#115

Before Shin Ho-jae could respond, the referee quickly settled the situation.

When the captain’s position becomes vacant, an interim captain is needed. It was only natural. But for it to be him. Of all times, and in the most important game—the finals.

However, he didn’t have time to say he couldn’t do it. Ho-jae kept his mouth shut and headed toward the bench. Even while in pain, Moon Seung-yeol was repeatedly telling the players and coaches that he was sorry. As Ho-jae approached, Seung-yeol gripped Ho-jae’s hand tightly.

“I’m counting on you.”

“…….”

Ho-jae took a deep breath and adjusted his helmet. He couldn’t keep running away forever using the excuse that he wasn’t in top condition. Now that he had been appointed interim captain, he had to play properly, even if he had to force himself.

However, the price for forcing a play while not fully focused was steep. Driven by the desperate need to make a comeback, he committed a foul.

The head referee’s whistle blew, and Ho-jae’s jersey number appeared on the scoreboard. A double-minor penalty. He was headed to the penalty box for four minutes. Ho-jae swallowed hard and stepped into the box.

“Whew….”

A short-handed situation while the score was tied. They were at a disadvantage. Shin Ho-jae watched the action outside the penalty box with anxious eyes.

As feared, the outnumbered Blue Wolves conceded a comeback goal in an instant. The foghorn blared, and the score on the scoreboard changed to 2:3. The sound of Tigers fans singing their cheering song echoed loudly throughout the arena.

He checked the time. Because the goal had been scored in just 50 seconds, the penalty hadn’t expired yet; he had to stay for another two minutes. Standing in the box, Ho-jae clenched his fists.

He couldn’t let it go like this. He couldn’t play the rest of the match in this dazed state. He had to pull his condition up somehow.

‘You were my only support, Ho-jae.’

As his eyes followed the puck, Jung-hyun’s voice echoed in his head like an auditory hallucination. It was an surreal sensation.

Those final words that sounded like a confession. Even recalling them now made his chest ache.

30 seconds of penalty time remained. He could see the faces of his teammates, who were putting all their effort into defense to prevent further goals, even though they had already conceded one. Everyone was desperate.

He also saw the faces of Peter, Advisor Park Nam-woong, and former captain Choi Yong-su, who were sitting in the stands rather than on the bench.

Peter was still delivering tactics to the coach on the bench via radio, while Yong-su and Advisor Park looked anxious.

Ho-jae stared at those faces for a moment, then suddenly slapped his own face hard with his palm. Smack! A stinging sensation surged up his cheek.

That wasn’t enough; he slapped his cheek again with more force. On the third slap, the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the penalty time.

Shin Ho-jae put on his helmet, his cheek swollen and red.

Let’s win. The Shin Ho-jae who had been Kwon Jung-hyun’s support would not be a Shin Ho-jae who loses in such a weak state. To be proud in front of him, he had to win without leaving a single regret.

Shortly after the penalty ended, the second period concluded. In the locker room, Peter, Advisor Park, and former captain Choi Yong-su were already waiting for the players.

In the beginning, when Peter had first arrived, the club had blocked him from the bench during games and even from entering the locker room during breaks. However, after Advisor Park lodged a strong complaint, access to the locker room during breaks was permitted.

Thanks to that, everyone could gather in the locker room. Advisor Park and Choi Yong-su handed out chilled towels and sports drinks to the entering players, encouraging them and saying they did well, and as soon as all the players gathered, Peter quickly gave instructions for the third period.

『If we end up short-handed again, go in with the unit I mentioned yesterday. Focus all your strength on defense, but beyond that, let’s aim for a short-handed goal. Everyone remember?』

“Yes!”

“Yes.”

『And right now, everyone is swarming the moment Ho-jae grabs the puck. Ho-jae, you don’t need to force yourself to hold onto the puck. Use that situation to your advantage.』

“Yes.”

Shin Ho-jae nodded and answered.

In today’s game, while Shin Ho-jae’s condition was an issue, the Tigers’ defense became aggressive whenever he had the puck. Since they had conceded decisive goals to Shin Ho-jae in every one of the previous 3rd and 4th games, it seemed they had devised a strategy to tie him up completely. However, there was a strategy already in place anticipating this.

