GHS Hockey: Goffstown 5 @ Merrimack 8 (Quarter-Final)

Saturday, March 12, 2016. 400pm @ West Side Arena, Manchester, NH – #7 Goffstown vs. #2 Merrimack. (Go ahead and click on the pictures, they open in their own page)

What’s a Goffstown hockey game without a Grizzlie on the ice? (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

Well, where do I begin without letting the end get in the way. The Goffstown Grizzlies showed up with a whole bunch of their fans at West Side Arena this afternoon. I know that I, for one, hoped for the upset, the chance for the #7 seed to pounce, and knock off the #2 seed. In short, Merrimack was prepared, they were sharp, and they were better. Right from go. Their intensity waned not. After all was said and done, the Merrimack Tomahawks advanced to the Semi-Finals with an 8-5 victory over the upset-minded Goffstown Grizzlies.

Merrimack’s win today extends their streak to 13 consecutive games without a loss. They will move on and play in the Semi-Finals. The Tomahawks have a good team, and they should be good again next year. They did get 5 goals and 3 assists from their senior players today, but they have a strong junior class as well as a sophomore goaltender.

Sam Greenwood sprints up the left wing. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

The Grizzlies, the school, and the fans, all saw Colin Holt, Sam Greenwood, and Ben Roy play their last game in a Grizzlies’ hockey uniform today. I have only known these kids for a few months, and it pains me still, to write that last sentence. In true Goffstown fashion, with no quit in their vocabulary, these guys led a charge that took a 6-2 deficit and cut it to 7-5 with 1:46 to play. But today, the better team had too many answers, and that was as close as Goffstown could get in the final period.

Colin Holt and Nick Nault getting ready to defend. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

Merrimack senior, Ryan Downie scored 3 goals and added an assist. He scored an empty net goal with 0:43 seconds left and capped the Goffstown comeback bid. The Tomahawks got 4 assists from Remy Tupper (Jr), and a goal from his brother Aaron Tupper (Sr). Owen O’Brien (Jr) had a pair of goals while John Tiano (Jr) had a goal and an assist. Kyle Feeney (Sr) added a goal and 2 assists of his own. Goaltender, Greg Amato (So), looked shaky at times but ended up saving 20 of 25 shots in the win for Merrimack.

Goffstown, on the other hand, got 2 goals and 3 assists from sophomores and freshmen in this afternoon’s tilt. Sam Greenwood (Sr) had a goal and an assist in his final game for GHS.

Tyler Riendeau takes a faceoff in quarter-final action. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

Colin Holt, the workhorse, in net would save 30 of 37 shots he faced today, and finished a stellar final season for the Grizzlies. Holt was 11-8-1 in goal, saving more than 90.3% of the shots he faced during the regular season and tournament play. Noah Charron (So) registered 2 goals and an assist, while Tyler Riendeau (Jr) scored a pair of goals for the Grizzlies. Nick Nault (Jr) had a pair of assists with helpers also coming from Dylan Hyers (Jr), Mike Fortin (So), and Sebastian Beal (Fr).

Sebastian Beal and Ben Roy getting after Remy Tupper. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

The ice was hard and fast. Merrimack was fast, and hard to play against. Goffstown was gritty, and never let up. The officials were atrocious, at least one of them, and I think both teams would agree. Blatant penalties committed by both teams were not whistled right from the start. Offsides and icings were merely a suggestion, not a rule to be enforced. This lack of control almost blew up in the officials’ (and everyone else’s) faces when the final 5 minutes of the third period looked as much like a melee as it did a hockey game. Players at this level learn quickly, if it’s not called, then for today, it’s okay. One Merrimack defenseman slashed someone on just about every shift. He usually acted on his moments of bravery when he thought nobody was watching, but I was. So were the refs on a couple of the hacks, but not a single whistle blew. (Maybe, like me, he is just upset winter is coming to an end, as if we had a winter this year.)

