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ice breaker series pt 1 - sweetestdesire

The crowd leapt to its feet as Rafe Cameron soared into the Washington Capitals forward, sandwiching him between Rafe's shoulder and the boards. The glass rocked and groaned above them. Rafe caught a glimpse of red jerseys beyond the glass before spinning and skating after the puck. The opposing player slumped to the ground, stunned but he gamely got to his feet again.

Instead of joining the scramble for the puck in the Capitals zone, the player headed for his bench. Rafe noted the absence of the forward with barely a glance, focusing his attention on clearing the zone. It was a frantic penalty kill and his heart was beating double time.

Here it comes, he thought as the frozen disc of rubber shot out from under his teammates' legs. With long strides, Rafe crossed the empty space. He swung his stick and lifted the puck into the air, sending it flying across the ice to the Capitals zone.

As he skated for the bench, Rafe glanced up at the big screen, grinning when he saw the last three seconds of the Capitals power play count down. Several of his teammates jumped over the boards, and the Carolina Hurricanes were back to full strength.

Rafe watched the action on ice as he reached for the water bottle, dousing his neck and then swallowing generous mouthfuls before setting it down again. There was another five minutes of play left in the second period and the Hurricanes and Capitals were tied with a goal apiece. The pace was furious, as it always was.

By the time the teams headed into their locker rooms for the second intermission, Rafe and the rest of the team felt confident.

"All right, everyone listen up!" The head coach barked as he walked into the room.

The intermission flew by and soon they were all heading back out to the ice. A quick glance at the large screen overhead told Rafe they had exactly ten minutes to figure it out. The Capitals were winning with a one point lead. Come on. Rafe slid his mask down into place again. One more goal, that's all they needed.

The game was harried for the last ten minutes, and there were scrambles at both ends. At long last, the buzzer sounded and it was over. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, it wasn't their victory.

With a heavy sigh, Rafe skated off the ice with his team. In the locker room, the atmosphere was hushed. The guys on the team quietly went through the motions of changing, showering and packing their stuff up.

"Sorry we couldn't get it together in the end, man." Jordan Staal, sat down next to Rafe on the bus.

"Don't worry about it." Rafe didn't meet his teammate's eyes.

As the captain, he often felt responsible for the losses. His teammates, especially Jordan, did their best to get him to shake the disappointment and frustration following a loss.

"Come on, don't beat yourself up." Jordan went on when he saw the frown on Rafe's face. "It wasn't your fault."

Rafe merely shrugged. He knew he'd shake it off in time for the game but for now, he wanted to wallow in his mistake. It didn't take long for his teammates to pull him out of his funk. The bus ride to the airport was short and no one would let him just sit and rehash that game. Rafe was smiling as he boarded the plane with his teammates and laughing by the time he was buckled in.

Rafe never could stay serious and miserable over a loss for long. They had months before they needed to start panicking about a playoff spot. He shook off the last of his disappointment as the plane took off and he was in a better frame of mind in no time.

-

Rafe had been reluctant to go out with his teammates. In the end, Brent Burns convinced him that they needed a little stress relief after their loss to the Capitals the night before. They were back in North Carolina for a two week home stretch and he was glad for that at least. They didn't have another game until Sunday afternoon, so he had plenty of time to get over his disappointing loss in D.C.