Shin Ho-jae exchanged glances with his second-line mates and steeled his resolve. It was the final period. If they couldn’t overturn the score here, it would go to overtime. Unlike the Tigers, who had plenty of substitute players, the Blue Wolves—already playing with two fewer players—would naturally be at a disadvantage the longer overtime lasted.

They had to end it here.

And so, the third period began. The score was 2:3.

To tie and then win, they needed two more goals. It was a situation where the Blue Wolves couldn’t help but feel anxious.

About five minutes in, it was the Blue Wolves’ turn to attack. The puck sent by Min-chul landed accurately in front of Ho-jae. Simultaneously, he saw two Tigers defenders approaching quickly.

As planned, Ho-jae passed the puck to Sang-gon. Sang-gon, receiving it precisely, carried the puck toward the goal with Du-min. The Tigers’ defenders shifted direction a beat too late.

The first shot was by Lee Sang-gon. The puck bounced off the goalie’s hand, and Shin Ho-jae quickly recovered it. Defenders blocked Ho-jae’s path again.

It was the twins, Na Dae-il and Na Myeong-il. Ho-jae faked a shot and sent the puck between their legs. He had passed it to Hyeong-hun, who was unmarked.

Hyeong-hun didn’t catch the puck but swung his stick immediately. It was a shooting method that minimized the time lost by not catching the puck before shooting. This was something Shin Ho-jae had taught the players while preparing for the playoffs.

Thwack!

And the puck beautifully hit the netting inside the goal. The foghorn blared. It was Hyeong-hun’s 10th goal of the season.

The players all flocked to Hyeong-hun, patting his shoulders and back. They were finally tied again.

There were about 15 minutes left in the third period. Plenty of time for a comeback goal.

The play from both teams began to grow rougher, and at the same time, their stamina depleted rapidly. Sweat dripping down his cheek fell heavily onto the ice.

One minute before the end of the third period, a Tigers attacker began to push forward quickly with the puck. Min-chul and Ho-jae pursued him closely, and Min-chul narrowly cleared the puck.

Just as Ho-jae, who grabbed the puck after it bounced off the wall, was about to sprint, Na Dae-il lunged from the side and delivered a powerful check to Ho-jae’s shoulder.

Crash!

Their bodies collided so hard it sounded like a gong. In an instant, a sharp pain shot through his right shoulder. It wasn’t a check to steal the puck; it was a check aimed specifically at the shoulder.

Ho-jae reflexively looked at the head referee.

Na Dae-il had been checking dirty for a while now. Wasn’t that how Moon Seung-yeol had been injured?

However, the head referee shook his head. It meant he would not give a penalty for that check.

A pain surged as if his shoulder were being ripped off. He could have stayed down to waste time and induce a penalty for Na Dae-il, but Shin Ho-jae chose to attack.

He didn’t want to break the momentum. Now that there was a chance for a comeback, he didn’t want to waste the remaining time. Sprinting with the puck, Ho-jae glanced at the clock, which had dropped to under 10 seconds, and fired a shot.

However, the puck bounced off the bodies of the Tigers players. He could almost hear the disappointed groans from the stands.

Ultimately, the third period ended in a 3:3 tie, and the game went into overtime.

“Haa, haa…….”

Shin Ho-jae gasped for air and slowly took off his right glove with his left hand.

“Those bastards suddenly filed a pheromone complaint against Du-min hyung and Min-chul hyung.”

“So that’s why those two went to get PST now?”

“Yes! They’re not even in their rut! Those pieces of shit are doing this right before overtime on purpose to steal their rest time!?”

“Pieces of shit. They’re playing dirty as hell.”

『Just because they’re playing dirty doesn’t mean we have to. Everyone, focus on cooling down. We have enough skill to crush them.』

At Peter’s words, the sweat-drenched faces of the players turned serious again. While listening to Peter’s tactics, Ho-jae glanced at his right hand.

His right hand, resting on his knee, was trembling violently. It throbbed as if every fiber of the muscle in his shoulder had been torn.

His hand wouldn’t go up.

116 – PUCK DROP