The crowd roared with energy–despite the rink not being full– as the ref blew his whistle; his skates digging into the ice as he held the puck. In one swift movement, the puck dropped to the ice. Both teams wanting possession, they battled in a cluster for the piece of rubber. Fans cheered like they wanted the puck just as much as their team.

It was the second real game that mattered in the tournament for Canada, and as Carter sat on the bench fiddling with a puck as he watched the game unfold both intensively and distractedly, he couldn't help the sense of longing that was nagging at his insides.

The World Juniors may not sell out every game, and they may be the games you turn to after all the NHL games were over, however that didn't stop Carter from wanting to do his best, no matter who was watching. He was representing his country. His country was counting and cheering him on. He wanted to be the one who made a difference, who brought Canada home with gold.

Sitting on the bench, was not something Carter wanted to be doing. He wanted to be out on the ice, his teammates tapping his pads after he made a magnificent save. But tonight was his night off. He sat on the bench, the defence-men waiting to jump over the boards for their shift on his right, the glass and fans to his left.

His mind wandered as he absentmindedly let his gaze travel the length of the ice. Carter ran his hand over the puck, loving the smooth surface it had as he fiddled with it. The ref blew his whistle, ready to drop the puck again, tearing Carter from the haze he was in. He then became engulfed in the game, trying to pick up on any habits players had incase he ever had to face them. Subconsciously, Carter started flicking the piece of rubber up in the air, gracefully catching it with one hand. He repeated this multiple times, each time the puck going higher in the air as Carter became more comfortable with the motion.

"Preparing for the game against the States?" Jake Bean leaned forward, out of breath and red faced as he just got off from his first shift. He stared at the goalie he had grown close with because of being on the same team from previous years. Timmins, who was stuck in the middle of the two, turned to Carter waiting for his answer.

Shrugging, he continued to toss the puck in the air, a small smile on his face as he replied nonchalantly. "Sure, something like that."

"It is the first ever outdoor game for the World Juniors. You gotta be ready, gotta make sure we don't have a repeat of last year..." Jake continued, grimacing slightly as the memory of last year came to mind.

Carter caught the puck that was in mid air, holding it firmly in both hands as a frown replaced the very small smile on his face. "I thought we agreed to not talk about that. Especially not this year," he growled, trying his best to remain calm but failed as his jaw clenched. Last years loss is something Carter wasn't sure he could ever get over.

Jake through his arms up in surrender, cocking his head back as his eyes dropped to the ground. "Right, right, sorry. Use that as motivation, though. We better fucking win that game is all I'm saying."

"Yeah yeah, I'll be ready," he murmured, resuming his routine of flipping the puck over in his hands. He hadn't been able to get the outdoor game out of his mind, since they announced there would be one. He was anticipating the game, both nervous and excited to be apart of it all. He wanted to make Canada proud, not have a repeat of last years finals. He felt both honoured and terrified to have to face off against the defending champs.

The whistle blew once more, stopping play as the Slovaks went offside. Jake and Conor hopped over the boards for their second shift, their spots being filled by Victor Mete and Dante Fabbro.

Using the stoppage of play as an opportunity to glance around the crowd, Carter let his gaze travel throughout the arena. His eyes found their way up to the nosebleeds, surprisingly a good amount of fans up there sporting Team Canada jersey's. As his eyes continued on, Carter couldn't help but want to hop over the glass and give all the fans a puck or an autograph as a thank you for always supporting them. The dedication and support the fans consistently give makes Carter's heart warm. He appreciates them all so much, and he wished he could show them that.

Inevitably, Carter's eyes landed on the person closest to him on the other side of the glass. His chocolate coloured eyes widened as he noticed the beautiful girl right beside him. How had he missed her before? Why had it taken him four minutes into the game to notice the best looking girl in the building? Carter didn't have a good answer for any of those questions.

