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Love: Christine Macolino & Michael Kane

In February 2012, Mike met a few of his beloved Flyers at an autograph event in Warminster. "How do you feel to be playing with Nicklas Grossmann?" he asked Andrej Meszaros. The defenseman said he'd just met the guy, but they'd be playing together the next day.

Newlyweds Christine Macolino and Michael Kane.
Newlyweds Christine Macolino and Michael Kane.Read moreArtistic Imagery Inc.

Hello there

In February 2012, Mike met a few of his beloved Flyers at an autograph event in Warminster. "How do you feel to be playing with Nicklas Grossmann?" he asked Andrej Meszaros. The defenseman said he'd just met the guy, but they'd be playing together the next day.

Mike was still pumped when he met his buds at Stephanie's Restaurant & Lounge in Doylestown - Mike's hometown. One friend did not want to leave the woman he was dancing with, so Mike grabbed them some beers.

"I'm walking back from the bar when this girl hip-checked me," he recalls.

"Yo, buddy! Watch where you're going!" she said.

He could not believe the nerve. "What? Are you serious?" he asked her.

Christine, who was dancing up a beer-fueled storm, was indeed. She noticed his Flyers shirt. "You are probably not even a real Flyers fan," she said. These two were speaking the same language. And this was a major insult.

"I was just hanging out with two Flyers!" Mike said. He showed her the images on his phone. "I see you know how to use Photoshop," she said.

"Fine, don't believe me." Mike said. "But tomorrow, Nicklas Grossmann and Andrej Meszaros will play together against the Penguins."

Christine, who grew up in Bustleton but then lived in Huntingdon Valley, had to admit she was enjoying this banter.

More hockey talk ensued. Before they knew it, they had closed the bar.

"He didn't hit on me," Christine said. "He had a conversation with me."

Mike enjoyed talking to this woman who knew hockey and the Flyers as well as he did. "Give me your cellphone number," he said, "so I can text you about how wrong you are when Grossmann and Meszaros start tomorrow."

The next day, Grossmann and Meszaros were on the ice when Christine's phone buzzed. "How's it feel to be wrong?" Mike texted.

She didn't mind, actually. She suggested they get dinner.

Mike invited her to Doylestown for pizza with him and two friends, in case things were weird without beer and hockey. It was great. Because Mike, now an IT technician for Visit Philadelphia, was then working nights at Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Christine did traumatic-brain-injury research at Jefferson during the day, they had to wait until the following weekend for their first real date: a Liam Neeson movie followed by a bacon cheeseburger (her) and a steak (him) at TGI Fridays.

They had been together only a handful of months when a friend of Christine's said she had an extra room available in Italy. "We spent 16 days together, and not only did we not kill each other, but I got sick, and Mike took care of me the whole time. He made me hot tea," said Christine, now 28. "I felt safe and comfortable with him, and I knew he was the right guy."

She also loves that he loves her brain.

It's a very impressive brain, said Mike, now 27. A neuroscientist with Melior Discovery, Christine is vice president of the Association for Women in Science, Philadelphia chapter. Other reasons he loves her: "I'm a relaxed, low-key type of person, and she's happy to hang out, or just go do something on a whim." Christine's heart is as awesome as her brain, Mike said, and he's so happy that she often cares for him from her kitchen. "She would call and say, 'Hey, do you want to hang out?' and I knew that meant she wanted to cook."

How does forever sound?

Mike plays men's league hockey, and one night in early 2014, the opponents invited Mike's team to play on the Flyers ice at the Wells Fargo Center. Mike was so psyched. And then he was inspired.

After some logistical work, he asked Christine whether she'd like to drop the puck to start the game. Now they were both psyched.

During the pregame warm-up, Mike kept messing up his shots.

That's because he was carrying a box inside his glove - one provided by his family's jeweler to protect something precious from the sweat and stench of hockey.

At game time, Christine excitedly came down from her seat to launch the game. "Make sure you grab that puck as a souvenir," Mike told her. She dropped the puck from the penalty box, then looked away from Mike to follow the puck. He took off his glove and knelt on the ice. "Christine, you're my best friend, and I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else," he said. "Do me this honor, please marry me. Please say yes, because if not, the guys said I can't play today."

"Yes! I love you!" she said. They kissed.

"Is it OK if I go play hockey now?" Mike asked a little sheepishly. "We're on a schedule."

"Go get 'em, Tiger!" Christine said.

It was so them

St. Albert the Great, decorated for the pope's visit, was especially gorgeous as Christine walked down the aisle with her dad, Paul, and her pop-pop Giuseppe. A couple of rows before the altar, pop-pop stepped aside so Christine's mom, Majella, could walk her to where Mike waited for their traditional Catholic ceremony.

As she and Mike stepped onto the altar, Christine knocked over a pot of mums. She turned to face their 250 guests. "And what else did you expect, with me in a dress and heels?"

When it was time to celebrate, the couple listened to the bridal party's introductions. What a voice this DJ had. It was so familiar they agreed they must know the guy from somewhere. Recognition hit them simultaneously. "Oh my God, that's Lou Nolan!" Mike said.

Lou started talking about them: "Everybody please rise for the Macolino and Kane power play."

"We went in almost like we had scored the Game 7 winning goal at overtime," Mike said.

Lou's presence was a present from Christine's dad.

Everyone was dancing when the pope showed up - actually, a cardboard likeness of the Holy Father. The DJ thought it was the right time for Mike to retrieve Christine's garter.

Christine's dad thought he'd have a little fun with his new son-in-law. "He grabbed the pope, and stood him right in front of the bride. 'Good luck!' he said."

Mike covered the paper pope's eyes with a groomsman's tie, then gave the faux Francis a high-five.

Awestruck

When Mike kissed Christine after they were proclaimed husband and wife, he felt her knees buckle. "People may think I'm a strong person, and I was able to catch her, but when I felt that? All of my emotions welled up over the love we have for each other," he said.

There was so much joy, so much excitement, and, yet, what stands out for Christine is the unexpected peaceful calm she felt that day. "I have no doubt it was Mike's mom keeping me calm," she said. She had died in 2003. The couple held their wedding on her birthday to honor the woman everyone knew as Sissy.

Discretionary spending

A bargain: Two months before their wedding, the transportation fell through. BuxMont Transportation and Allied Limo not only saved the day, but also did so for a combined $200 less than the original vendor.

The splurge: Because Christine never wears dresses, she felt justified in splurging on this one - especially as she still felt like herself wearing it.

The getaway

A week in St. Lucia.

Love: BEHIND THE SCENES

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Officiant: Msgr. Paul Dougherty, St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church, Narberth, formerly of St. Albert the Great in Huntingdon Valley.

Venues: St. Albert the Great,

Belle Voir Manor at the Pen Ryn Estate, Bensalem.

Food: Belle Voir Manor.

Photography: Artistic Imagery Inc., Fairless Hills.

Flowers: Kremp Florist Willow Grove.

Dress: Designer Justin Alexander, purchased at Sposabella, Feasterville.

Music: Ceremony, Shannon McMullin Sullivan and Bill Monaghan; reception, Synergetic Sound & Lighting, Bensalem.

Do you have the date? Email us - at least six weeks before your ceremony - why we should feature your love story: weddings@phillynews.com. Unfortunately, we can't respond individually to all submissions. If your story is chosen, you will be contacted.

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