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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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Goffstown dug themselves a huge hole, falling behind 5-0 in the second period, while Dover was dictating play by simply executing better than the Grizzlies. Goffstown reached down, found some collective fire within, and came storming back. With less than 10 minutes to play in the game, the game had turned into an intense, nail-biting, one-goal, tournament game with the Grizzlies trailing Dover, 5-4.

As games often times go, the bounce of the puck, or the breaks of the game, didn’t go Goffstown’s way. Dover, overall, was the better team on Saturday night. The Green Wave’s 6th goal of the night, in the late stages of the third period, which turned out to be somewhat of a back-breaker for the Grizzlies, was scored on a play that was pretty clearly offside. Neither official called it and the goal counted. Dover may well have gone on to win the game in the same fashion that they did ultimately anyways. The Green Wave circled the wagons as needed, blocked shots, cleared rebounds, and took advantage of Goffstown miscues en route to punching their ticket to the Semi-Finals out in Exeter to play the #1 Keene BlackBirds on Wednesday night.

Michael Fortin scored a pair of goals in Goffstown’s playoff game against Dover. The CBC and Branch Lines look on from the bench.(Photo by Charron)

For most of the season, Goffstown’s offense was difficult, if not impossible, to contain. The Grizzlies racked up ridiculous amounts of offensive zone time possession as well as shots. That was not the case on Saturday night against Dover. Goffstown only managed 4 shots on goal in the opening period and Dover kept the Grizzlies from getting set up in the zone almost completely.

Kyle LaSella made some great saves for Goffstown in their loss to Dover. (Photo by L. McCuaig)

On the other hand, the Green Wave were getting chances, primarily off of Goffstown turnovers. It seemed that Dover was getting the puck up ice, and out wide, during the opening period to beat Goffstown defensemen who were up ice and get open lanes to the net. At 6:02 Aiden McDonough made a nice, long pass from wing to wing, to Wyatt Allaire, and caught Goffstown’s defense up way too high.

Allaire stormed the net and got a great shot off before Colin Burke could get to him. Kyle LaSella made a beautiful right pad save on Allaire’s effort. Early on, Nick Marchuk picked the puck off the Grizzlies just outside the blue line and danced between Max Lajeunesse and Colin Burke to get a point-blank shot away. LaSella again was up to the task and made a nice shoulder save to keep the game scoreless. Moments later Aiden McDonough took a bouncing puck from Brett Lassonde just below the half wall and walked in unchecked to score Dover’s first goal on a nice backhand shot. As it seemed to happen at points in the season, the Grizzlies would compound one goal allowed into two, or more, goals allowed in a short amount of time.

Brett Branscum carries the puck up ice against Dover. (Photo by Charron)

It was just 18 seconds later when Dover’s Jared Turgeon, one of the better forechecker’s that I have seen all season, read the Goffstown play perfectly and cleanly intercepted Colin Burke’s first pass directed toward Sebastian Beal. Turgeon fired immediately and beat LaSella to the glove side at 10:43 to give Dover a 2-0 lead. At 13:22 of the period LaSella made another great save with his right pad after Jameson Goodridge had stepped past a defenseman and avoided Theo Milianes before getting a good shot in tight. With less than half a minute to play in the first period, Michael Fortin threw a puck up the boards, but the clearing attempt didn’t get out of the zone.

Nick Marchuk kept the puck in the zone, stepped to the middle and somehow avoided stick checks from Sebastian Beal and Griffin Cook to get a low shot away.

Sebastian Beal looks to make a pass against Dover in the Quarter-Finals. (Photo by Charron)

The shot was released before Brett Lassonde could block it, and Kyle LaSella wasn’t able to secure the puck with his glove. Later, Aiden McDonough ran carelessly and unimpeded right over LaSella with 2 seconds left in the period and was whistled for a penalty, while Griffin Cook was called for cross-checking in defense of LaSella. Dover led 3-0 after one period and held an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Right at the beginning of the second period Noah Charron dumped a puck at Devin Lapierre in net for the Green Wave. Lapierre covered the puck and Sebastian Beal sprayed snow on the goaltender unnecessarily, but no penalty was called. Alex Schlapak gave Beal a shove for good measure, but this was the kind of thing that was allowed to escalate over the course of the game. Goffstown had an early chance when Michael Fortin made a nice steal of the puck from Schlapak. Fortin hit Max Lajeunesse, wide open in the slot, with a great pass, but Lajeunesse was stopped by a beautiful save from Lapierre, who somehow closed the five-hole while sliding left to right.

Noah Charron capped off his brilliant career with a goal and two assists. (Photo by Charron)

At 2:30 of the second period, Dover added to their lead, making it 4-0, when the Green Wave caught Goffstown standing around in the defensive end. Jameson Goodridge fed a pass to Garrett Swan at the left point.

Swan sent a shot to the net and LaSella left a rebound, and even though Brett Lassonde was first on the rebound, the Grizzlies could not clear the puck. Wyatt Allaire pounced on the puck and rifled a shot up under the bar where grandma hides her change purse for the grandkids. At 4:26 of the period Dover won an offensive zone faceoff and Goodridge worked the puck to Alex Schlapak who set up Jake LeClerc for a shot out front that found it’s way through and got behind Kyle LaSella. Goffstown pulled LaSella and inserted freshman Madeline Sage in net. Goffstown was looking for something to start clicking, and trailed 5-0 just over half a game yet to play.

Grady Chretien had the best scoring season by a freshman in recent memory. (Photo by Charron)

30 seconds after falling behind 5-0, Goffstown finally broke through and put a tally on the board. Asa Forbes centered a pass that was broken up and ended up on the stick of Sebastian Beal. Beal looked up and made a beautiful pass to Griffin Cook flying up the left wing. Cook gained the zone circled the net, and ended up getting the puck back to Beal. After Charron completed a picturesque pirouette or two, Beal hit him with a perfect timed pass in the slot, and Charron bagged his 60th career goal just past Lapierre in net. Suddenly there was a surge of energy, and maybe just a glimmer of hope. At 8:44 Charron playing as a good two-way center does, he separated the puck from Jared Turgeon and Brett Lassonde grabbed it. Lassonde laid a splendid pass ahead to Michael Fortin who broke in all alone and buried a beautiful breakaway goal behind Devin Lapierre to cut the lead to 5-2. Somewhere just about 12:07 into the period Dover’s Jared Turgeon won a puck battle with Theo Milianes and went behind the net before centering a pass aimed at one of two Dover players who were open.

