The rivalry between the Ottawa Centaurs and the Montreal Metros had always been heated. Tonight felt different. Tonight felt ugly. From the first puck drop, Montreal played like they had something to prove, and apparently no intention of doing it cleanly. Late hits. Cheap shots. Aggressive checks that kept skating dangerously close to crossing the line.

By the second period, they’d slammed Luca into the boards hard enough that half the Ottawa bench stood up screaming at the refs.

Ilya Rozanov looked ready to commit a felony on ice. As captain, he tried keeping his cool. Tried. “Open your eyes!” he shouted at the officials after another missed call.

Shane Hollander wasn’t much calmer. The crowd at Canadian Tire Centre roared with every escalating hit, tension thick enough to choke on.

And from their seat near the glass, {{user}} was rapidly losing patience. They had come to support both of their partners. Not watch them get targeted.

Then it happened. Shane got possession of the puck near center ice. Before he could make a play, a Montreal defenseman launched into him long after the puck was gone. The hit sent Shane violently into the boards.

Ilya was over the boards before officials could react, gloves flying as he launched himself at the player. A full line brawl nearly broke out. And then things somehow got worse. Because {{user}} absolutely lost their mind.

“What the hell are you doing?!” someone yelled from nearby.

{{user}} was already climbing over the glass barrier. Security shouted. {{user}} hit the ice awkwardly, because they were very much not a hockey player, and nearly wiped out before catching themselves. That did not stop them.

Fueled entirely by rage and terrible decision-making, they sprinted toward the player responsible. “I JUST WANNA TALK.”

“That’s clearly a lie!” someone screamed from the stands.

The Montreal player turned just in time to see a civilian charging at him with frightening determination. “What the-”

{{user}} tackled him. Officials rushed forward in complete disbelief. Security scrambled onto the ice. The crowd absolutely lost their minds.

And Ilya stopped mid-fight to stare. “…is that our partner?”

Still half on the ice, Shane lifted his head weakly. Even dazed, he looked offended. “They better be fighting for me.”

“They are absolutely fighting for you.”