COACH COLIN: Previously on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers...
- Did I give up too much for hockey? - Your only option is to go all the way.
- PLAYER: Last man in the tub is captain. - This is stupid.
Yeah!
Tomorrow, as you know, is the start of tournament play.
We do a round-robin format, which means the top two teams will be facing off
for a chance to compete in the Summer Showcase.
NICK: We need to win out this tournament just to get to the semis.
I present to you, Honda Center.
- What are you watching? - JACE: My tragic meltdown.
All happened right here. There's too many bad memories.
Maybe we can make some good ones.
Your brother likes to use you as target practice.
We're gonna turn that into your advantage.
You guys are the Smash Siblings.
Sofi, do you wanna try a knuckle puck?
I wanna score.
That's the real Anaheim Ducks!
ALEX: Do you think we are ready to go back and kick some EPIC butt?
(ALL CHEER)
You took the kids off campus? Did you even pick a captain today?
ALEX: It's Jace.
Sometimes you have to break the rules to get where you wanna go.
- Oh, there you are. Do you hate me? - For what?
I am the one who ratted you out to Coach Cole.
I told you, I'm just terrible with secrets.
- Oh, I think it's fine. (CHUCKLES) - Ah, such a brave girl.
You could get the axe, and it would be all my fault.
Coach Cole's won't fire me.
And you, a single mom, and you need this job so desperately.
Yeah, I think it's all gonna be okay. (CHUCKLES)
- Oh. Hello. - Hey.
- Well, uh, breakfast. - Breaking the fast.
(COACH COLIN CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY)
My God. You two kissed.
- (SPUTTERS) No. What? - Yeah, Alex.
I have known Coach Cole for many years, and I have never seen him like that.
- All he said was, "Well, breakfast." - But his words were charged with fire.
Okay, we did, but please don't tell anybody. Don't say anything.
I know we've just become close, but tell me everything.
You know, it was unexpected, but nice.
I don't think it's necessarily gonna be a thing.
No, you have to give this a shot.
You just need a real date, and I'll take care of everything.
I don't know how I'm gonna have a date. I literally live with 100 kids.
It's just gonna be a dinner. Something very discreet.
All you have to do is show up in a better bra. What do you say?
- Okay. - Yes. Okay, goodbye.
Hello, sir. Just roster updates for Team Focus.
- Thank you, Toby. - Yeah.
- Anything else? - Yeah, I just wanted to congratulate you.
- On? - Your little tryst with Coach Alex.
(CHUCKLES)
- I wasn't... I mean... Who told you that? - A gentleman never tells.
It was Marni. She told me.
- It wasn't a big deal. - So it didn't mean anything?
It's not that. It's just, what am I gonna do? Have a summer fling?
I mean, I haven't dated in years.
Well, lucky for you, you came to the right place.
So this is your next move.
You're gonna leave a trail of rose petals that leads to her recreational vehicle.
- You know, Dracarys. - Hmm.
That's the scent. It works every time.
- I gotta go. - This is your office.
Yeah.
(CAMERA CLICKING)
Okay, Perseverance, you are done. Next up is Dominate.
- Who's my captain? - That's me.
This guy almost died of hypotherms to get that captain C on his chest.
He's loco. Respect.
- Hey. - Oh, hey.
- How are you? - Good. How are you?
- Good. Good. - Good. Good, good.
Um... (CHUCKLES) This is so funny but, um, Marni, I guess,
figured out about the thing,
and I told her not to tell anybody but...
Yeah, Toby already knows about it.
- Really? - Hmm.
It was funny because she was like,
"Oh, you guys should have dinner. I'll, you know, fix it up for you."
- (CHUCKLING) That is funny. - Yeah.
- I mean, we could do that. - Oh!
- We could have dinner. - We could. I mean...
- I mean, unless you don't... - No, if you want. Yeah.
Maybe Friday? When everyone's at movie night?
Yeah. Okay, good.
Hey. What's the movie about? Wait. Let me guess. Hockey?
More about brotherhood with hockey as the backdrop, but shot absorbed.
(CHUCKLES)
- Do we wanna do a fun one? - Uh, that was our fun one.
Okay. Uh, Ducks, you're up.
Where's my captain? I need my captain in the center.
He's right here.
Okay, now, this one's the official one.
(CAMERA CLICKING)
- KOOB: Jace, what are you doing? - (MIGHTY DUCKS LAUGHING)
All right, I'd ask you if you wanna do a fun one,
but I'm afraid of what that might look like.
- PLAYER: Come on. - (MIGHTY DUCKS SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
Hey. Looks like that C belongs there, my friend.
