, watching Cleo Clanton chase after the puck going unpenalized for the obvious cross check right in front of everyone. She heard the symphony of boos as she got to her feet to get back in the play. (There was no use in wasting time fighting with these refs over the non-call with the game ticking away).
Catching up to the puck carrier, Nicole swiped to take the puck off her stick, and then a shrill blast of the whistle stopped her in her tracks.
Not again.
She'd been caught taking a cheap penalty late in the third period of a tight game yet again.
"Blue Devils penalty. Number fifteen, Nicole Haught, two minutes for tripping."
As the referee all but locked her in a cage for two minutes, she cursed under her breath. With 2:17 left in the game, Nedley sent Corine and Shae out onto the ice to kill the penalty, but also to try to score. They couldn't afford to lose this game and everyone knew it.
Everything felt far too similar to the first game for her liking. The way that the Bobcats' power play moved the puck and rang the post, coming millimeters away from icing the game and taking the series lead; the way that the Devils scrambled to defend; and especially the way the puck landed on her stick moments after exiting the penalty box.
She was struck with the sickest feeling of déjà vu as the puck felt like an anchor on her stick. Seventeen seconds remained, and she was staring down the goalie, faced with a decision and the game on the line.
This is it Haught. Redemption.
She'd failed miserably last time she was in this situation. Maybe this was the universe giving her a second chance to play the hero.
A hole. Glove side. Hit it.
She couldn't hear anything but her inner monologue muffled by the sound of blood rushing through her ears. And then, out of the corner of her eye, the woman in the number eight jersey with a capital letter 'C' stitched onto the front appeared. Nicole couldn't exactly hear her, but she knew, just knew, she was screaming for the puck. She had a choice: pass the puck to Shae and hope the goalie reacts too late, or take the shot herself and hope the goalie thinks she's gonna pass it. Nicole turned her body slightly toward Shae as she thought, the world suddenly feeling like slow motion.
"Fuck that bitch, okay?" She heard Wynonna's voice overtake her own inner voice. "You are badass, record-breaking, Nicole freaking Haught, alright? Just do your fucking shit out there tonight and win the damn game."
Yeah. Wynonna was right. She'd never admit it to the woman, but she was right. This was her chance to win, to redeem herself, and she'd be damned if she gave it up.
Body still turned toward Shae, she slid her hands forward, sending the puck toward goal on a no-look shot. It froze the goalie, who hadn't been expecting it, but had flown wide of the post and bounced off the boards with a thundering echo.
As the end of period horn rang out, Nicole sat on one knee in the attacking zone, watching the Bobcats celebrate the win, in disbelief that she'd manage to blow the same exact play twice in one season. Shae skated over and tapped her on the shoulder (a move that looked comforting and captainly to the cameras, she was sure), getting her to stand up and head off the ice. Once they were out of view, Shae shoved her roughly on the shoulder, and growled angrily in her ear, "This one's on you, you colossal fuckup."
And it was. (Hearing Bunny down the hall yelling "You are some kind of moron, Haught!" was just the icing on the cake).
Game 6: Saturday, April 20—Purgatory Brandon (BDN leads series 3-2)
CEWHL (cewhl)
Playoff series to date:
TR v Summerside (TR wins 4-0)
St. John's v Charlottetown (STJ leads 3-2)
Sherbrooke v Moncton (MON leads 3-2)
Brampton v Bathurst (BAT leads 3-2)
Purgatory v Brandon (BDN leads 3-2)
Peg City vs MJ (PEG wins 4-0)
Edmonton v Calgary (EDM leads 3-2)
Steinbach v PA (PA wins 4-0)
20 Apr—1:45 PM EST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
Crucial game 6 in Brandon tonight! Devils fans, we need your support tonight
Game time: 7 pm CST/6 pm MST
TV: CBC, TSN, GRTV
20 Apr—3:30 PM MST
TSN (TSN_SPORTS)
Brandon coach, Margo Jean Clanton ahead of tonight's potential elimination game against Purgatory: "This game, like the series is ours. We've neutralized their so-called stars, and the series will end tonight"
20 Apr—4:45 PM EST
TSN (TSN_Sports)
Purgatory coach, Randy Nedley on his team's win or go home game in Brandon tonight: "This series is far from over. I'm ready for these girls to step up. It's been up and down so far, but we're ready to take it sky high."
20 Apr—5:02 PM EST
Brandon Bobcats (bobcatsCEWHL)
Go CATS go! Cleo Clanton takes the lead off a pretty pass from Jolene DiMoni. 1-0 Bobcats, 3:11 to play in the second.
20 Apr—8:14 PM CST
PURGATORY SPORTS REPORT (JeremyC_PG)
Count 'em 1…2…3…4 STRAIGHT. Devils ransack the Bobcats in the third period on four straight goals from Boardman, Haught, Pressman and Hansen to beat Brandon 4-1, taking the series back home 3-3 for Game 7 on Saturday night.
20 Apr—9:21 PM MST
Nicole stopped off in the bathroom of the airport just before they caught their flight back to Purgatory. They'd done it. Somehow, some way, they'd done it.
She grimaced as she dropped her backpack to wash her hands at the sink, still tender from blocking a shot with her body at point blank range. She was certain she'd cracked a rib on her right side, but refused to go to Doc, Rosita or Kate about it—especially after missing the end of game three because of the stitches that were currently marring her face. Another woman turned on the sink next to her as she grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands.
"That was a good fight the other day." The woman said, not looking up from the running water.
"Uh…thanks?" She answered, confused at the randomness of the comment.
"No, seriously. You got a mean right hook, girl." The woman turned to her, revealing a fading black eye and a large bruise spreading across her chin. "Takes a lot for someone to knock me on my ass like that."
Almost immediately, Nicole recognized her as the woman she fought way back in game one, the jaw-jacking, self-ordained queen of chirps, Jolene DiMoni.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." She apologized; the fight uncharacteristic of the style of play she usually adhered to. "Sheriff Nedley told me to go out there and make something happen, spark some energy for the team for the next game, it's nothing against y—"
"—No worries, Red. It's a part of the game," She waved her off, taking a better look at Nicole's chin. "Did I do that?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Then I think we can call ourselves even." Jolene smirked.
Nicole found it strange to be conversing with the enemy, but she decided that hockey players (even those on other teams) were people too and it was perfectly normal small talk anyway.
"So, game seven huh?" She asked.
"Makes for great drama." Jolene added. Nicole nodded in agreement, though grew a bit uneasy at the way the look in Jolene's eyes changed, darkened. She couldn't quite find the word to describe it…mean? Threatening? Devilish? She couldn't quite form words in response. "Look, you're good Red, which makes you a threat. If the best team is going to win, we may have to…eliminate the threat." Nicole swallowed dryly. "I'm telling you this only because I think you're a good player and it's only fair," Jolene stepped dangerously close, centimeters from pinning her against the wall of this dirty airport bathroom, "watch you back out there next game."
Jolene backed away, put on a sickly-sweet smile, and wished her luck in the upcoming game before exiting the bathroom. Nicole released the tense breath she'd been holding.
Perfect, she thought. As if she didn't have enough to worry about from within the team.