Maddie Sage came in and played the final 25 minutes for the Grizzlies. (Photo by L. McCuaig)

Madeline Sage in net, made a subtle but brilliant play when she got a piece of the pass with her goal stick and the puck deflected not only through the legs of Brett Lassonde, but past Jake LeClerc and Jameson Goodridge who had crashed the slot looking for a chance to score. The puck came all the way out high to Max Lajeunesse who turned up ice in an instant. Lajeunesse and Michael Fortin sped up ice on a two-on-one against Alex Schlapak. Schlapak directed traffic and pointed for LeClerc to pick up Fortin who was looking for the pass from Lajeunesse. Schlapak closed on Lajeunesse who slid a pass across to Fortin. Amazingly, LeClerc had hustled back and actually got his stick on the pass. Fortin though, got under LeClerc’s stick just enough to redirect the puck inside the far post as the pair were flying directly toward the net. Fortin scored it at 12:11, from Lajeunesse and Sage, and Goffstown had cut the lead to 5-3. The home crowd went crazy. After two periods Goffstown trailed 5-3, and had managed to get 12 shots on goal in the period.

Brett Lassonde had a goal and an assist in playoff action against Dover. (Photo by Charron)

With the score at 5-3, Goffstown came out and created chances in the third period as well. Perhaps no chance was bigger than when Jake Noonan and Max Lajeunesse had back-to-back shots into a sea of green defenders before the puck bounced to Colby Gamache. Colby had an open net and a goalie out by the other faceoff circle. Gamache shot at the net from a couple feet away. A trio of Dover players, David Beauregard, Nick Marchuk, and Josh Ball all dove or swiped their sticks towards the Gamache shot. Somehow, I think it was Marchuk, got his stick on the puck and miraculously kept the puck out of the net. A minute or so later, Max Lajeunesse stole the puck from Jake LeClerc behind the net, and fed a beautiful pass to Noah Charron in the slot. Charron let a shot go but Marchuk again saved the day when he hit the deck and slid in front of Charron’s shot, blocking it clean. At 5:34 of the third period, Goffstown cut the lead to 5-4. First, Sebastian Beal centered a pass to the middle, but it was on Noah Charron’s backhand side and he couldn’t get a shot off.

Griffin Cook had two assists in the loss to Dover. (Photo by Charron)

So, Charron and Griffin Cook made a pass or two to each other before Charron worked the puck back to Brett Lassonde at the right point. While Alex Schlapak was tying up Cook in front the net, Lassonde used the screen and beat Devin Lapierre in net, for the Grizzlies goal. A little later in the period Jameson Goodridge picked the pocket of Brett Lassonde as he tried circling his own net, but Maddie Sage was locked in and snagged the shot in close, to keep the game a one-goal game. The Grizzlies on the ice all came by to let Sage know they were grateful for her save. On the ensuing faceoff Dover won the puck clean to Aiden McDonough who fired a shot but Sage was ready for it. On the same shift, Wyatt Allaire went around Jake Noonan, out wide, and created a quick two-on-one with Nick Marchuk. Allaire centered the pass as Sebastian Beal was back-checking Marchuk. The pass was on the money and Beal was half a stride behind, but Maddie’s stick work again broke up the pass play and deflected to the corner. McDonough grabbed the puck, spun and fired a tough angle shot, but it was on the money. Sage was ready again, and picked the puck clean with her glove hand as the Grizzlies faithful was getting louder by the minute.

Kyle LaSella doing his best to backstop the Grizzlies. (Photo by Charron)

Then it was Axel Post who ripped a shot from the right point and Sage couldn’t control the rebound off of her pads. Brett Lassonde smartly grabbed the puck skated it out of harms way. Then, the goal was scored at 12:32 when Alex Schlapak through a pass to nobody at center ice but it bounced off the wall at the red line and right onto the stick of Wyatt Allaire. Allaire gathered the puck and gained the blue line, after Aiden McDonough had already entered the zone. Allaire let his shot go just outside the circles but the shot beat Madeline Sage in net and Dover led 6-4 with 2:28 to play. 58 seconds later Jameson Goodridge fed the puck to Jared Turgeon who poked the puck through Sage. Goffstown called timeout and pulled Sage from the net in favor of the extra attacker. After Dover iced the puck, Noah Charron won the offensive zone faceoff but there was no Grizzlie set up on the left wing side of the circle. Alex Schlapak flipped the puck up and out of the zone before Colin Burke could do anything about as he was the closest thing to a left wing on the play. Garrett Swan was already flying up ice and Schlapak’s clear hit him at full speed. Swan buried the empty netter and gave Dover the 8-4 lead at 13:41.

Evan McCuaig had a very solid freshman campaign for Goffstown. (Photo by Charron)

Dover moves on to play against Keene on Wednesday night but the weather might have something to say about that. The Grizzlies went 14-4 and earned a first round bye for the second year in a row, and third time ever. The 14-win season was the highest win total in a regular season in the history of the program. Goffstown earned a playoff spot for the 11th season in a row, but has only won 3 playoff games in that span. The highest scoring team in Goffstown history provided more thrills than I could ever count this season. In the end, they fell way behind but didn’t give up. After being down 5-0 to a very good Dover team, Goffstown refused to go away. Four goals later, the Grizzlies trailed by a single goal with less than 2:30 to play in the game. That by itself is almost too hard to believe. Goffstown made a tremendous effort to get back into this game. So Saturday night was the final game of the season for Goffstown and it didn’t end the way the Goffstown faithful were hoping it would, but the crowd was great, and the season was one that none of us will soon forget.

