Before a home game against the top-ranked New York Admirals, Ilya feels energized by the engagement ring hanging around his neck. He avoids discussing his deeper mental health concerns with Shane, hoping to “fix himself without troubling his future husband” (275).

Ilya delivers a rare, fiery speech to his teammates declaring they will make the playoffs, and the team responds with enthusiastic cheers before winning decisively. At their usual postgame bar, Ilya plays pool with longtime teammate Bood, whose wife is due to give birth any day, and watches Troy leave with Harris.

Later, Ilya sits with rookie Luca and discovers he is an accomplished artist, asking him to design his next tattoo. When they’re alone, Luca confesses it’s been hard to meet people for sex. Ilya offers advice from his own younger years, but Luca clarifies he’s not just looking for hookups. A teammate overhears and teases them before leaving. Despite the awkward exchange, Ilya decides he likes the young player.

At the All-Star Skills Competition, Shane enters the fastest skater event specifically to compete against Ilya and narrowly wins. They watch Dallas Kent win the shot accuracy competition, which angers Shane. Ilya tells him that Commissioner Crowell called Troy and ordered him to stop posting about sexual assault on social media, likely to protect Kent’s reputation.

Later at the hotel bar, Ilya chats with Scott Hunter and invites him and his husband, Kip, to help with the summer hockey camps. He then signals Shane to meet him in his room.

That night, a drunk teammate knocks on Ilya’s door and interrupts them having sex. When the teammate overhears Shane moaning, he doesn’t realize who it is and assumes that Ilya has a woman inside and leaves. Shane and Ilya then have sex, with Ilya talking dirty about what would happen if their peers could see them. Shane stays the night, and they discuss being the first married NHL All-Stars next year—a prospect that terrifies Shane but excites Ilya.

After a press conference on All-Star Game day, Ilya confronts Commissioner Crowell in the hallway about his call to Troy, with Shane alongside for support. Crowell dismisses player activism as “unnecessary drama.” Shane argues that Troy is doing what the league itself should be doing.

Ilya asks whether Scott Hunter coming out was also an annoyance. Crowell claims to support Hunter but says he “often crosses the line” (302). Shane points out that the two other players who came out after Hunter are no longer in the NHL. Crowell makes excuses, then states that sexuality hardly matters anymore while looking pointedly at Shane. Shane firmly replies that it does matter. Crowell ends the conversation and leaves. Shane and Ilya agree confronting him was probably a bad idea—but one they would repeat.

In February, Ottawa is on a winning streak. At Monk’s after a win, Troy tells Ilya he plans to come out publicly at the team’s Pride Night game in two weeks and that he and Harris are officially dating. Ilya feels happiness mixed with jealousy but offers his full support.

At a later practice, Harris reveals that the team dog, Chiron, failed therapy dog training and needs a permanent home—which Harris plans to provide. Troy then announces to the entire team that he’s gay and dating Harris. The team cheers, and Troy kisses Harris in the locker room. Ilya is thrilled for them but jealous that his own relationship with Shane won’t receive the same welcome.

Ilya returns to therapy after a five-week absence and tells Galina about the engagement and his fears about consequences for Shane’s career. She advises him to tell one trusted friend as a first step. While in Boston for a game, Ilya meets his old friend Svetlana Vetrov for dinner. After pressing him, she deduces that Ilya moved to Ottawa to be closer to someone he loves and quickly guesses it’s Shane. They reconnect over three hours of conversation, and Svetlana promises to visit Ottawa and meet Shane.

After Ottawa’s Pride Night game, Ilya arrives at Shane’s house emotionally drained. Shane understands that while Ilya is happy for Troy, the night is complicated for him. To distract him, Shane leads him to the shower and performs oral sex on him. Later in bed, he gives Ilya a prostate orgasm—a rare experience for him—then masturbates to climax while Ilya watches.

Afterward, while cuddling, Ilya mentions that teammate Bood and his wife Cassie had their baby boy, Milo. They joke about naming a future son and playfully debate combining their last names into Hollanov or Rozander. Ilya teases about naming a child Roger Crowell Rozanov-Hollander. They laugh together before Ilya falls asleep in Shane’s arms.

In the week after Pride Night, Harris invites Ilya to his family’s apple farm for Sunday dinner. After the meal, Troy tells Ilya how good it feels to be out and encourages him to do the same. Ilya responds that it’s “not only [his] secret to tell (331), and Troy realizes Ilya’s partner is also closeted—likely Shane.

Harris mentions that a stray dog at the farm needs a permanent home. The dog has immediately bonded with Ilya, and he decides on the spot to adopt her, naming her Anya. Harris’s family agrees to keep her temporarily until Ilya is ready.

Nearly two weeks later, Shane arrives at Ilya’s house and is surprised to meet Anya. Though initially hesitant about pets, he is won over by Ilya’s obvious joy and the dog’s sweet nature. That night, instead of having sex, they let Anya sleep in bed with them. Shane watches his sleeping boyfriend and dog, feeling deeply content.

Ilya drives Anya to Montreal to visit Shane. They visit Hayden’s family, where Anya is a hit with the children. While Hayden steps away to record a FanMail video, Shane and Ilya slip outside for a moment alone and share a passionate kiss in a secluded spot in the side yard.

The next morning, a panicked Hayden arrives at Shane’s house. His FanMail video, filmed in a room with a large mirror, captured a clear reflection of Shane and Ilya kissing. The fan who received it posted it on Twitter, and it has gone viral. Shane and Ilya have been outed.

Ilya calmly reassures the distraught Hayden that it was an accident and their own fault for being careless. After Hayden leaves, Ilya watches the video and starts laughing hysterically at the absurdity of being outed by a birthday greeting for someone named Brad. Shane joins in the laughter.

They call their agent, Farah, who promises to draft an official statement and warns that Commissioner Crowell will likely retaliate. When Ilya returns home, Coach Wiebe is waiting. Wiebe reveals that Crowell has ordered both players benched temporarily. To show his support, Wiebe confesses that he is bisexual and had a painful secret relationship with a male teammate when he was young. He promises to back Ilya with the team and tells him to stay strong for the playoffs.