Rachel Reid fans are eagerly counting down to Ilya’s (Connor Storrie) long-awaited visit to Shane’s (Hudson Williams) cottage in the Heated Rivalry finale. HBO Max's sensational queer hockey drama, based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, is days away from its finale titled 'The Cottage', which will reveal the fate of its star couple.After years of hookups and flirtatious exchanges, the rival hockey players were finally forced to confront their true feelings, leading Shane to invite Ilya to his cottage. The final sequence from Reid's second book, Heated Rivalry, is one of the most important for Shane and Ilya's story and fans are naturally anticipating the finale, scheduled to release on Crave and HBO Max on December 26.To build this anticipation even further, Connor Storrie revealed how the final hour is his favorite entry from the show (via Swoon):“As the story progresses, everything that takes place in the cottage was really satisfying from an actor’s perspective.''In a separate interview, creator Jacob Tierney also revealed how the final two episodes are pure 'queer joy' and his favorite from Heated Rivalry.Here is what you can expect from Heated Rivalry 'The Cottage' episode.Heated Rivalry stars and creator prepare fans for 'The Cottage' View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWhile loyal book readers have enjoyed this heartwarming culmination of the couple's story since Reid first published her second book in the Game Changers series, the mention of 'The Cottage' only came in Episode 5 of the HBO Max show.After Shane's painful injury on the ice during a Montreal vs Boston game in Heated Rivalry Episode 5, he invited Ilya to his cottage under the influence of medication. Although Shane had always intended to invite the Boston captain for a perfect two-week getaway, the medication ultimately made it possible. While Ilya knew the stakes were too high, he eventually accepted the invitation after witnessing Scott and Kip's historic kiss on the ice, setting the stage for the final episode.In an interview with Gold Derby, creator Jacob Tierney spilled the beans on the final two episodes and prepared the fans for what's coming:“You’re going to finally get the joy that we wanted from the beginning — just queer joy, pure happiness and sweetness and love and all that other good stuff. I’m confident in these last two episodes. “My favorite scenes are all in Episodes 5 and 6. They’re such different episodes. Episode 5 is so big and so much happens and 6 is so small and so intimate.''Heated Rivalry Episode 5, which became one of the highest-rated episodes on IMDb, second only to an episode of Breaking Bad, was a monumental hour of television. The episode saw Shane and Ilya finally open up to each other about their pent-up feelings. While Shane suggested their relationship changed, ever since the iconic tuna melt scene, Ilya finally confessed his love for his arch-rival in Russian, setting up an intimate revelation at the cottage.Teasing details about Heated Rivalry 'The Cottage', Storrie said in an interview with Swoon:''Just because we get to a different level of their intimacy, their relationship. I think that’s the most exciting to me, and I also think some of the coolest revelations happen to the characters when they are there.”Heated Rivalry finale 'The Cottage': Release date and what to expect View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Cottage will release on HBO Max on December 26 at 12 a.m. PT/3 a.m. ET. The finale will simultaneously drop on Crave in Canada, concluding the freshman outing of Shane and Ilya's years-long situationship.The final hour of Heated Rivalry is reportedly 51 minutes long. The official logline for the episode reads as follows:Away from the public eye and the pressures of their pro hockey careers, Shane and Ilya spend a transformative few weeks at Shane's family cottage, where their secret relationship faces a reality check from the outside world.After years of secret hookups and intimacy behind closed hotel rooms, Shane and Ilya will finally get to spend a two-week getaway at Shane's cottage. The two players finally explore a life together without the constant threat of media scrutiny, until Shane's parents and outside forces threaten to tear them apart.While Reid's readers are well aware of how Shane and Ilya's cottage sequence concludes in the books, many theories speculate that Season 1 could conclude on a cliffhanger. Now that HBO Max's Heated Rivalry is renewed for another season, this possibility seems plausible. However, since Tierney and the cast have remained faithful to Reid's story till now, fans will likely get to see a heartwarming resolution to the couple's story, as featured in the books.Tune in to the Heated Rivalry finale (Episode 6) on December 26 on HBO Max.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.