Max Lajeunesse rips a shot against Dover in his final hockey game as a Grizzlie. (Photo by L. McCuaig)

Colby Gamache had moments of brilliance this season for the Grizzlies. (Photo by Charron)

Colin Burke gets a shot away against Dover. (Photo by Charron)

Max Lajeunesse had a good game, and a fine senior season for Goffstown. (Photo by Charron)

Theo Milianes had a solid sophomore campaign for Goffstown. (Photo by Charron)

Jacob Noonan was counted on to be a solid, dependable defenseman for Goffstown this season, and Noonan responded with a +22 for the season. (Photo by Charron)

Sebastian Beal was an integral part of the CBC Line again this season, with 39 points. (Photo by Charron)

In other Quarter-Final action, Keene rolled over Oyster River, 6-2. Windham was upset by Kingswood, 2-0. St. Thomas advanced to the Semi-Finals again with a 3-2 win in overtime against Lebanon-Stevens.

NHIAA Hockey: QuarterFinal:

Updated records. Goffstown (14-5) vs. Dover (14-4-1)

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH

March 3, 2018. 7:40 PM Start

Summary: Goals: Goffstown: 0-3-1 = 4

Dover: 3-2-3 = 8

Shots: Goffstown: 04-12-14 = 30 Dover: 11-09-14 = 34

Scoring: 1st Dover at 10:25. Even. Aiden McDonough from Asa Forbes. 1st Dover at 10:43. Even. Jared Turgeon unassisted. 1st Dover at 14:39. Even. Nick Marchuk from Trevor Gnall.

2nd Dover at 2:30. Even. Wyatt Allaire from Garrett Swan and Jameson Goodridge.

2nd Dover at 4:26. PPG. Jake LeClerc from Alex Schlapak.

2nd Goffstown at 4:56. Even. Noah Charron (23) from Sebastian Beal (21) and Griffin Cook (23).

2nd Goffstown at 8:44. Even. Michael Fortin (9) from Brett Lassonde (21) and Noah Charron (19).

2nd Goffstown at 12:11. Even. Michael Fortin (10) from Max Lajeunesse (14) and Madeline Sage (1).

3rd Goffstown at 5:34. Even. Brett Lassonde (2) from Noah Charron (20) and Griffin Cook (24). 3rd Dover at 12:32. Even. Wyatt Allaire from Alex Schlapak. 3rd Dover at 13:30. Even. Jared Turgeon from Jameson Goodridge. 3rd Dover at 10:28. Empty. Garrett Swan from Alex Schlapak.

Special Teams: Goffstown Power Play: 0 for 2. Dover Power Play: 1 for 2.

Saves: Goffstown: Kyle LaSella 10 of 15. (19:26)

Goffstown: Madeline Sage 16 of 18. (25:23)

Dover: Devin Lapierre 26 of 30. (45:00)

Tournament Hockey: (#4) Goffstown 4 vs. (#5) Dover 8 Goffstown dug themselves a huge hole, falling behind 5-0 in the second period, while Dover was dictating play by simply executing better than the Grizzlies.

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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Goffstown ended their spectacular regular season in Salem against a very strong Windham Jaguars team on Saturday night. Despite dropping their final two contests, the Grizzlies did win 14 games in the regular season for the first time in their program’s history. Windham jumped out to a 4-0 lead and the hole was too deep for the Grizzlies to climb out of and overcome, but that’s not the whole story.

Brett Branscum and Grady Chretien line up against the Jaguars. (Photo by Charron)

After playing maybe the worst two periods of hockey (the third period at Keene and the first period last night) during the entire season, the Grizzlies seemed to rouse from their brief hibernation and played solid hockey for a pair of periods. Which may have come just in time as the tournament begins on Wednesday night when the #7 Kingswood Knights host #10 Portsmouth-Newmarket Clipper Mules and the #8 Oyster River Bobcats host the #9 Merrimack Tomahawks.

Max had a huge goal for Goffstown in the game, to get the Grizzlies believing in their game again. (Photo by Charron)

In the first period last night the Grizzlies were beaten to best spots on the ice over and over. Windham came out exactly like I thought they would, flying around the ice, trying to run over everything that moved, and going strong to the offensive zone. Windham’s Phil Tsoukalas scored a pair of goals in the opening period, both were unassisted. The second of Phil’s goals came as a Goffstown power play came to an end. The Jaguars cleared the puck the length of the ice and the puck bounced off of the end boards just to the left of Kyle LaSella. LaSella, and a hustling pair, Noah Charron and Phil Tsoukalas all got near the puck before LaSella could secure it and somehow Tsoukalas put the puck in the net. With the score 2-0 Windham and the Grizzlies looking like a prize fighter looking for his corner, the Jaguars added two more goals in the final 32+ seconds of the period. Jake Aleksa scored from Matt Crowley and Tommy Langlois with 32.7 seconds left. Then on a rather mysterious handling of the puck kind of play, Matt Crowley somehow got a puck past LaSella with 0.01 left on the clock. The first period closed with Windham leading 4-0 and holding a 12-3 advantage in shots.

Jacob Noonan the D corps will need to be a force to reckon with for tourney time. (Photo by Charron)

The Grizzlies looked as though they were a youth hockey house team playing a travel tournament in the middle of nowhere Quebec, and put into the AAA division, not that I’ve ever seen that happen.

There were two goals scored in the middle period, and Goffstown got both of them. First, Max Lajeunesse made a strong skating and stickhandling move from the left wing boards, down low, and out to the front of the net where he put the puck past Max Daly in net for Windham, at 1:32. At 8:54 Davin Granahan rocked Goffstown’s Eric DesRuisseaux from behind on the end boards and was issued a 5-minute major penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Goffstown looked as if wouldn’t be able to take advantage, despite numerous chances, until Brett Branscum scored in a scramble out in front of the net.

Michael Fortin and Brett Lassonde assisted on the goal with 8 seconds left on the penalty. The period would end with Windham leading 4-2, but Goffstown had scored twice and led 12-2 in shots for the period.

