Summary:

Ilya was only a few strides behind Shane on the ice. He clocked the angle before the hit even landed; Marlow coming in too hot, too fast, shoulder high. Shane turned and slowed at the wrong moment, skates clipping, balance gone. Impact. The sound carried oddly through the arena, duller than boards, sharper than ice. Shane went down hard, helmet skidding, body twisting. And then it all happened at once. Skates tangled. Marlow stumbled over him as he fell, too. A skate’s blade flashed too close, too sharp. -------------------------------- Shane's injuries during the Boston/Montreal game are much more life-threatening than in canon. Ilya's quick thinking and bone-deep instincts are the only reason he survives.