Let the River Flow

[kirbithan 1,885]

River Harrington, now a sophomore defenseman for the Moscow Menace, has something to prove: to himself, his team, and the entirety of the VHL. Making it to the big leagues isn’t for the faint of heart, you either kill or be killed, and he wasn’t exactly fond of the latter, thank you very much. Racking up 47 points in 72 games in his rookie campaign, River was hungry for more, and with his role becoming bigger this time around with Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage swapping their position to forward, this meant River would have to step up and help fill in at defense.

 

River had learned a lot in his rookie year, and had a few “Welcome to the VHL, kid” moments, but knew better than to lose his head like he had back in his junior days. He’d like to think he matured out of those outbursts, unnecessary penalties, and fights (that may or may not have led to game misconducts). This year was going to be his year. At least he hoped it was, at least.

 

During the offseason, a lot had happened. He finally got settled into his apartment, and finally unpacked all the boxes that he’d had lying around, but had some duplicates of things he had to buy again after not knowing where they’d ended up (they were in the boxes). He saw his best friend, Brandon Petan Jr., win the Stolzschweiger Trophy for Rookie of the Year, and River swore he was on his feet clapping for at least 5 minutes. He’d also gotten engaged, but he and his partner, newly-minted Seattle Bear Slava Kovalenko, decided they’d keep this news to themselves and divulge details when they were ready. Was he hoping that Moscow would’ve been able to secure Slava in the Kovalenko sweepstakes? Of course. But from what Slava had told River during their daily phone calls, Seattle was a great fit for him and River was just happy that his fiancé seemed to find a team and a place that he truly enjoyed. 

 

9 games into the S98 VHL season, River was now starting off strong with 11 points (1 goal, and 10 assists). The single goal he’d scored so far was a power play goal, and a game winner, at that, so he was hoping he’d be able to continue capitalizing on those goal-scoring opportunities while keeping his +/- in the positives. He looked a lot more confident out on the ice than he had in the previous year, already showing some traits of a solid leader. With the faces he had around to mentor him, it would be no surprise if River continues to improve both on the ice, in the locker room, and as a person in general.

 

River wanted trophies. Individual, team, it didn’t matter. He just liked to win as much as the next guy did. Coming up short in the VHLM multiple times made him realize he needed to be better, and in the big leagues, there was no room for mistakes.

 

Hopefully this year would change things.

 

Spoiler

word count: 512

Edited March 16 by kirbithan