Brett Lassonde’s skating ability could be a huge asset in the postseason. (Photo by Charron)

The third period was pretty well played by both squads. Windham got their shooting going again and threw everything at the net. Goffstown had all kinds of offensive zone pressure in the period, and twice got pucks past Daly in the net only to see them slide just inches outside of the post each time. At 6:03 Alek Tunik scored for Windham, from Nolan Cunningham to give Windham the 5-2 lead. Goffstown called a timeout and pulled LaSella from the net at 14:22 but couldn’t make a dent in the deficit. For the game, each team had 25 shots on goal with LaSella making 20 saves, and Max Daly saving 23 shots.

With the win, Windham secured the #2 seed in the tournament and Goffstown dropped from #2 to #4 with the loss and St. Thomas’s 5-2 victory over Lebanon-Stevens. As of publishing time, the brackets haven’t been released yet. So, Wednesday night Kingswood who went 8-2 down the stretch will play Portsmouth-Newmarket. Oyster River who shrugged off a 5-game losing streak over 13 days and won 5 of their last 6, will play host to Merrimack, a team that gave Keene and Goffstown fits and won their last 3 games to get in. The winners of these games will advance to the Quarter-Finals to play Keene or Windham on Saturday.

This week Goffstown played the two teams that ended up being #1 and #2 over the regular season. The Grizzlies lost by a combined score of 13-4 in the two games which doesn’t make it look very promising should they get by #5 Dover on Saturday night. Looking closer though, the Grizzlies lost two periods this week by a combined score of, 9-1, and I am hopeful that Goffstown got that out of their system. Recent weeks showed that such a breakdown was coming and hopefully for Goffstown, that has been identified and corrected. Defense wins championships and that has been a problem for the Grizzlies this year. Opponents have been allowed to get way too many good looks at shots and scoring chances against the Goffstown goaltenders in my opinion. That trend needs to change dramatically. At the same time, the Goffstown offense has been outstanding for most of the season. If Goffstown can defend their end well and use their offensive skills to possess the puck while creating chances to score, they could get to their third ever Semi-Final.

Brett Branscum has 21 points this season as part of the Branch line. (Photo by Charron)

Grady Chretien steps inside Davin Granahan at the ICenter last night. (Photo by Charron)

Colby Gamache in a race against Windham’s Matt Taylor. (Photo by Charron)

Griffin Cook and the CBC line have been keyed on by opponent’s in the last two contests. (Photo by Charron)

Evan McCuaig with his skating ability and good puck choices will see big ice time in the tournament. (Photo by Charron)

Colin Burke was strong on his stick and the boards last night. (Photo by Charron)

Grizzlies celebrate a goal at Windham. (Photo by Charron)

Having last change in a home playoff game could help Noah Charron and the CBC line to get going again. (Photo by Charron)

Here are the 10 teams in the Division II Ice Hockey Tournament this season.

School W L T Points Rating #1 Keene 14 1 1 59.00 3.6875 #2 Windham 16 2 0 65.00 3.6111 #3 St. Thomas Aquinas 15 3 0 61.00 3.3889 #4 Goffstown 14 4 0 58.00 3.2222 #5 Dover 13 4 1 55.00 3.0556 #6 Lebanon-Stevens 11 7 0 44.00 2.4444 #7 Kingswood 10 7 1 42.00 2.3333 #8 Oyster River 10 8 0 40.00 2.2222 #9 Merrimack 7 10 1 30.00 1.6667 #10 Portsmouth-Newmarket 6 12 0 24.00 1.3333

NHIAA Hockey:

Updated records.

Goffstown (14-4) at Windham (16-2)

Salem ICenter, Salem, NH February 24, 2018. 6:00PM Start:

Summary:

Goals:

Goffstown: 0-2-0 = 2

Windham: 4-0-1 = 5

Shots:

Goffstown: 03-12-10 = 25

Windham: 12-02-11 = 25

Scoring:

1st Windham at 7:32. Even. Phil Tsoukalas unassisted.

1st Windham at 12:26. Even. Phil Tsoukalas unassisted.

1st Windham at 14:27. Even. Jake Aleksa from Matt Crowley and Tommy Langlois.

1st Windham at 14:59. Even. Matt Crowley unassisted.

2nd Goffstown at 1:32. Even. Max Lajeunesse (13) unassisted.

2nd Goffstown at 13:46. PPG. Brett Branscum (8) from Michael Fortin (6) and Brett Lassonde (20).

3rd Keene at 6:03. Even. Alek Tunik from Nolan Cunningham.

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 1 for 4.

Windham Power Play: 0 for 2.

Saves:

Goffstown: Kyle LaSella 20 of 25. (44:22)

Windham: Max Daly 23 of 25. (45:00)

Hockey: Goffstown 2 at Windham 5 Goffstown ended their spectacular regular season in Salem against a very strong Windham Jaguars team on Saturday night.

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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(L-R) Max Lajeunesse (A), Ethan Smith, Bethany Roun (trainer), Noah Charron (C), Brett Branscum, Michael Fortin. (Photo by Charron)

Last night on the hilltop, as some say, the Grizzlies hosted their final regular season hockey game of the 2017-18 season. It was also Senior Night, a chance to recognize Goffstown’s 5 seniors on this year’s varsity squad. The opponent was Merrimack, a team that these senior’s had never beaten (0-4) coming into their final regular season home game.

The starting five skaters for the Grizzlies against Merrimack. (Photo by Charron)

The Grizzlies played well enough to beat a very competitive Merrimack Tomahawks squad. Goffstown scored 5 times and peppered 38 shots at Greg Amato in Merrimack’s net. Goffstown allowed only 16 shots to reach Madeline Sage in net for the Grizzlies. I would like to say that Goffstown played swarming defense to limit the number of shots on goal, and while that’s partly true, their best defense was often spending time forcing Amato to make save after save. The Tomahawks were very quick in transition from defense to offense and Goffstown wasn’t always ready to defend against their breakout (a problem that showed up against Alvirne and Kingswood). I found it ironic, but mostly telling about how deep and good Goffstown can be, that on senior night, the Grizzlies got five goals, one from a junior, three from sophomores, and one from the freshmen.

