Crave Breaks the Ice with Trailer and Debut Date for its New Original Series HEATED RIVALRY, Premiering November 28
– Created by Jacob Tierney, the six-part love story is set in the world of hockey and produced in partnership with Accent Aigu Entertainment, and adapted from Rachel Reid’s best-selling Game Changers book series – – HEATED RIVALRY stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as rival major league hockey players turned lovers, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov – – Additional cast includes François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova –
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TORONTO (October 9, 2025) – Crave delivers heat that lingers long after the final buzzer blows when its new hockey romance series, HEATED RIVALRY, debuts with two episodes on Friday, Nov. 28.
Created by award-winning Canadian writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney (LETTERKENNY, SHORESY) and based on the best-selling book series Game Changers by Rachel Reid, the six-episode, one-hour romantic drama tells the story of rival hockey players Shane and Ilya. What begins as a secret fling, ignites into an all-consuming blaze, and culminates in a powerful love story. The trailer for the series is available below.
“I wanted to bring Heated Rivalry to life and share its shameless, funny, epic, sexy, and deeply romantic journey with the world,” said Tierney. “When I first spoke to Rachel Reid, I told her I wanted to approach this book with the care and seriousness it deserves, because it truly does. Shane and Ilya deserve that. And so does the queer community, a love story complete with the kind of happy ending gay people almost never get in media."
The first two episodes drop on Friday, Nov. 28, followed by one new episode on subsequent Fridays until the finale on Dec. 26.
In HEATED RIVALRY, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love.
Williams and Storrie are joined onscreen by an ensemble cast that includes François Arnaud as Scott Hunter, Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady, Christina Chang and Dylan Walsh as Yuna and David Hollander, Sophie Nélisse as Rose Landry, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana.
Rachel Reid’s Game Changers is a six-book series from Harlequin, and USA Today best-seller that has earned critical recognition from multiple outlets including The Globe and Mail and The Washington Post. The series has also achieved consistent Top 15 rankings in the Gay Romance category on Amazon, supported by a devoted fan following and strong critical acclaim.
HEATED RIVALRY is produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media’s Crave. Jacob Tierney is writer, director, producer, and executive producer. Brendan Brady is producer and executive producer. Lori Fischburg is producer, and Rachel Reid is consulting producer. For Bell Media, Alison Korogyi is Senior Production Executive, Original Programming; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Production, Original Programming; Adam Feigen is Development Executive, Scripted Original Programming Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Development, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming; and Justin Stockman is Vice President, Content Development & Programming.
The series is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus.
About Crave
Crave is the largest Canadian-owned streamer delivering an unparalleled content offering with HBO and Max Originals, STARZ, Hollywood-hit movies, and iconic series including FRIENDS, THE OFFICE, and more. It also boasts an ever-growing and globally renowned slate of English and French original series. Crave is available directly to all Canadians with access to the Internet at Crave.ca, via iOS and Android, and other platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, Prime Video Subscriptions, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Hisense, LG Smart TVs, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and participating TV service providers. Crave is from Bell Media, Canada's leading media and entertainment company. Visit our website at Crave.ca.
About Bell Media Original Programming
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada’s most-watched and most-acclaimed English and French original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers and global content powerhouses. Scripted series commissioned by CTV include SULLIVAN’S CROSSING, SIGHT UNSEEN, CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING, and ACTING GOOD; with unscripted series THE TRAITORS CANADA, MASTERCHEF CANADA, and record-breaking Canadian format THE AMAZING RACE CANADA; as well as quiz series BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS. Crave Originals include hit series LETTERKENNY, SHORESY, THE TRADES, LATE BLOOMER, THE OFFICE MOVERS, and CANADA’S DRAG RACE; award-winning drama LITTLE BIRD; docuseries BILLIONNAIRE MURDERS, THUNDER BAY, and THE REBUILD: Inside the Montreal Canadiens; as well as dozens of acclaimed feature documentaries. Bell Media’s factual series and franchises include HIGHWAY THRU HELL, FORENSIC FACTOR, and MY PET ATE WHAT!?. Bell Media also distributes a slate of original scripted and unscripted series, including LATE BLOOMER, THE OFFICE MOVERS, MARK MCKINNEY NEEDS A HOBBY, EVOLVING VEGAN, THE MIGHTIEST, and more. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. Learn more at www.BellMedia.ca.
About Accent Aigu Entertainment
Founded in 2023 by writer, director, and producer Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, Accent Aigu Entertainment is a next-generation Canadian production company focused on developing and producing premium scripted content for global audiences. Jacob and Brendan bring a wealth of experience from the Canadian film and television landscape. Prior to launching Accent Aigu, the duo spent four years collaborating on over forty episodes of the acclaimed series Letterkenny and its spinoff, Shoresy. Accent Aigu Entertainment is the natural evolution of that collaboration. Visit accent-aigu.ca for more information.
About Sphere Abacus
Sphere Abacus is the worldwide sales arm of Sphere Media, operating alongside the company’s highly successful production business. Sphere Abacus is also the primary international distributor of IP owned by Canada’s leading media and entertainment company, Bell Media. In addition, Sphere Abacus acquires and distributes a diverse slate of premium, multi-genre programming created by exceptional third-party producers for the global content market. At the same time, the company also works with independent producers to facilitate pre-sales and development finance as well as broadcaster commissions. Embracing a fully transparent reporting ethos throughout, SA focuses on building strong client relationships and generating positive solutions at every stage of the process, from initial financing to worldwide broadcast to successfully deliver scripted and non-scripted entertainment that counts to a global audience. Further details: www.sphere-abacus.com