Yeah, thanks. Jace is your captain?
I'd have never guessed. I thought he hated hockey.
Me too. But he had a rebirth when we went to Honda Center.
- You went to Honda Center? - Oh, yeah, just for the day. It was...
Once you include travel time and waiting around,
we were only on the ice for a couple of hours.
- You were on the ice at Honda Center? - On the jumbotron too.
Yeah, that's right. But it's not even really that big. It's kinda overhyped.
Once a jumbo soda fits in one hand, the word kinda loses all its meaning.
See you, Jace.
They're, like, official now?
No, not really, not at all. I mean, they only kissed once.
They kissed?
Um...
Let me take another look at that C.
That stands for charisma. Natural born leader. Right there.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
- Yeah! Whoo! - (WHISTLE BLOWS)
We have hit the stretch round of round-robin play.
The top four teams move on to the semi-finals.
Check out these oh-and-three Ducks led by a rejuvenated Jace Cole.
Go, Jace. Go.
- (LAUGHS) Yeah. - Get that puck back, guys.
(GROANS)
Get me some mustard. The Smash Siblings just sandwiched that dude.
- (CROWD CHEERING) - (WHISTLE BLOWS)
Ah... Fries. A side dish no more.
Making his bid for entrée status.
Deflecting it into the goal and sealing it.
The Ducks break through with their first win.
(CHEERING)
Yeah. Get it.
- (ALL CHEERING) - (WHISTLE BLOWS)
ANNOUNCER: Another big win for the Ducks.
And that's three in a row. The Ducks are firing on all cylinders.
Word around camp is that Jace and Sofi are an item.
And I'm not gonna weigh in on that because I am 52 years old.
What a thrill to see Jace take over this game.
Is this where we finally see his beautiful shot?
Come on, buddy. You got this.
Oh. Not today.
(GRUNTS)
- (GRUNTS) - (FANS CHEERING)
Yes. That's how you do it sideways. Yes.
- The rare walk-off knuckle puck. - Go, Sofi.
Whoo!
- (BUZZER BLARES) - One, two, three, Dominate.
To absolutely nobody's surprise, Dominate is heading to the finals.
They'll take on the winner of Hustle versus the Ducks.
Hey, Ducks. The goose is loose. The goose is loose.
Honk, honk!
Hold on. Koob, the goalie, is leaving the net.
- Wait. Is he... Is he trying to score? - Come on, Koob. You can do it.
Only the other goalkeeper to beat. The net is open. He shoots. He scores.
- Yes. I finally scored. - The Ducks win.
Whoo! We're going to the finals.
(CHEERING)
See, we were losers, and now we're winners. That's better.
Yeah, it is. But my shooting percentage is 1,000. I will never shoot again.
- That's fair. - What's up? Good win today.
- Thank you. - Yeah, you too.
Can't believe we're going up against you in the finals.
Yeah, it's definitely gonna be weird.
Speaking of, bro, we should go to my room,
watch some game tape and pump out a couple of squats.
Koob, don't you gotta go back there?
No, it's okay. I can hang with Sam and Nick.
Actually, crazy thought. Would you maybe wanna switch rooms?
I mean, just so that you can be with your teammate
and I can move in with my Duck boys here.
- Yeah, that just makes sense. - Right?
Yeah, we can kick each other's asses
and the Ducks can be together doing whatever guys that don't work out do.
- Yeah, I'm fine with it. - Nick?
Um, I think, oh, I left my retainer in the bathroom.
And my moms will kill me if I lose it again.
- KOOB: What? - So, yeah. Sorry. I can't.
(KOOB HESITATES)
Um... Yeah, sure, fine. That's fine.
- Yes. - Dominate roomies. Let's go. Ha-ha!
A.J.: Hey.
Sure you don't want in? Just a quick 10 miles before bed?
That way, you'll dream about running,
which keeps your heart rate crazy high while you sleep.
I'm good, man. You continue to feed the beast, though.
- You say the coolest captain stuff. - I know.
NICK: Wall hockey. Let's go. KOOB: Yeah.
NICK: All right, let's go, Mile.
Whoever rolls the puck closest to the wall wins.
BOY: What do we win? NICK: Pride, man.
All right, let's do it.
(CHEERING)
Hey. What are you doing in here?
Can you believe we're all playing in the championship?
- Why's all your stuff in here? - Me and Koob swapped rooms.
I guess it made sense for everyone.
Oh, so, you're rooming with Lawrence? Okay.
Sorry. I just need a second to let that sink in.
Well, the transformation's complete. I am no longer a Duck.
