‘Heated Rivalry’ Boss Jacob Tierney on Season 1’s Finale & the Slap Shot That Blew Him Away

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers from Heated Rivalry Season 1.]

Did Heated Rivalry just give us the greatest Christmas gift ever? Because from where I see it (through happy, tear-rimmed eyes), that season finale was 51 minutes of everything we’ve been hoping for ever since pro hockey stars and fervent sheet-scorchers Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander (Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams) first soaped up. Before their rookie season, as Shane’s mother, Yuna (Christina Chang), would remind us. It’s like Santa knew we all needed a trip to “The Cottage” this year.

Opening shortly after the self-outing of their equally closeted fellow blade runner Scott Hunter (François Arnaud), the sixth episode of this overnight sensation, based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, leaned even further into the fantasy it’s selling, and we’re happily buying.