adam and leah pat one another on the helmet as they glided upon the ice. even if the rest of team usa felt like they were ready to the level of the two banksies, they couldn't have been further away.
the second the siren that signalled the start of the game blew, everything fell apart for team usa. jesse had taken centre ice, with dean behind his left, guy behind his right, and adam and leah beside him.
adam wished he was assigned centre ice, because jesse clearly wasn't prepared to win the puck. jesse and the opposing iceland player clashed sticks for the puck, fumbling the game in its first few seconds. as dean slid up to centre ice, the iceland player tumbled to the floor dramatically.
"oh come on, get up." dean scoffed.
the referee blew his piercing whistle. "foul! ran at him unprovoked." the referee called, startling dean as he turned around and knocked the referee down. "calm down, son. you are out of the game!"
"what?" leah exclaimed incredulously.
portman fumed as the referee attended his exit of the ice. the boy punched the boards furiously, storming away as the game began. not even three seconds in, and adam and leah felt like their team were fumbling.
the game kicked off. due to the foul, iceland were given possession of the puck from centre ice. defensively, leah cleared the ice and tagged to the side of a beefy iceland player.
iceland were precise and well-practised, the puck passing between them casually as team usa tripped and stumbled trying to intercept it. leah ditched her position on the far end of the ice to try and win the puck.
"get the puck!" goldberg bellowed, desperately trying to defend all entry points to the goal.
as an iceland player gently nudged the puck to another player, leah swooped in angrily and shot the puck to adam on the other side of the blue line. the stands roared, but leah couldn't hear anything.
the girl sped down the ice, her speed leaving the sea of usa and iceland players behind. it was just adam, leah, two defenders, and the iceland goalie. fortunately, adam and leah had practised weaving and shooting more than enough.
as adam and leah weaved around and passed the puck to one another, adam quickly shot the puck at the goal at first opportunity. the puck whipped into the net, sending the whole goal sliding backward. the siren sounded as the team cheered.
after adam's goal, he was sent off the ice for a quick break. leah took centre ice at the reset, face to face with a new iceland player.
"lucky goal." he remarked, narrowing his eyes in attempt to intimidate the girl. leah was unfazed, remaining silent as she anticipated the drop of the puck.
the referee blew his whistle. as soon as the puck hit the ice, leah was gone with it. she shot the puck to jesse, who made his way to dwayne further down the ice.
leah felt a harsh shove hit her back, sending her in a wave toward the ice. she looked up fiercely, feeling anger bubble through her veins as the iceland player smirked and slid away slyly.
once leah got to her feet, she groaned at the sight of dwayne showboating with the puck. he tipped the black puck off the end of his stick, flinging the puck around and catching it. but within seconds, iceland caught his fumble and sped away with the puck.
leah shot down the ice, watching for her moment to swoop in as they glided closer toward her. as the girl began to push off, her skates cutting against the fresh ice, she felt breeze pass through her cage into her helmet. however, leah didn't make it very far as she was knocked to the side, sending her skidding along the ice. the girl groaned, quickly pushing herself up. alas, iceland had already shot the puck into the net.
"banks, switch off!" coach bombay yelled, sending the girl back to the bench before the reset. luis took her place, a nervous gulp running down his throat.
the girl huffed and puffed as she collapsed onto the bench. five minutes in, and it seemed her team had already lost all hope.
"what the hell were you doing?" charlie exclaimed, "if someone is charging at you, move out the way!"
leah frowned, her jaw dropping rudely. "i didn't exactly see them coming, charlie."
the boy scoffed, pulling his helmet down as jesse eagerly threw himself over into the bench.
the girl looked to coach bombay, who held his hands in tight fists. his eyebrows furrowed and the veins in his forehead were starting to emerge. he was evidently stressed.
"next time we're both on the ice," adam huffed, "just get down there as soon as possible."
leah nod in agreement, intently watching her team play. not one person seemed in control. in seconds, iceland won themselves another goal. goldberg was struggling.
"get julie in goal." leah insisted, though coach bombay only shooed her away.
soon enough, adam and leah were ushered back onto the ice, and from the look in bombay's eye, it didn't seem he intended on bringing the two back to the bench.
adam took centre ice, slipping away with the puck as soon as it was dropped. despite the beefy iceland players swarming the banks boy, adam managed to slip the puck away to leah, who was open due to the fact her tagged player couldn't keep up with her speed. the girl rounded the goal, faking to the far side before slipping the puck in behind her. thankfully, the puck fell into the net.
leah held her stick against the net in celebration, high-fiving her brother. she knew the duo were a force to be reckoned with, but not that they were this powerful. angrily, an iceland player barreled up to the two with his stick in the air. as leah went to pull her stick away, the player beat his stick down, subsequently whipping into leah's wrist and forcing her wrist to crumble outward in a contorted twist.
a sharp pain instantly shot up the girl's arm as she cradled her right wrist. like a blacksmith's rod of flamed iron had been cracked upon her right wrist, the girl felt tingling flares of molten lava shoot through her veins. radiating waves of punches fell upon her throat as she felt the glowing rush of blood to her right wrist, and it made the girl feel queasy.
the referee blew his whistle, sending the player to the box for two minutes. the girl was unsure whether the iceland player hit a metaphorical nerve of anger, or an actual nerve in her wrist, but leah wanted to cry either way. she felt ill.
"you alright?" adam asked, face falling as he stared at his sister. never before had he seen her eyes so wide and face so pale, and it scared the twin boy like never before.
leah shook her head gently, letting her arm fall to her side as she vowed to ignore the searing pain. "i think."
adam was unconvinced, but followed his sister back to centre ice. as the girl attempted to bound her hands around the stick, she flinched as searing pain returned stronger. attempting to ignore it once again, the girl skated off from left centre once the whistle pierced her eardrums.
the girl let her stick fall dominant in her left hand, even though it was her weaker side. to put it simply, her right side was too sensitive to even touch the stick.
leah was continuously bashed around, sending the girl into a mental frenzy. she sandwiched between players, between boards, and continuously tripped into tumbling falls. the siren of the first term echoed rattled through her skull, and the girl defeatedly made her way to the bench. looking up at the electronic scoreboard, she saw iceland had net three goals she hadn't even registered, letting the score fall four to two in twenty minutes.
coach bombay ushered the team in tightly. "where's our concentration?" he exclaimed, hitting his palm with his roll of paper, "you guys are running around like a bunch of chickens with your heads cut off!" bombay scolded, eyeing the defeated team.
jesse pursed his lips, disappointed by the response of his coach. "we're doing our best."
"well 'your best' isn't good enough," bombay paused, "you blow this game and we are one loss away from elimination. you guys might want to go home early, but i sure as heck don't."
gordon bombay began to walk away, leaving the team in silence. leah pushed her way to the side, catching coach bombay in his moment of frustration.
"coach, can i have some ice?" leah grimaced as she adjusted her glove, that now seemed to feel like a constructing python coiling around her arm.
coach bombay frowned, tutting past a huff. "you can't play the rest of the game if i give you ice. we need you out there."
team usa watched the girl grimace, the entire team staring at the beaten girl worriedly.
"it was just a tap, it can't be that bad." charlie rolled his eyes as he sipped upon his water.
leah nodded, swallowing the suffocating lump in her throat. "yeah, you're right. let's play."