The first game of the conference finals series drew a crowd that exceeded even Founders' Arena's official capacity, fire marshals apparently making an exception for standing room only sections that hadn't been used in the arena's recent memory, the entire town's hockey-obsessed identity concentrated into a single, electric Friday night.
Rae felt the specific weight of the moment settle over her during warmups, scanning the crowd and finding, in quick succession, her father in his usual spot near the penalty box, Priya and a cluster of pre-med friends holding a handmade sign with her number on it, and — a detail that still occasionally caught her off guard — dozens of young girls scattered throughout the crowd wearing jerseys with her name across the back.
"Nervous?" Beckett asked, skatin