What can I do? How can I help?
There's not really much you can do about me losing all my friends, but thanks.
- Oh, buddy. - No, it's fine. I just... I'm not a Duck.
- Just for a little while. - No.
I don't even know if they'll take me back.
Think I just made a big mistake, that's all.
(GASPS) Coach Cole, snacking.
You know, there's a woman that I'm gonna have dinner with
that has been a bad influence on me.
Ah! That woman sounds cool.
But if you're just eating veggie chips,
she has not completely brought you over to the dark side yet.
Congratulations, by the way. Your Ducks made it to the finals.
(CHUCKLES)
I officially eat my words.
(LAUGHS) Thank you. That's more exciting than dinner.
Hmm. And Jace, my goodness.
I mean, I've never seen the kid so dialed in in my life.
I mean, I still wish he'd shoot the puck
and that I could help him with that, but...
I don't know. Whatever you did,
he's got that look at his eye again and I cannot thank you enough.
- He's doing good, right? - Yeah.
I just love the kid so much, and I've tried so hard, but I'm just...
- I'm screwing it up. - No.
(SIGHS)
So what kinda stuff is he saying about me these days?
Uh, you know, there's the thing about feeling pressure
and sometimes thinking maybe you're living out your career.
Couldn't make it as a pro. So now I'm living my dream out through him, right?
The truth is, I didn't play as long as I wanted to,
- but it wasn't because I was washed up. - Why?
After Jace's mother died,
he needed his father.
So I had to walk away from the game, and I had a lot of hockey left in me.
Started this place as a way to sort of stay close to the game,
a way to make a living.
Thought it'd be great for both of us and it clearly is not.
ALEX: Ah...
He doesn't know any of this.
And I don't wanna dump it on him. So, please don't tell him.
Of course. No, I won't. That sounds really hard.
But, man...
I see how much he wants it again with hockey,
and I just wish that we could get there together.
I see Evan really missing his team too,
and things are messed up with his friends now.
And it's almost like we should trade them back to their original teams.
Huh. Yeah.
You know, we do do trades here.
- What do you mean? - You didn't read the coaches' manual?
Sure, I looked at it. But what do you mean?
We could just trade the kids back? I don't know if they'd go for that.
If you think about it, it does kinda solve everybody's problems.
I mean, I would love to see Evan happy again,
and if you think you can get Jace back on track... I don't know.
I guess it's something we could float to them.
Yeah. Yeah, we'll just float it.
This is how I practiced my shot in my driveway since I was five.
You wanna focus on the can and don't even worry about the net.
(CLATTERS)
- Okay, now you go. - All right, Miss Bossy.
I'm being serious. You're playing great. We just gotta get the shot going.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. Let's try it again.
(EXHALES)
Jace, look at me. Now look at the can.
You got this.
Come on, Jace.
SOFI: Shake it off. It's fine.
- It's okay. - Okay.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
I can't. I just can't.
Mysterious creatures. Women.
- What? - Your big date tonight.
Right.
In my experience, a woman likes to know you're present.
So what I do, first thing, I sit,
for a full minute, I look her straight in the eye,
and I don't say a word.
- Okay. - Watch. Watch. Come on. Watch.
I gotta go.
- Marni. - Yes?
So, we're gonna be making a trade for the finals.
I need you to order a Ducks jersey for Evan Morrow.
- We're getting Jace back on Dominate. - Oh, blockbuster.
- All right, I'll get right on that. - Thank you. Bye.
There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you.
- Why are you dressed like that? - Laundry day. It's just normal. What?
Are you upset?
Yeah, I'm upset. I mean, you're trading Jace for me?
Oh, come on. No. Where did you hear that?
I overheard Coach Cole and Marni talking,
to get Jace a Dominate jersey and me a Ducks jersey.
I can't believe he's talking about that.
We had a conversation and it was an idea we were gonna float by you guys.
- Float it by? - Float. You know...
- Why would you do that? - Because I thought it'd make you happy.
- Why? - You were just saying
you missed your friends and you thought it was a mistake leaving the Ducks.
I may have or may not have said that. I don't know. It's complicated.
But all I know is that I don't want you making decisions for me.
- I didn't make a decision. - Just stop.
Think there'll be popcorn at movie night?
Yeah, probably. But it's gonna be air-popped.
I think they put yeast all over it. It'll be bad.
Sorry to bother you and ruin all the fun that you're having with my friends.
I don't know what your problem is with me. I'm just hanging out with my team.
Your team? Not your team anymore. Our parents traded us for each other.
- What? - Wait. Alex, is that true?