Dylan Hyers and Max Lajeunesse looking for a chance off of a faceoff. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

This approach led to the chip-chip-chippiness in the third period. As I said, both sides took liberties and got away with them, nearly all of them. You know what I am saying.

The game saw an empty net goal, a goal with an extra attacker, goals from each power play, wicked wrist shots, broken sticks, pucks bouncing off of the lively boards, and hard, fast action. The old West Side Arena, which looks better than ever, was pretty full, and the game didn’t disappoint. Merrimack is a good team and certainly could contend for a title if they play with the edge they had today.

Mike Fortin moves the puck up the ice to Sam Greenwood. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

The Tomahawks will play #6 Windham who upset #3 Portsmouth-Newmarket 7-4 tonight out in Exeter. Keene and Bow advanced in the other side of the bracket.

I have a feeling I will get one more Grizzlies’ update in before spring tryouts start. So for now, I will leave it here. The Grizzlies have been a joy to watch, and it has been my honor and my pleasure to keep #GrizzlieNation updated with the measurables that are measured. Thank you all for the opportunity. Go Grizzlies!

 

The 2015-16 Goffstown Grizzlies Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team. Thank you guys. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

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Shots:

Goffstown: 8-5-12=25

Merrimack: 14-13-11=38

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Goals:

Goffstown: 1-1-3=5

Merrimack: 3-3-2=8

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Powerplays:

Goffstown: 1 for 3

Merrimack: 1 for 2

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Saves:

Goffstown: Colin Holt saved 30 of 37 shots he faced in the loss.

Merrimack:  Greg Amato saved 20 of 25 shots he faced in the win.

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Scoring:

1st : 14:17 M Ryan Downie from Remy Tupper.

1st : 7:15 G Noah Charron (16) unassisted.

1st : 6:50 M Kyle Feeney from Ryan Downie.

1st : 4:30 M Aaron Tupper from Remy Tupper.

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2nd : 12:42 G Tyler Riendeau (10) from Noah Charron (9) and Mike Fortin (7).

2nd : 9:30 M PP Owen O’Brien from Kyle Feeney and Jeff Gerhard.

2nd : 3:33 M John Tiano from Remy Tupper.

2nd : 1:06 M Ryan Downie unassisted.

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3rd : 6:35 G PP Sam Greenwood (9) from Dylan Hyers (8) and Nick Nault (10).

3rd: 5:49 M Owen O’Brien from John Tiano and Remy Tupper.

3rd: 5:07 G Noah Charron (17) from Sam Greenwood (14) and Sebastian Beal (12).

3rd: 1:46 G Tyler Riendeau (11) from Nick Nault (11).

3rd: 0:43 M EN Ryan Downie from Kyle Feeney.

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Disclaimer:

The thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the individual contributors, mostly mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the schools, coaches, players, or characters listed in any of these blog posts. Or, maybe they do, but you would have to ask them directly. Maybe I am good at picking up on these things, and maybe I am not. I guess you can decide. Either way, “It’s a great day for hockey” ~ the late “Badger” Bob Johnson.

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GHS Hockey: Goffstown 2 vs. Lebanon 1 (OT)

Wednesday, March 9, 2016. 500pm @ Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – #7 Goffstown vs. #10 Lebanon.

Earlier this evening, the Goffstown Grizzlies stunned the visiting Lebanon Raiders with a 2-1 overtime win in the first round of the NHIAA Division II Boys Ice Hockey Tournament. At 1:03 of the overtime period, Sam Greenwood, Senior, Co-Captain of the Grizzlies, scored a power play goal to send Goffstown to the quarterfinals against #2 Merrimack on Saturday afternoon.

Greenwood sends the locals into the next round! OT Winner! (c) 1inawesomewonder (Photo by Fortin/Charron)

Prior to the overtime winner scored by Greenwood, there was one name on my tongue, as it related to the one who stole the show; that name is Colin Holt. Senior, Goaltender, Colin Holt, he wears uniform #1 and tonight, he was the #1 defender. Were it not for Holt’s heroics in net, the Grizzlies could have been down 4 or 5 goals after the first period alone. I am not kidding when I tell you that he saved the Grizzlies’ bacon numerous times, including a couple of saves he made with his mask. In my opinion, a tremendous, tournament changing, type of performance.

