The first season of the hit hockey romance Heated Rivalry comes to a close this week. The final episode arrives on streaming services just after Christmas, ending a season that turned a passionate secret relationship between two rival athletes into a global television event. As fans prepare for the emotional conclusion, the show’s stars are offering a glimpse of what to expect from the intimate and pivotal finale.
Connor Storrie, who plays the bold Russian player Ilya Rozanov, recently shared his thoughts on the closing chapter. He highlighted the episode’s deeper exploration of the characters’ bond.
“As the story progresses, everything that takes place in the cottage was really satisfying from an actor’s perspective. Just because we get to a different level of their intimacy, their relationship,” Storrie said.
The episode is titled “The Cottage” and finds the characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, escaping their public lives for a private retreat. However, their peaceful time away is threatened when outside pressures force them to confront major decisions about their future together.
Final Episode Release And Streaming Details
The Heated Rivalry Season 1 finale releases on Friday, December 26, 2025. For viewers in the United States, the episode will be available to stream on HBO Max starting at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 3 a.m. Eastern Time. This follows the show’s pattern of releasing new episodes weekly.
The show first aired on the Canadian streaming service Crave before becoming available on HBO Max in the U.S. and Australia. This global release strategy helped propel the series, based on author Rachel Reid’s popular Game Changers romance novels, into an international phenomenon. The series has already been renewed for a second season.
Stars Reflect On The Journey To The Finale
For lead actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, the finale marks the end of their first journey bringing Shane and Ilya to life. Williams, who plays the Canadian star Shane, described a deep connection to his character from the very beginning.
“By the time I finished reading episode 6, I was crying. I felt like no one else was allowed to play him. I needed to play him,” Williams shared.
The chemistry between the two actors was a crucial element from the start. Creator and showrunner Jacob Tierney focused on casting the roles together to ensure the central relationship felt authentic. That chemistry test proved successful in a very direct way.
“Hudson told me, ‘The other guy was good, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and f**k me,’” Tierney recalled of Williams’ reaction to reading with Storrie.
Despite the show’s current success, Storrie admitted he initially had fears about how the adaptation would be received by the book’s devoted fans.
“After seeing other adaptations get torn apart online, I was nervous,” Storrie said. He went into the project preparing for a negative reaction, accepting the “worst-case scenario” that fans might criticize his performance.
How The Finale Compares To The Original Book
For viewers who have read Rachel Reid’s novel Heated Rivalry, the show has followed the book’s plot closely. According to Connor Storrie, the finale episode continues this trend, with only one minor difference from the source material.
“I can only think of one difference in it and I don’t think it matters at all,” Storrie told Decider. “I think it’s very, very true to the book. That’s my favorite episode, personally.”
In the book, the cottage getaway is a major turning point. Shane invites Ilya to his family’s cottage during the hockey off-season. It is there, away from the constant scrutiny of the media and the sport, that they finally make concrete plans for a future together. Their private time is disrupted when Shane’s parents unexpectedly arrive, leading to a pivotal moment of truth.
Show creator Jacob Tierney also has a sentimental attachment to filming the finale. The cottage scenes were the last ones the production team shot.
“We finished shooting the show with Episode 6, and we finished at the cottage. There’s a kind of sentimental memory with it,” Tierney said. “To end in this wonderful, small, pared-down, intimate setting was special.”
The Show’s Cultural Impact And Fan Excitement
Since its premiere, Heated Rivalry has sparked immense online excitement, generating countless memes, tweets, and discussions. The show’s official Instagram account has gained hundreds of thousands of followers, significantly outpacing the follower count of its original network, Crave.
The series has attracted a wide audience, resonating not only with LGBTQ+ viewers but also with straight women and hockey fans. Its portrayal of a secret romance in the hyper-masculine world of professional sports has struck a chord. The show’s popularity has even been acknowledged by the National Hockey League. A league representative noted the series’ unique role in attracting new fans to the sport.
As the finale approaches, social media is filled with reactions from fans expressing both anticipation and sadness that the season is ending. This blend of excitement for the story’s climax and disappointment over the season’s conclusion highlights the strong connection audiences have formed with Shane and Ilya’s complex relationship.
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