Lane Courtnall is a young draftee for the Bolts who got sent down to the ECHL to "develop". He's hopeful that he'll get called up again soon. Jared Shore is a career player in the minor leagues, aware that his time in the sport is coming to an end - he's thirty-one. It's a brutal game, boys.



Lane is closeted and inexperienced and so goddamn endearing, in a dumb hockey sort of way. He is like an overeager puppy and is very bad at feelings, "which is why he plays sports". Jared tries to stay away, because god knows hockey isn't the easiest place to develop a Good and Functioning Relationship, but they're drawn to each other through mutual attraction and Jared's bewildered, fond thoughts of "is this guy for real?" Because Lane is just ... so odd.

Lane had thought about playing goalie when he was younger, but he would just stand up and tell the other kids why they weren’t getting the puck past him, and apparently that was irritating.

They hook up and worry about it becoming something More, because Lane is young and just starting his pro career and Jared is at the end of his. Lane is mad at his parent's inability to accept his sexuality and Jared is wary of being burned again by someone who wasn't serious about him.

Sidebar: The NHL is the only one of the Big 4 leagues without a single openly gay player, current or former. They have a "You Can Play" campaign that is designed to encourage people of all ethnicities and sexualities to embrace hockey and it will just hug them right back. I love hockey, but that's just lip service as the organization stands right now. The NWHL/CWHL is, of course, miles and miles above and beyond them. The former captains of the USWNT and Team Canada just had a baby together. These leagues also have their problems, but as usual, women are leading the way.

The easiness of the writing and the subject matter and the characters makes me suspect that Ms. Gale is a current or former fic writer. The dialogue is hilariously awkward and realistic and spoiler alert, Lane & Jared get their happy ending. i'm love it