Grizzlies finally beat Merrimack! Great team effort. (Photo by M. Sage)

Nobody I talked to upstairs could remember the last time Goffstown beat Merrimack in hockey. I know for certain that this senior class hadn’t beaten them yet. And when the Tomahawks scored just 37 seconds into the game, on a long shot from center ice, that got through Sage in net, those questionable thoughts started forming a dark cloud in the corner of my brain. Last year, when Goffstown went to Merrimack on their senior night and scored a single goal on 40 shots, while allowing 4 goals on 11 shots again, ya, I thought of that. Anyways, the goal was scored by Hunter Burke from outside the blue line, assisted by Regan Sedlar. But, Goffstown just went to work, shift after shift, work. Five minutes in, Griffin Cook and Sebastian Beal worked a beautiful 2-on-1 all the way up ice, passing back and forth to each other, before Greg Amato made a great save to keep Goffstown off of the board.

Evan McCuaig pitched in with a goal and an assist in the GTown win over Merrimack. (Photo by Charron)

Less than two minutes later with the MGM line working the puck through the zone, Max Lajeuness was wide open in the slot but fanned on a one-time attempt set up by great passing. Then at 7:39 the Grizzlies broke through when Sebastian Beal fed a pass, that somehow eluded two Merrimack defenders, to Noah Charron out front. Charron got a backhand shot off, that hit Amato in the shoulder and bounced in the crease. Griffin Cook pounced on the rebound and put it in the net before Amato could scramble from whence he came. Cook, from Beal and Charron.

A minute or so later, Merrimack answered to take a 2-1 lead. Zach Stimeling took a bouncing puck from the end boards and threw a bounce pass toward the front of the net. Dominic Corozza took the pass at the side of the net before Maddie Sage could cover it, and drifted to the crease to bury the puck into the wide open net. There were no Goffstown defensemen anywhere near the front of the net on the play. At 11:36 of the opening period, Colby Gamache galloped through center ice to snag a loose puck along the right wing boards.

Every team must work the boards to win pucks that matter, game in and game out. (Photo by Charron)

Gamache kept his speed, angled toward the faceoff dot, and let a wrist shot go from the edge of the low circle (tough angle) before Merrimack’s defenseman Joe Pillsbury could catch him. The shot beat Amato between his rib cage and the post, just under his glove, and found the strings to tie the game at 2-2. The score would hold for period one, and Goffstown outshot their opponent 11-7.

There was only one goal in the middle period, and if you didn’t get back to your seat in time, or blinked, you missed it. Evan McCuaig let a long shot fly that caught Amato moving left to right and somehow kicked off of the inside of his right pad and into the net. McCuaig’s second goal of the season gave the Grizzlies a 3-2 lead just 0:08 into the period. A couple of minutes later the CBC line stormed the offensive zone for what seemed like a long time but did everything but score. Sebastian Beal sent a shot wide of the net after a brilliant set up by Noah Charron and Griffin Cook. On the same possession some 20 seconds later Griffin Cook was robbed by superhuman save from Amato.

The Grizzlies are back on D, or at least defending beside Merrimack players. (Photo by Charron)

The Grizzlies would get two power play chances in the second half of the period but aside from a lot of shots, could not beat Amato. After two periods, Goffstown led 3-2, and had a huge 24-12 advantage in shots on goal.

Much of my being felt that despite the great play of the Grizzlies in the middle period, that this game was far from over, and that Merrimack would be heard from again. Well it didn’t take long, at 1:05 of the period Steve Licata scored from out high, unassisted, to tie the game at 3-3. Two and a half minutes later, Merrimack took a 4-3 lead at 3:57 when Zach Stimeling scored from Regan Sedlar. Sedlar took a slashing penalty at 4:21, his third minor of the night, and Goffstown went on the power play. This time the Grizzlies cashed in when a sophomore and a pair of freshmen made a great play to beat Amato. Grady Chretien circled out of the right wing circle and banked a pass back to Evan McCuaig at the right point. McCuaig stepped in and let a wrist shot go towards the net. Colby Gamache, in the slot, deflected the shot and the puck found the net behind Amato. Power play goal for the Grizzlies and the game was tied 8:49 to play.

Theo Milianes netted the game-winner with less than five minutes to play. (Photo by Charron)

Theo Milianes is a good hockey player, and I constantly find myself hoping he’ll apply himself more aggressively into the flow of any given game. That is not a knock, I just like his skill set and would like to see more of it. That said, few of us would pick him for the role he played last night, but what do we know. At 10:28 of the final period, Milianes rifled a beautiful shot into the net after being set up by Brett Branscum, and the Grizzlies were back on top, 5-4. Merrimack called their timeout after the goal. Their comeback bid was slowed some by taking another penalty and the Grizzlies were on the power play. Goffstown couldn’t score despite Colin Burke hitting the post with a shot at 12:38. At 13:50 the Tomahawks pulled Greg Amato from the net to get the extra skater on. With 9 second left in the game Colby Gamache took a roughing penalty, giving Merrimack a 6-on-4 advantage. Goffstown held off the Tomahawks, and held on for the win. Theo Milianes got the game-winner for the second game in a row. The Goffstown Grizzlies, their coaching staff, and the entire program earned their 14th win of the regular season.

Colby Gamache came up huge scoring his 8th and 9th goals for the Grizzlies. (Photo by Charron)

It was the first time a Goffstown hockey team has won 14 regular season games in program history. Goffstown outshot Merrimack 38-16 but that was just a piece of the story. It’s also worth noting (I, think) that in a tie game on senior night, late in the third period, Goffstown rolled it’s third line. It’s a team sport, and season’s take contributions from every single member of a team no matter the size of the contribution, they all matter, they all add up.

Goffstown travels to #1 Keene (12-1-1) on Wednesday night at 6:10pm to play at Keene Ice. Based on my figuring, Dover and St. Thomas cannot both finish ahead of Goffstown, even if Goffstown lost to #1 Keene and #3 Windham this week, because they play each other tomorrow night. That means (to me) that Goffstown has clinched a top 4 seed in the tournament. Furthermore, the Grizzlies have never been seeded higher than #3 (2010 lost in Semi-Finals) in their history. This team has a chance to do so, but I think we’d all agree that a longer run in the post-season is more important than the seed we get.