- It's... It's... - I thought you were different than that.
Different than the other coaches.
I am. It was a conversation, not a decision.
Of course, as soon as I start liking hockey again,
my dad's only thinking about himself.
- No, Jace. It is not that at all. - Yeah, it is. It's always about him.
It really, really isn't. He loves you very much.
Cool. Well, I know that you don't care if I'm a Duck. But I definitely do.
Guys, I care. I care. Of course I care. You know... Guys.
Coach, please, I don't wanna be traded.
Look, I heard you and Marni talking about the new jerseys,
and I don't know why my mom brought it up.
She's really overprotective
and she doesn't think I can handle anything on my own, but I can.
Evan, your mom might have brought it up
but I was the one that was pushing for the trade.
What? Why? But I... But I just made captain.
I know. I know, and that's great.
But I've worked so hard and I've sacrificed so much.
And things are not good between me and my friends,
but I'll learn to deal with that.
I wanna stay on Dominate and I wanna go all the way with hockey.
(SIGHS SOFTLY)
Let's have a seat.
Look, you do work very, very hard.
I've been watching you all season and it is impressive,
but in the end, that might not be enough.
- What are you saying? - You're very good. Very, very good.
But maybe you don't wanna give up your whole life chasing professional hockey.
You might wanna get back in that RV at the end of the summer
and go back to your life with your friends.
That might be for the best.
But you're okay if Jace gives up his whole life?
Well, my son is a slightly different story.
Yeah, he's been through a rough patch but he's...
Uh... (SIGHS)
- He's got... - What, talent? Hmm?
You got a lot of talent too.
You do. But NHL prospects are on a different tier, Evan.
- So, what, you're saying I have a ceiling? - Some people have a ceiling, yeah.
But you never know, right?
Yeah. You do never know.
But you're wrong. And I'm gonna prove it.
- Hey. - Oh, hey. You look nice.
You went ahead and got the jersey printed?
Yeah, I know. I... I kinda jumped the gun there.
- We were gonna float it, remember? - I'm sorry. I guess I'm a bad floater.
- I mean, they kind of hate us. - Yeah. Well, we'll figure it out.
- Why don't we just have... - Oh. Yes. Definitely.
Here we are. Dinner under the stars.
- Mademoiselle. - Thank you.
So, tonight, we have roasted chicken
with mixed green salad and raspberry vinaigrette.
Oh.
COACH COLIN: Here's the thing.
The kids don't know what's best for them.
They know they don't wanna be traded. So I'm going to reject the trade.
I finally read the manual, and I know I can do that.
- Okay. Hold on one second. - And some warm focaccia.
What I mean is, yes, I did get ahead of myself,
but I still think that it means happiness for these kids, in the end.
Your son will get back with his buddies.
My son will get back on track for the Summer Showcase,
in front of the scouts, exactly where he belongs.
Why does he have to be on your team to get in front of the scouts?
Uh... Well...
- We're playing you in the finals. - Yeah.
- Either team could win. - Yeah. Sure.
What does that mean?
- You really want me to say it? - Oh, please do.
- Do you really see us losing to the Ducks? - I do. I do see you losing to the Ducks.
That's just not gonna happen.
Okay, I was wrong. I thought there was more to you.
It's very clear, you're the same
competitive, arrogant sports guy that you were when I got here.
You mean when you came here half an hour late with a bag of french fries?
Yeah, I'm sure you guys will nail the Summer Showcase.
Okay, all right.
So, would anyone be interested in a signature Marni-tini?
I don't think we're doing this, right?
Maybe some other time.
Oh, okay. Uh, thanks, Marni. See you tomorrow.
Oh...
- Toby? - I came to spy on their date.
- What happened? - It's over.
That's a shame.
And, uh, it's a shame to waste this exquisite dinner.
Oh!
Yeah, you're right. (CHUCKLES)
It's really good. There's a raspberry vinaigrette.
Listen up, guys. We're in charge now.
The adults wanna do their little trades? Well, screw them.
- Because we're a... - Team.
Coach has tried to tear this team apart. We're not gonna take it.
There's a reason we're all here, and that's because...
We stick together.
We fly together. We got one more game to let everybody know who we really are.
- And who are we? - And who are we?
ALL: Dominate. ALL: Ducks.
So when we go out there tomorrow, don't play for them.
They don't care about us. Play for yourselves and play for your teammates.
- And play for the purity of the game. - Purity mode. Let's go.
Ducks on three. Come on, guys.
- One, two, three. - ALL: Ducks.
(ALL CHEER)
- Win on three. One, two, three. - ALL: Win.