The girl's long light brown, almost blonde hair was tied into a low ponytail. Her face was covered because of the red Team Canada hat she wore, casting dark shadows across her (assumed) beautiful face. Carter couldn't tear his gaze from the girl who's lips twitched up into a smile as the man to her left, who looked to be her father with specks of grey in his beard, leaned forward and said something to her. They both broke out into laughter, the man's head falling back hysterically as the girl's gaze remained on the ice, a grin and slight chuckle escaping her lips.

The blonde wore dark denim washed jeans with a few rips in the knees. There weren't too many holes, as it was the end of December and the weather in Buffalo was below freezing. For her top, she wore a red pullover hoodie, and a black puffy vest, as if the Canada hat she wore didn't already show where her loyalties lied.

She was simply beautiful. Red looked gorgeous on her. Carter couldn't help but picture his jersey on her, how proud he would be to have a beautiful girl wear his last name on her back.

She was zeroed right into the game, barely blinking as her head swivelled from left to right, following the boys as they followed the puck. Not able to turn away from the girl, Carter stared at her, luckily looking close to his age. The world around him seem to dissipate as the sounds of the crowd and the chirps players made, were no longer audible. The smell of sweat, ice, beer and popcorn became nonexistent as all Carter could think of was what the girl smelt like. He imagined her to smell sweet, like chocolate and candy canes because it was Christmas time.

The puck Carter tossed around in his hand was still, him not able to multitask and watch the girl and fiddle with the puck at the same time. Suddenly, the piece of rubber slipped from his hands, the puck landing on the ground with a quiet thump.

No one noticed except for Carter who had instantly snapped his head down to see the puck on the ground. Bending over he picked up the round piece of rubber and tossed it between hands as he blinked back his surprise at what just happened. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the stranger. He was infatuated with her and he didn't even know her name.

As if a ton of bricks hit him, an idea popped into Carters head and he wanted to mentally slap himself for not coming up with it sooner. He snapped his head back to the girl who was watching nervously as Slovakia shot and Point had made the save. She clapped happily at the nice safe, taking a very evident breath releasing her pent up nerves.

Taking his own deep breath, Carter knocked hard and loud on the glass, knowing it had to be obvious if he wanted to gain the girls attention. Expecting the girl not to notice, Carter had to hide the deer in headlights expression he wore as the girl turned to face him with furrowed eyebrows, a very small smile on her face.

Blinking, Carter smiled, then nodding to himself to tell him he could do it; he could toss a puck over the glass. Gesturing up with his head, Carter held the puck up in his hand and hoped the girl would get the message. He knew she had when her small confused smile turned into a gigantic grin. Her posture straightened and she held her hands out, ready to catch the puck.

Chucking the puck up in the air, Carter held his breath hoping he wouldn't screw up somehow. What if he threw it too hard and it went right over her head and hit her father who wasn't paying attention? What if he accidentally threw it onto the ice? What if he completely missed her and the puck landed in the arms of a greedy old man? What if-

The puck didn't even make it over the boards.

The girl chuckled and slightly shook her head as Carter stuck his hand out at the last second and caught the puck again in his hands. His cheeks reddened due to the fact he couldn't throw the puck high enough for it to go over the boards. Mouthing a quick sorry, he threw the puck back up in the air again, and luckily, it went over and landed perfectly in the girl's open hands.

She beamed as she stared at the puck in her hands, realizing how cool it is to hold the puck team Canada used for practice. After a moment of studying the puck, she met Carter's eyes, mouthed a thank you and as Carter mouthed back a no problem through the glass, she turned and frantically poked her father on the shoulder.

Her dad tore his gaze from the ice, looking down at the puck in the the girls hands. They exchanged a few words before the blonde turned back around to face Carter, pointing at him with her finger.

Her father smirked and nodded slowly not breaking eye contact with Carter even when the Canadian fans roared when Steel scored. The players on the bench, the coaches, the pretty girl and the fans all jumped from their spots, beaming with proud and happiness. Carter remained seated, his expression blank as he maintained eye contact with the girls dad. He wore a knowing smirk and his eyes twinkled as he gazed at Carter.

He knew.