Okay, I know that hockey is a team game, and, yes it took the whole team, to get a win on Wednesday night for the hometown Grizzlies. Much like a quarterback in football, or a pitcher in baseball, the goaltender in hockey gets so much attention for their performance in their position. Tonight, Holt was awesome, and I am summarizing some of that here. In the first period, Brett Lassonde (D) made a nice play to  keep the puck alive along his offensive blue line, only to lose an edge, fall over, and lead to a total breakaway for Lebanon’s Nate Damren, but Holt made the save. Then it was Nick Nault (D) who was beaten to a loose puck, as the Raiders’ Nate Chickering blew past him to get a breakaway himself. Again, Holt made the save, and then a rebound save too. When Mike Fortin (D at the time) took a tough angle against Lebanon’s best player, Nate Gariepy, the Raider forward blew in all alone and was robbed by Mr. Holt.

Holty was awesome on Wednesday night! (c) 1inawesomewonder (Photo by Charron)

Now I am not picking on anyone here, as these things are all a part of the game. Not only that, but, ‘team’ is, among other things, about picking up your teammate, and having his back when one falters, or when bounces go the other way. Tonight, Holty picked everyone up. As a matter of fact, that’s one of the things most endearing about this team, they battle for one another. They compete every time they take the ice, and they find themselves with chances to win in nearly every game. Ben Roy had a chance to score down low. Max Lajeunesse had a breakaway of sorts, with a defender draped all over him, but could not find favor with anyone on the ice. Sebastian Beal had pokes at loose pucks around the crease, for not. Chad Fazio kicked out a couple of wrist shots by Sam Greenwood only to have the rebounds narrowly cleared or secured by defensive units for the Raiders. The Grizzlies had chances too, just not as blatantly visible as many of Lebanon’s chances.

I am pretty sure that most, if not all, of the Grizzlies would recognize that tonight’s game was not their best effort. I would also mention that it had a lot to do with Lebanon’s game plan and execution. Whether you liked the officiating in this game or not, there are two things that stuck out to me as it related to the visiting Raiders.

The teams line up for the National Anthem sung by Al St. Louis. (c) 1inawesomewonder (Photo by Fortin/Charron)

First, they played hard, with a sense of urgency, and won a lot more ‘puck battles’ than did the Grizzlies. Second, they finished their checks; they made it tough to play against them. Lebanon’s gameplan and style is similar to that of Oyster River’s (who beat Spaulding, 2-1 in OT, in the other prelim game tonight) and they execute it well.

Despite being outplayed by quite a large margin in the first period, the Grizzlies battled. Nick Nault retrieved a loose puck from his own defensive end and meandered his way up the ice only to bury a nice wrist shot, giving the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead with 4:19 to play in the first period. The goal was unassisted. Each of the first two periods would end with the Raiders leading in shots on goal by a 13-7 margin, and trailing 1-0 on the scoreboard.

Then the third period started, and Sam Greenwood decided to put on a minor hitting spree, which did seem to get the Grizzlies going. Then, right after getting beat to a puck by Nate Chickering, Goffstown’s Nick Nault was called for a 5-minute major boarding penalty.

The scoreboard says it all. Grizzlies Win! (c) 1inawesomewonder (Photo by Charron)

The Grizzlies led 1-0 with 14:32 to play, at the time. The Grizzlies went through some tense moments trying to get the puck out of their own end while shorthanded. Then, after killing off almost the entire major penalty, the Raiders tied the score with 23 seconds remaining on Nault’s infraction. Nate Gariepy, who averaged 2 points per game in the regular season, scored on the power play. The goal was assisted by Cal Garland and Nate Chickering. There would be a pair of matching penalties to each side, called in the next 5-6 minutes of play. Then Lebanon would finally get called for their first penalty of the game, that wasn’t matched by Goffstown. The penalty was called on Nate Damren, who, judging by his language and demeanor in the penalty box, did not agree that he had committed a penalty.

