On a Saturday night in mid-December, Carter walks through freezing Vancouver with teammate Garrett Andersen toward a surprise birthday party for Cara, Emmett’s girlfriend. Hungover, Carter would rather be home watching Disney movies. They arrive late; Cara’s best friend, whom Carter has never met, has heavily decorated the bar.

Cara greets them enthusiastically, warning Carter to behave and not pursue her best friend, Liv. Carter recalls that Emmett has deliberately kept him away from Olivia for a year, fearing Carter would break her heart. He joins his teammates, including goalie Adam Lockwood, whose girlfriend, Courtney, is notably absent again.

While scanning the bar, Carter spots a captivating brunette dancing with Cara. Emmett sees him staring and warns him away, but Carter asks for her name. Emmett refuses. Carter watches the woman reject another man, and when their eyes meet across the room, she blushes and quickly looks away. Emmett warns that Carter will never successfully pursue her. Carter accepts this as a challenge and approaches her.

Carter approaches the woman, who is standing at the bar. She pretends to ignore him. He sits beside her, their thighs touching, and studies her face. She snaps at him, then apologizes for her rudeness. He offers to buy her a drink, which she declines, but he orders her a beer anyway. She reluctantly accepts and confirms that Cara is her best friend, introducing herself as Olivia.

Olivia reveals that she loves hockey and played for 15 years, which intrigues Carter. He propositions her, telling her his condo is nearby and he wants to have sex with her. She laughs at his crude approach, and he admits his name and face are usually sufficient.

Olivia plainly states she doesn’t do one-night stands and has no desire to be another notch in his bedpost. He playfully argues that he specifically wants her. Olivia touches his face, steps close, and asks if anyone has ever told him no. He proudly declares never. She tells him there’s a first time for everything and walks away. Carter is stunned, rejected for the first time in his life. Shortly after, Olivia sees him with a blonde woman on his arm.

The Sunday morning after Cara’s party, Olivia meets Cara for coffee. Cara wants to discuss Carter, and Olivia admits that she momentarily considered Carter’s proposition. She argues that she isn’t his type, as he typically dates tall models. Together, they go to Cara and Emmett’s apartment.

At the apartment, Olivia slips on the floor and is caught by Carter, who whispers in her ear. She sees his face, shrieks, and shoves him away, nearly injuring herself. Cara and Emmett find it hilarious, and Olivia realizes that Cara orchestrated the encounter. Carter gives Olivia his slice of bacon-heavy pizza, then lifts her feet into his lap for a foot massage. She enjoys it until he propositions her again, ruining the moment.

When he mentions the blonde from the previous night, claiming she wasn’t as attractive as Olivia, she is disgusted, but he insists that he didn’t go home with her. Olivia doesn’t believe him and decides to leave. At the door, Carter helps button her coat. He offers his phone number, claiming she’d be the first woman to receive it because she’s special. Unimpressed, Olivia whispers that she’s declining before slamming the door in his face.

On the last day before Christmas break, Olivia, who is a high school physical education teacher, struggles to take down a volleyball net due to her height. Cara calls and invites Olivia to a Vipers hockey game. Olivia hesitates, not wanting to deal with Carter, but Cara persuades her.

At the arena, Cara reveals that Carter has been asking Emmett about Olivia all week and singing a song about her. Olivia remains skeptical, believing he only pursued her because she rejected him. Cara reveals that Carter left the bar alone the previous weekend. Olivia privately admits she used her vibrator while thinking of Carter’s face.

During warm-ups, Carter spots Olivia and repeatedly taps the glass and chants her name until she looks. He declares he’ll score a goal for her. Throughout the game, Carter constantly smiles at her from the ice and bench. In the second period, he scores. He locks eyes with Olivia, points his stick at her, and winks, mouthing the dedication. Arena cameras focus on Olivia, broadcasting her mortified face on the Jumbotron. Carter then jumps on the bench and yells that the goal was for her.

In the locker room after the game, Emmett tells Carter that Olivia will be furious about the jumbotron incident. Carter reveals that he also gave her first name in the postgame interview. He believes her anger masks attraction, and he finds her rejection intriguing and funny.

At the bar later, he spots Olivia complaining to Cara about the public attention. He approaches and startles her, then teases her about checking him out. He pulls her close, compliments her outfit, and suggests they go to his place. He makes her giggle, which he counts as a victory.

At their table, Cara reveals that Olivia called him “Mr. Manwhore.” Cara lists Olivia’s nicknames, leading Carter to learn she’s a high school teacher. When Olivia tells Carter not to call her Ollie because they barely know each other, he asks her to dance. She initially refuses, claiming she doesn’t dance, but he calls her bluff, reminding her he saw her dancing the previous weekend. He frames it as a challenge, and she accepts by taking his hand.

On the dance floor, Olivia feels a strong connection to Carter but worries about getting attached. She confronts him about embarrassing her on the Jumbotron and television. Carter apologizes, explaining that he was excited and that extreme gestures are his nature. The music switches to John Mayer’s song about a woman named Olivia. Olivia realizes Carter requested it. He sings the lyrics to her, and they dance closely.

Olivia reveals that she’s 25, and she discusses her teaching career and mentions her brother, Jeremy. He watches her with tenderness that makes her stomach flutter. He teases her again when she mentions playing volleyball, making her laugh. She notices how intimate they’ve become and pulls away, feeling flustered.