Max Lajeunesse has been a huge part of Goffstown’s potent offense this season. (Photo by Charron)

Griffin Cook got Goffstown on the board with his 15th goal of the season. (Photo by Charron)

Jacob Noonan has been a solid defender for the Grizzlies this season. (Photo by Charron)

Merrimack was focused on stopping Noah Charron and the CBC line last night. (Photo by Charron)

Sebastian Beal operates from behind the net against Merrimack. (Photo by Charron)

Michael Fortin brought his high energy game to the ice last night. (Photo by Charron)

NHIAA Hockey:

Updated records.

Goffstown (14-2) vs. Merrimack (4-10-1)

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH February 18, 2018. 5:00PM Start:

Summary:

Goals:

Goffstown: 2-1-2 = 5

Merrimack: 2-0-2 = 4

Shots:

Goffstown: 11-13-14 = 38 Merrimack: 07-05-04 = 16

Scoring:

1st Merrimack at 0:37. Even. Hunter Burke from Regan Sedlar.

1st Goffstown at 7:39. Even. Griffin Cook (15) from Noah Charron (18) and Sebastian Beal (20).

1st Merrimack at 8:41. Even. Dominic Carozza from Zach Stimeling.

1st Goffstown at 11:36. Even. Colby Gamache (8) unassisted.

2nd Goffstown at 0:08. Even. Evan McCuaig (2) from Colin Burke (20) and Noah Charron (19).

3rd Merrimack at 1:05. Even. Steve Licata unassisted.

3rd Merrimack at 3:57. Even. Zach Stimeling from Regan Sedlar.

3rd Goffstown at 6:11. PPG. Colby Gamache (9) from Evan McCuaig (5) and Grady Chretien (6).

3rd Goffstown at 10:28. Even. Theo Milianes (2) from Brett Branscum (12).

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 1 for 4. Merrimack Power Play: 0 for 2.

Saves:

Goffstown: Madeline Sage 12 of 16. (45:00)

Merrimack: Greg Amato 33 of 38. (43:50)

In the News:

WMUR Sports

Noah was all wound up against the Tomahawks. (Photo by Charron)

Hockey: Merrimack 4 at Goffstown 5 Last night on the hilltop, as some say, the Grizzlies hosted their final regular season hockey game of the 2017-18 season.

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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The CBC line went over 100 combined points on the season in Tuesday night’s win. (Photo by Charron)

Last night the Grizzlies returned to the ice for their first game since February 3rd, as their showdown out at Keene was postponed by snow on February 7th. The Red Raiders from Belmont-Gilford came calling in what promised to be a competitive affair. These two teams have played some pretty good games over the last two seasons, with Goffstown escaping with a 7-6 win two years ago, and then the Grizzlies snagged a 5-3 win last year. This season though, caught a red-hot Goffstown team against a Belmont-Gilford team that just doesn’t have the horses they have had in recent years. The Red Raiders came in to the game having won four in a row, and had posted 36 goals in their last 6 games.

Colby Gamache scored his seventh goal of the season in the victory over the Red Raiders. (Photo by Charron)

Sean Hunter and all of the Grizzlies played well in their 9-1 win. (Photo by Charron)

As the teams took a couple of minutes to feel out the pace of the game, it didn’t take long to notice that Goffstown was getting the better chances. Then a theme that would be present all night, line after line, started to show through. The Grizzlies cycled the puck, they made pass after pass, and moved the puck. All four lines were in on the action before the night was through.

Grady Chretien leads the freshmen in scoring with 8 goals. (Photo by Charron)

Michael Fortin has 11 points in 13 league games so far this season. (Photo by Charron)

Once the Grizzlies scored their first goal to get things going it seemed that a tidal wave of offense overwhelmed the opponent. Goffstown scored five goals in under three minutes in jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Griffin Cook finished in front of the net on a feed from Noah Charron. Then 26 seconds later Cook scored again, this time from his other linemate, Sebastian Beal. The MGM line jumped into the fray with a goal of their own when Colby Gamache scored from Evan McCuaig. It took just 15 seconds for the 3rd line, The Branch line, to get on the board too, when Brett Branscum banged a goal home from Grady Chretien. Griffin Cook scored his third goal of the night after Jacob Noonan made a point to point pass to his defensive partner Brett Lassonde. Lassonde ended up wrapping the puck down through the corner to Cook who scored the goal. Goffstown capped off their six-goal period when Michael Fortin scored from Max Lajeunesse. Goffstown had 17 shots to just 6 for the Red Raiders in the period.

Eric DesRuisseaux looks for an open lane against Belmont-Gilford. (Photo by Charron)

Calvin Sage takes another offensive zone faceoff against the Red Raiders. (Photo by Charron)

In the second period, Sebastian Beal lifted a nice backhand goal past Colin McGreevy after being set up by Griffin Cook to give Goffstown a 7-0 lead half way through the game. At 12:33 of the period Kyle LaSella made a great save to keep the Red Raiders off of the score board. Although, in the sequence, the Grizzlies never could clear the puck, and Harrison Parent scored for Belmont-Gilford with the assist going to Joey Blake. Ten seconds later Goffstown answered quickly when Grady Chretien scored on a set up from Theo Milianes. At 13:12 of the second period, history was made when Noah Charron took a nice pass from Griffin Cook and let a low shot go from the slot. The shot went right through the skates of Troy Gallagher, and then squeezed under and through the pads of Cody Hodgins into the back of the net. The goal was the 100th career point for Noah Charron. In 81 career games, Charron has 57 goals and 43 assists.

