Angels of Long Island | Mathew Barzal

~30~

Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
My boy 🧡💙
Tagged: barzal97

Liked by: laurenlamp, sophiabuck, marner_93 and 5,857 more

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Sophiabuck: Go hunt some lions @barzal97 (liked by lexicallahan and laurenlamp)

Laurenlamp: you two are my faves, love you both!

Abbygosselin21: miss you Matty (deleted by lexicallahan)

Within a few minutes, Mat spotted Alex taking shots at the other end of the ice and the camera in the rink panned to him and you could literally see the anger in Mat's eyes seeing the guy who hurt his girlfriend in the past. He slightly shakes his head and runs his tongue against his lip as he did so. He was pissed.

Lauren leaned over to me and whispered "Relax. He has a temper but if you told him not to lose his cool, he won't." I give a half-assed smile and a side hug to Lauren before turning my attention back to the boys.

After the anthem and starting lineups, the game starts. Mat makes it through the first period without a penalty.

The second period came and the Flyers scored. I was still thankful that for the most part, Mat had kept his temper under control other than swearing at the occasional Flyer who skated by.

MAT'S POV

The second period passed and the boys were fighting with fire. The score was 1-0. We skated off the ice to head to the locker room and get ready for the third. Once seated at my stall, I took a towel and wiped off my forehead and visor before listening to coach's speech for the third.

We headed back out to for the final period of the game and I could spot Lyon on the other end of the ice. I thought back briefly to what Lex said happened between them and it made me mad that he felt like being in a relationship with her was a joke. That's a dick move for any guy to do to a woman not just him and it made me mad that he would take advantage of someone who admired him. I was here to show her who her real man is.

Late in the third, Jordy scored our goal, tying the game. I could see that Alex doesn't really let goals that get past him effect his mood. We luckily pushed the game to overtime and were ready for hopefully a quick ending to this game.

With 3:44 left in overtime, the nerves in the arena were building. Who would score first and win? I knew Lex was probably on the edge of her seat and for her sake, I wanted to score. Beau coughed the puck up to me in the corner behind our net and I skated it on a breakaway towards the net. Just as I reached the net, I flashed my stick up like I had shot the puck high and Lyon went to glove save it and stuck his left leg out at the same time, catching the edge of my skate, knocking me to my knees. Now I wasn't just pissed about my girlfriend, he took away my scoring chance. "You're a fucking joke, bud." I yell at him as I skate back to my bench. I got one more shift on the ice before overtime ended. Now it was a shootout. Time to focus. I take a gulp of water as coach announces who'll be shooting. Beau, Bailey, Marts and then me.

Beau goes for his shot, and scores.

Nolan Patrick shoots for Philly and also scores.

Josh goes for us and misses.

Gudas shoots and Greiss poke checks it off his stick just in time.

Matt is now going for us and he misses as well.

It's now Sanheim for Philly and he, thankfully misses.

It's my turn. The game is literally on the end of my stick. I know Lex is probably dying of nerves in the box. I stick handle from center ice all the way to the net. I fake shoot to the top right and Alex dives, giving me a whole net to shoot at. I drag the puck to the left and pop it over his shoulder. The crowd explodes with cheers as I celebrate the game winning goal. The guys all skate over to huddle around me for the win. Lyon shakes his head and as I'm skating by, I say "Lex will appreciate that. "Oh the puck slut found another NHLer?" he says, rolling his eyes.  I launch my elbow up and knock his mask off his head and he pushes back with his stick, catching my lip in the process; just as the goal horn sounds. "Fuck off!" I yell in his face, just as the final horn sounds and our win song plays. We're shoving back and forth and the refs are rushing over to separate us. "Barz, c'mon, just leave." Beau's yelling in my ear. His guys are jumping in too, shoving me away with their sticks. I cross checked Patrick in the chest; I think. The refs get between us and yank me off him. "You better hope I don't see you outside 13." I hear as I'm skating towards the bench.  I whip around, ready to throw another punch at whoever it was when the ref jolts me around and practically shoves me off the ice and down the tunnel. The trainer is there, on the bench, to assess my lip; I can feel blood running down my chin so he hands me a towel and I wipe it away. Hopefully throwing an elbow doesn't get me suspended. Coach doesn't say anything to me after the game. I gently push on the inside of my busted lip with my tongue and it stings a little. I get undressed and showered and change back into my suit to head home.

"Barz. You wanna go get a drink?" Matt Martin calls across to me. "Sure thing." I say, throwing my sweaty, damp jersey in the laundry bin in the center of the room before heading to find Lex, who I'm sure will give me more hell than coach would've.

LEXI'S POV

After the game, I wait with the girls in the family room down the hall from the dressing room. I replay the events of the fight in my head. Alex said something to Mat and I couldn't make out what. Then Mat threw an elbow to Alex' head and almost got into it with the Flyers. I didn't know whether to be happy because he defended me or pissed at him for doing something dumb. If we don't hear anything tomorrow if he's fined or suspended, we can assume he's good.

Mat's one of the last to come into the room. I watch him make his way over to me gingerly, as if he were afraid I'd explode. "Good job babe. Nice goal." I say as he hugs me. "Thank you." He says, hugging back, but tighter than I was expecting. When he pulls away, I get a good look at his now busted, black and blue lip. "Oh my god, Mathew!" I say, taking his face in my hands. "I'm ok, I promise. It's not as bad as it looks." "What did Alex say to you that made you that mad. You don't usually act out that badly." I ask. He shakes his head. "Nothing. It was nothing." He says. "Mathew." I say. "Lex, it was nothing. C'mon, Marts wants us to get drinks. If you don't want to go, you can take the car home." He says. "No I'm good, let's go." I say. Mat takes my hand and smiles as we start to head out of the rink. Once we're almost at the car, Mat asks "So, you're not mad at me for fighting him?" I shake my head. "No. He deserved every bit of what he got. Just, don't take that as me telling you it's ok and just go pummeling every player that screws you over. Then I will be mad." I tell him sternly. "Yes ma'am." He says, kissing me before opening the car door for me.

We meet Matt and Sydney, Josh and Megan andCassie and Cal for drinks. We laugh and talk and it starts to get late.