Several of the Grizzlies in the pregame. (c) 1inawesomewonder (Photo by Charron)

Fortunately for him, there was no NHIAA official in his penalty box or he may have been serving more than two minutes. The Grizzlies dominated on the power play but could not get a puck past Chad Fazio who made several brilliant saves in net for Lebanon. The period, and regulation time would end in a 1-1 tie. The Raiders led in the shot column by a 35-23 margin for the first 45 minutes.

Game one of the NHIAA Division II Boys Ice Hockey Tournament was headed to overtime. In overtime, Mr. Damren was in the spotlight again. And again, it was for another slashing call. This one took place at center ice, and was so obvious that everyone in the arena knew the penalty was coming. The penalty was called with 14:32 to play in the overtime, which was also the time of Nault’s major penalty in the third period, 14:32. It only took 35 seconds on the power play for Dylan Hyers and Noah Charron to get the puck to Sam Greenwood, who then closed quickly, from right to left. and ripped a wrist shot by Fazio in net. Fazio, to his credit, didn’t see the shot as the Grizzlies had heavy traffic in front of the net. The shot heard around the arena, ended Lebanon’s season right then and there. The goal was celebrated briefly by the Grizzlies before they had to line up and shake hands with the Lebanon team.

The Grizzlies celebrate their opening round overtime thriller! (c) 1inawesomewonder (Photo by Charron)

In my humble opinion, Goffstown was outplayed by Lebanon in several areas tonight. To the credit of the Grizzlies, as they always seem to do, they competed, they battled, and they found themselves with a chance to win the game. For the second straight Wednesday night, they found themselves celebrating an overtime winning goal on their home ice. Tonight was the last home game for the Grizzlies. Saturday at 4pm they will travel to West Side Arena to play the high scoring Merrimack Tomahawks in the quarterfinal round of the D-II Tournament. And it will likely be that, Greenwood, Holt, Roy, Tyler Riendeau, Nault, Hyers, Noah Charron, Max Lajeunesse, Fortin, Beal, Stephen Provencher, Alex McCarthy, Griffin Cook, Colin Burke, Jake Noonan, Lassonde, and Ethan Smith all will battle, compete, and give themselves a chance to upset the #2 seed.

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Summary:

Shots:

Lebanon: 13-13-9-0=35

Goffstown: 7-7-9-1=24

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Powerplays:

Lebanon: 1 for 4

Goffstown: 0 for 2

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Saves:

Lebanon: Chad Fazio 22 of 24

Goffstown: Colin Holt 34 of 35

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Goals:

Lebanon: 0-0-1-0=1

Goffstown: 1-0-0-1=2

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Scoring:

1st 4:19 G Nick Nault (9) unassisted.

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2nd None

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3rd 9:55 L PP Nate Gariepy from Cal Garland and Nate Chickering.

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OT 13:57 G PP Sam Greenwood (8) from Noah Charron (8) and Dylan Hyers (7).

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Disclaimer:

The thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the individual contributors, mostly mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the schools, coaches, players, or characters listed in any of these blog posts. Or, maybe they do, but you would have to ask them directly. Maybe I am good at picking up on these things, and maybe I am not. I guess you can decide. Either way, “It’s a great day for hockey” ~ the late “Badger” Bob Johnson.

GHS Hockey: Goffstown 2 vs. Windham 1 (OT)

Wednesday, March 2, 2016. 730pm @ Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Goffstown vs. Windham.

It’s Thursday morning, March 3rd, 2016, and I am not certain that I have yet caught my breath from last night’s spectacle that unfolded on a sheet of ice not too far from here. What a game! If I called it a wild affair it wouldn’t begin to do it justice. You would have needed to have been there and have seen all of it with your own eyes; the things that were, the things that were not, and the things that should have been. I will do what I can to describe, in summary, the night, the game, that was.