The Branch Line had their game working against B-G, with a pair of goals. (Photo by Charron)

Griffin Cook had his second 5+ point night of the season with 3 goals and 2 assists. (Photo by Charron)

Evan McCuaig winds up for a slapshot against the Red Raiders. (Photo by Charron)

Melanie Riendeau was a +2 on the night and got a couple of shots on goal. (Photo by Charron)

Max Lajeuenesse had another solid outing for the Grizzlies. (Photo by Charron)

Colin Burke looks to make a play against Belmont-Gilford. (Photo by Charron)

Sebastian Beal carries the puck with speed up the left wing boards. (Photo by Charron)

Charron from the slot = 100 career points. (Photo by L. McCuaig)

The CBC Line celebrate one of their five goals on Tuesday night. (Photo by Charron)

Brett Branscum brings hustle and energy to the Grizzlies lineup. (Photo by Charron)

Brett Lassonde recorded his 15th assist of the season on Tuesday night. (Photo by Charron)

Stephen Provencher works along the boards against Belmont-Gilford. (Photo by Charron)

If you click on a gallery photo, click on it again to open the larger original image.

The third period was running time and Goffstown outshot Belmont-Gilford 9-0 in the period. Calvin Sage, Stephen Provencher, and Sean Hunter won faceoffs, cycled the puck, and created some scoring chances despite being unable to cash in. On consecutive faceoffs Sage won the puck to Grady Chretien who circled the net and fed back to back passes to Melanie Riendeau for shots from the slot. All the Grizzlies played well in this one. The final score was 9-1 in favor of Goffstown, and they held the Red Raiders to zero shots in the final period, and just 10 shots for the game.

Goffstown returns to action on Thursday, at home, at 5:45pm to play the Alvirne Broncos (3-11).

NHIAA Hockey:

Updated records.

Goffstown (12-2) vs. Belmont-Gilford (7-6-1)

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH February 13, 2018. 7:15PM Start:

Summary:

Goals:

Goffstown: 6-3-0 = 9

Belmont-Gilford: 0-1-0 = 1

Shots:

Goffstown: 17-11-9 = 37 Belmont-Gilford: 6-4-0 = 10

Scoring:

1st Goffstown at 3:50. Even. Griffin Cook (12) from Noah Charron (13).

1st Goffstown at 4:16. Even. Griffin Cook (13) from Sebastian Beal (18).

1st Goffstown at 4:58. Even. Colby Gamache (7) from Evan McCuaig (4).

1st Goffstown at 5:13. Even. Brett Branscum (7) from Grady Chretien (4).

1st Goffstown at 6:37. Even. Griffin Cook (14) from Brett Lassonde (15) and Jacob Noonan (6).

1st Goffstown at 11:37. Even. Michael Fortin (7) from Max Lajeunesse (9).

2nd Goffstown at 6:36. Even. Sebastian Beal (16) from Griffin Cook (20).

2nd B-G at 12:44. Even. Harrison Parent from Joey Blake.

2nd Goffstown at 12:54. Even. Grady Chretien (8) from Theo Milianes (9).

2nd Goffstown at 13:12. Even. Noah Charron (20) from Griffin Cook (21). (Charron’s 100th career point)

3rd No Scoring

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 0 for 3. Belmont-Gilford Power Play: 0 for 2.

Saves:

Goffstown: Kyle LaSella 9 of 10.

Belmont-Gilford: Colin McGreevy 15 of 22 (21:35)

Belmont-Gilford: Cody Hodgins 4 of 6 (8:25)

Belmont-Gilford: Bobby Brodeur 9 of 9 (15:00)

After total knee replacement surgery on Monday, writing has suddenly taken on a higher level of difficulty.

Hockey: Belmont-Gilford 1 at Goffstown 9 Last night the Grizzlies returned to the ice for their first game since February 3rd, as their showdown out at Keene was postponed by snow on February 7th.

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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Hockey: Kingswood 5 vs. Goffstown 4

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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Hockey: Goffstown 2 at Keene 8

One of the beauties of sport is that competition brings opportunity where something has to give. People can talk, stats, results, and personnel can be compared on paper, but in truth, it’s only after having contested in the sport that we really know. Last night out at Keene Ice, the Keene Blackbirds hosted the Goffstown Grizzlies on Keene’s Senior Night. It was NH Hockey’s Division II #1 vs.…

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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It was a long time coming, but everyone was there to celebrate! In his 61st career game, a good, two-way, defenseman, got his first career goal. (Photo by Charron)

The Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team played host to the Alvirne Broncos last night at St. Anselm College. On paper, the standings and previous results pointed to this as a blowout type game, dare say, and easy win for the Grizzlies. See Alvirne entered play with a record of three wins and twelve losses, while Goffstown entered play with twelve wins and two losses. In the end, the Grizzlies prevailed by a score of 10-6, but there were a few different sides to this story.

Grady Chretien came out flying on Thursday night, scoring a natural hat trick in the opening 4:22 of the game. (Photo by Charron)

In an after school special type of story line, the mighty powerhouse of a team that works hard to achieve their results comes into the contest as the heavy favorite. Meanwhile the team with little success and the poor record comes in as the underwhelming underdog. The strong team starts out great, and works hard to get early success in the contest. They distance themselves from their opponent by executing their game plan over and over, while skating hard, and playing as a team. Because the results are still largely favoring the stronger team, maybe they haven’t even noticed that their opponent’s commitment and resolve is greater than they gave them credit for. Then, the favorite lets off of the gas, mentally, physically, or both, and all of the sudden the gap that they thought was wide and insurmountable, turns out to be nothing much at all. The opponent had already raised their game and now the tides had turned, as they always do. Sometimes the tides catch us off guard more than other times.

Madeline Sage and Eric DesRuisseaux look to defend the Grizzlies den. (Photo by Charron)

Kyle LaSella looks for a faceoff against Alvirne. He made 7 of 7 saves on the night. (Photo by Charron)

Then the pride felt in the execution of game play at a higher level than many, turns to a different sense. Maybe panic, or disgust, or frustration because it’s not as easy to start the powerful engine as it is to keep it running. When blame enters the picture then certainly we know that the finger pointed, pales in comparison to the fingers aimed back at the one doing the blaming. In the end, the favored team wins, but not without some pain and suffering which hopefully carries a lesson learned. The underdog teaches all of us for the millionth upon millionth time because we seem to forget this lesson often, to never give up and to keep trying regardless of where logic may rate your chances. As if sport, in and of itself, doesn’t teach us enough about how narrow the line is between winning and losing, then a game like this certainly should. To operate as a team, above that fine line that separates the teams who win from the teams that just fall short, is to play in rarefied air and is never to be assumed that it is just available whenever we want to get there. So, with all of that said, let’s get to the action.