Carter suggests they leave to get food, explicitly stating it’s not an invitation to his place. He persuades her to agree. Overjoyed, he spins her around and peppers her face with kisses. She goes to the bathroom while he gets their coats. When Olivia exits, she sees Carter with another woman pressed against him. Feeling foolish and hurt, she immediately leaves in a cab. Carter runs from the bar yelling her name, but she’s gone.

On December 23, Carter, Adam, and Garrett attend Adam’s annual charity event for The Family Project. A reporter mentions that Carter will receive a pie in the face if they reach their fundraising goal. Carter spots Olivia across the street, entering a bakery, and leaves to follow her.

Inside, he finds her buying a single cinnamon bun. He startles her, then orders cheesecake and additional cinnamon buns, paying for everything. She explains she buys a cinnamon bun every Christmas because her mother used to make them.

Carter asks why she left him at the bar on Friday. She confronts him about the woman he was with, but he dismisses her. He asks if she was jealous, which he enjoys. She admits she doesn’t want to compare herself to other women. He tells her she’s on a completely different level, making her smile.

Olivia meets Carter’s teammates, and Carter possessively calls her his date. Carter talks her into face painting; she ends up with his jersey number on her cheek while he gets Olaf, a character from the Disney movie Frozen. They eat cheesecake, and he offers her a ride home, which she declines.

He asks if she wants to go on a date, struggling with the word. She admits her fears about being used and discarded. He says he wants her, but she dismisses it as the thrill of the chase. He asks her to stay for the tree lighting, and she agrees.

Hours later, they watch the tree light up. Feeling cold, Olivia shivers. Carter wraps his arms around her from behind. He walks her to her Uber and invites her to the team’s New Year’s Eve party. He playfully refuses to let her leave until she says yes. They agree it’s not a date, but as he closes the door, he shouts that it is.

On Christmas Day, Carter reflects on his past love for Christmas and how it became painful since his father died seven years ago. He arrives at his undecorated childhood home with his elderly friend Hank, who is blind, and Hank’s guide dog Dublin. Hank’s wife died seven years before Carter’s father, on the same calendar day, and the two met on the day of Carter’s father’s death.

Carter’s mother Holly and sister Jennie greet them. Holly seems disappointed that Carter didn’t bring a guest. Jennie reveals their mother hoped Carter would bring his new girlfriend Olivia, the girl from the news and fundraiser. Carter deflects, but Holly expresses frustration, noting he’s never dedicated a goal to a girl before, besides family.

Jennie urges him to get a girlfriend and stop breaking their mother’s heart. Holly tells Carter she hates thinking he’s missing out on special love like what she had with his father. Carter hugs his mother, who admits how much she misses his dad. Carter promises his mother that if he finds something like what she and his father had, he won’t let it get away.

On New Year’s Eve, Olivia arrives at the party and is stunned by the beautiful and massive house in North Vancouver. Carter greets her on the porch, and they flirt. Inside, Olivia realizes from family photos that it’s Carter’s home. She confronts him about his downtown condo, and Garrett accidentally reveals that he uses the condo for hookups, hence the condo’s nickname: Carter’s Palace of Love.

Carter tells Olivia that she’s the first woman he’s invited to his house who isn’t family or a friend’s girlfriend. He asks her to forget his reputation for the night and enjoy their date. She corrects that it isn’t a date.

In the kitchen, Carter is about to give Olivia a small package but is interrupted. Garrett reveals he won a bet that Olivia would show up, and he asks for a midnight kiss, which annoys Carter. Garrett invites Olivia to be his partner in beer pong against Carter and Adam.

Carter proposes a bet: If he wins, he gets her midnight kiss; if she wins, he’ll take her to see Frozen II. He feels pleased either way. Olivia and Garrett dominate, winning twice. During the third game, as Carter shoots, Olivia deliberately bends over, distracting him with her backside. Carter misses badly. Olivia sinks the winning shot, revealing that she was undefeated at university. Drunk and victorious, Olivia teases Carter about losing.

Carter’s teammates mercilessly tease him about losing to Olivia. Cara tells him she doesn’t trust him alone with Olivia, fearing he’ll hurt her because he treats romance as a game. The conversation makes Carter question his intentions, and he feels flickers of fear about relationships. Adam tells everyone to back off, saying Carter has a crush.

Carter follows Olivia to the bathroom and waits outside. She emerges, and he pulls her back into the bathroom and locks the door. They flirt, and he admits he can’t read her, which is why he didn’t bet on getting a midnight kiss. He correctly guesses that she’s confused about which version of him is real. He tells her he likes her, but she confronts him about his behavior with other women and asks how many he’s slept with since they met. He truthfully answers none. She doesn’t believe him.

He says he wants to date, but she pushes back, saying she won’t be a test run for him to figure out if he wants a relationship. He says the only thing he’s sure about wanting is her. She says wanting isn’t always enough. Later, Carter gets jealous again when another teammate touches her. Olivia catches his eye and subtly steps away from the other man. This crystallizes Carter’s decision: He wants to be better for her. As the countdown to midnight begins, Carter walks purposefully toward Olivia. She looks panicked but doesn’t move. He reaches her with 15 seconds to spare. He takes her face in his hands. With seconds left, he asks if he can kiss her. At the stroke of midnight, she whispers yes.