Lajeunesse gets behind the defense, he’s in alone! He Shoots! He SCORES!!!! HE SCORES!!!! Lajeunesse goal is celebrated with his linemates. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

Let’s get right to the meat of this matter. The Goffstown Grizzlies played their last regular season game on their home ice last night. They played a very good, Windham Jaguars, team who entered the game with a record of 10-5-1, including a January 20th, 3-2 win, over the Grizzlies. In this one though, the home team prevailed, winning an absolute thriller, 2-1, in overtime!

As one might hear when listening to the echoes that carom among the walls, while wandering the cavernous spaces of the lower levels in a facility the size of Sullivan Arena, words take on a meaning, or carry a weight that measures differently as time goes on. I heard in the echoes, words that suggested the Grizzlies may have caught “lightning in a bottle” when they pulled off their upset victory at Dover a few weeks back. To me, that echo I heard, I took as somewhat of an underhanded, soft toss, dig, at the Grizzlies hockey team and their staff. Roughly three hours after the echo resonated with me, I may have suggested, aloud, that the same “lightning in a bottle” comment be recycled and used again as if it were a form of fuel that lit the Grizzlies fire last night.

I am pretty sure the Grizzlies had no knowledge of these echoed words, they just came out ready to play. In their first meeting, Goffstown fell behind 2-0 in the first period, then came back to tie the game in the 3rd period, before losing in the final minutes. Last night, the Grizzlies struck first. Noah Charron scored an even strength goal that was set up by Sam Greenwood and Colin Burke. In hindsight, the goal was obviously huge, but the period was far more crazy than an early goal by Charron giving the Grizzlies the lead.

Noah Charron digs in for a faceoff against Windham. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

When the first period was done, the Grizzlies still led 1-0, but there had also been 26 minutes in penalties called on the two teams. Mike Tardif of Windham, who had trouble staying in control of his elbows and out of the penalty box in the first meeting, ran into more trouble last night. Much more trouble. Tardif, on one play, was called for a cross check (which was pretty obvious, if not a roughing call), unsportsmanlike conduct, and a 10-minute misconduct penalty. He would spend an entire period in the penalty box. Windham’s bench showed equal control of their personnel and emotions by being called for their own unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, minutes later. In the end, Goffstown had a couple of 5-on-3 chances in between the three penalties they took in the period, but could not score on any of them. After one period, Goffstown had 8 shots on goal to just 3 shots for Windham.

In the second period, Windham stepped up their game. They forced the action, skated hard, moved the puck, and had the Grizzlies on the ropes. Goffstown took five minor penalties in the period, leading to almost 5 straight minutes of being down two skaters.

Sebastian Beal, always willing to create that ‘net-front’ presence. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

Before all the penalties started to pile up, Windham tied the score at 1 apiece on an even strength goal of their own. Daniel Donovan scored on a nice play set up by Chad Desautels. The period would end up with the score remaining at 1-1. Windham would get 15 shots on goal in the period, fueled largely by their multiple 5-on-3 opportunities. Although, toward the end of the period, Goffstown did get a 5-on-4 power play that led to several shots on goal, but no goals. The Grizzlies would end up with 9 shots on goal in the period after being stymied for most of the 15 minutes.

Colin Holt appears ready for anything in net. He was. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

After Mr. Tardif had spent most of the second period in the penalty box, he was on the ice quite a bit in the final period. I mean, when he wasn’t back in the penalty box, for charging (a play that one official said after the game, “he should have been run from the game” on) and then an interference call that was more of a blatant boarding call. I am not sure if Tardif knew the game was played with a puck, as he had no intent in using one. Either way, neither team could beat the other’s goaltender in the final period. Goffstown had chances, several chances. The home team would get 11 shots on goal to just 4 for Windham in the period. Christian Bassi was stellar in net for Windham and Colin Holt made a couple of ridiculous saves, with a little help from the crossbar, in net for the Grizzlies. The game, which was pretty well-played despite all of the penalties, would go to overtime to be decided.

Thankfully, there were no penalties called in the overtime session. The game-winning goal was scored just 1:22 into the 8-minute extra session. Both teams pressed but neither had registered a shot on goal. Then Max Lajeunesse picked a bouncing puck off of Windham defenseman, Teddy Plandes, just outside his defensive blue line. Lajeunesse carried some speed to get just enough separation behind the defense to get a golden scoring chance. On this night, the puck bounced the Grizzlies way, and Max scored the game-winner at 6:38 of overtime with a nice move and shot, to beat Bassi in net. The home crowd, the home team, and the home goalie erupted in a loud, raucous celebration of their victory. I felt bad for Plandes who lay on the ice, pounding his fist on the ice, while the Grizzlies celebrated nearby. In his defense, the puck was bouncing, and Max just made more contact with the puck, than Teddy did.

Max Lajeunesse with the game on his stick in OT. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

The puck bounced toward the direction Max was headed. Momentum created as the aggressor, often times leads to the puck aligning itself with that force, and this play reinforced the unwritten hockey law.

Honestly, there were 18 minor penalties called in last night’s hockey game. There were probably that many that were not called as well. Seriously. Windham was whistled for 10 of them, Goffstown for 8 of them. Goffstown was 0-7 on the power play. Windham was 0-6 on the power play. Both teams had several minutes of 5-on-3 power play advantages. In my mind, if you threw out all of the penalties completely, this still would have been a thriller. Maybe the shots on goal would have been diminished some, but these two teams battled from start to finish. Neither force wanted to give into the other.

Looking at the standings this morning, things might have become a little more interesting with the Grizzlies win last night. One thing we know, Goffstown will play at home on Wednesday the 9th. They will be either the 8th seed, as they are this morning, or perhaps the 7th seed if Oyster River loses their final game, against Dover, tonight.

The Grizzlies gone wild! Celebrating an overtime win versus Windham. (c) 1inawesomewonder. (Photo by Charron)

Lebanon won last night, and only needs to beat either Winnacunnet or Hollis-Brookline-Derryfield in either of their final two games to overtake Kingswood in the standings and clinch a tournament berth themselves. If Oyster River loses tonight, they will finish 10-8, which ties Spaulding who finished at 10-8. Oyster River beat Spaulding twice so, if they lose tonight, they would be the 8th seed, and Spaulding the 9th seed. Then, if Lebanon wins both of their games, and ends up with 40 points, which would tie Oyster River and Spaulding, I believe Lebanon would stay as the 10th seed because they lost their games played against Oyster River and Spaulding. That might be confusing to some, which I understand because it’s somewhat confusing to me as well.

There will be more details certainly as this week closes the schedule for all Division II teams. As for now though, we are fairly certain that Goffstown will return to the ice on Wednesday night at 6pm, the 9th of March, on the home ice of Sullivan Arena.

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Summary:

Shots:

Windham: 3-15-4-0=22

Goffstown: 8-9-11-1=29

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Powerplays:

Windham: 0 for 6

Goffstown: 0 for 7

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Saves:

Windham: Christian Bassi 27 of 29

Goffstown: Colin Holt 21 of 22

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Goals:

Windham: 0-1-0-0=1

Goffstown: 1-0-0-1=2

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Scoring:

1st 5:53 G Noah Charron (15) from Sam Greenwood (13) and Colin Burke (3).

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2nd 6:35 W Daniel Donovan from Chad Desautels.

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3rd None

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OT 6:38 G Max Lajeunesse (5) unassisted.

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Disclaimer:

The thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the individual contributors, mostly mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the schools, coaches, players, or characters listed in any of these blog posts. Or, maybe they do, but you would have to ask them directly. Maybe I am good at picking up on these things, and maybe I am not. I guess you can decide. Either way, “It’s a great day for hockey” ~ the late “Badger” Bob Johnson.