Melanie Riendeau defends against Justin Carbonneau and the Alvirne Broncos on Thursday night at St. A’s. (Photo by Charron)

Sebastian Beal scored the team’s 100th goal of the season during the 1st period of last night’s win over Alvirne. (Photo by Charron)

It’s not always easy to show up and put your best foot forward, especially when everyone expects absolutely nothing less. The Grizzlies though, they were ready to play. Freshman, Grady Chretien scored first for Goffstown, just 1:58 into the game. Then in a span of two minutes and twenty-four seconds, Chretien completed a natural hat trick and gave Goffstown a 3-0 lead. Chretien’s first goal was unassisted. His second goal came off of a rebound from a shot that was taken out high. Then he nabbed his third goal of night on a set up by Theo Milianes and Brett Branscum on a beautiful play. Sebastian Beal made it 4-0 at 7:30 of the period. It was also the 100th goal scored by the Grizzlies this season. A couple minutes later Beal added his 18th goal of the season to make it 5-0 Goffstown. At the end of the first period, Goffstown led 5-0 and also had 13 shots on goal, to just 3 for Alvirne.

Griffin Cook is always looking for a teammate to be open. (Photo by Charron)

Brett Branscum had a good night against Alvirne, with a pair of assists. (Photo by Charron)

Calvin Sage pursues the puck and puck carrier against Alvirne last night. (Photo by Charron)

Colin Burke picks his way through traffic against the Broncos. (Photo by Charron)

Stephen Provencher on the forecheck for the Grizzlies against Alvirne. (Photo by Charron)

The Branch Line had a lot to be happy about against the Broncos. (Photo by Charron)

Theo Milianes got his first goal of the season against the Broncos on Thursday night. (Photo by Charron)

Colby Gamache looks for some offense against Alvirne. (Photo by Charron)

Luke Chase gets in on the action against the Broncos. (Photo by Charron)

Brett Lassonde gets his first career goal, and it’s a beauty! (Photo by Charron)

Michael Fortin scored from Colin Burke and Colby Gamache at 1:09 to pick up where they left off in the opening period. Brett Branscum made a nice pass out to Grady Chretien who was on the fly, which led to a beautiful feed over to Theo Milianes who scored his first goal of the season. It was a beautiful play up the ice by the Branch Line. Goffstown now led 7-0. After 24 minutes of play, Goffstown led 7-0 on the scoreboard, and had held Alvirne to just 8 shots on goal. Goffstown was buzzing all over the ice. That was about to change. Alvirne started taking more risks to make bigger plays and somehow get back into the game. The Broncos broke through at 9:35 of the period on a goal scored by Levi Griffin. The single assist went to Damien Barahona. Goffstown answered 10 seconds later when Griffin Cook set up Noah Charron for their 8th goal of the night. Jake Natola scored a minute later for Alvirne, from Levi Griffin and Tucker DesFosses. Charron would score again, from Cook and Sebastian Beal before closing out the second period. After two periods, Goffstown led 9-2. Alvirne actually outshot the Grizzlies 14-10 in the period, as evidence that the tides had started to change.

Jacob Noonan slows things down and weighs his options. (Photo by Charron)

Alvirne started getting one scoring chance after another in the third period. Levi Griffin scored an unassisted goal to cut the lead to 9-3 at 3:36 of the period. Then at 6:25, Tucker DesFosses hit Levi Griffin at full speed with a gorgeous two-line pass from his own end. Griffin barreled past the Grizzlie defense and scored his third goal of the night. It was 9-4. Five minutes later, Ian Morse scored for the Broncos from Jake Natola to make it 9-5. Finally, Goffstown stemmed the tide when Brett Lassonde lit the lamp with a beautiful shot up over the left shoulder of Jackson Dowd in net for the Broncos. It was the junior defenseman’s first career goal. Noah Charron assisted on the goal. With 30 seconds left in the game, Damien Barahona scored for Alvirne from Justin Carbonneau to make the score 10-6. Goffstown got the win, but Alvirne never stopped coming after the Grizzlies. Alvirne outshot Goffstown in both the second and third period’s, although the Grizzlies did outshoot the Broncos 30-27 for the game.

Goffstown, now 13-2, plays host to Merrimack on Sunday afternoon at 4:45pm to recognize the outgoing senior class. Senior festivities begin at 4pm so please make sure you get to Sullivan Arena early and take it all in. This senior class has a chance to leave GHS with the most hockey wins over their four years, than other class in Goffstown Hockey history.

NHIAA Hockey:

Updated records.

Goffstown (13-2) vs. Alvirne (3-13)

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH February 15, 2018. 6:00PM Start:

Summary:

Goals:

Goffstown: 5-4-1 = 10

Alvirne: 0-2-4 = 6

Shots:

Goffstown: 13-10-7 = 30 Alvirne: 3-14-10 = 27

Scoring:

1st Goffstown at 1:58. Even. Grady Chretien (9) unassisted.

1st Goffstown at 4:06. PPG. Grady Chretien (10) from Colby Gamache (7).

1st Goffstown at 4:22. Even. Grady Chretien (11) from Theo Milianes (11) and Brett Branscum (9).

1st Goffstown at 7:30. PPG. Sebastian Beal (17) from Colin Burke (19).

1st Goffstown at 9:41. Even. Sebastian Beal (18) unassisted.

2nd Goffstown at 1:09. Even. Michael Fortin (8) from Colin Burke (20) and Colby Gamache (8).

2nd Goffstown at 3:14. Even. Theo Milianes (1) from Grady Chretien (5) and Brett Branscum (10).

2nd Alvirne at 9:35. PPG. Levi Griffin from Damien Barahona.

2nd Goffstown at 9:45. Even. Noah Charron (21) from Griffin Cook (21).

2nd Alvirne at 10:39. Even. Jake Natola from Levi Griffin and Tucker Desfosses.

2nd Goffstown at 12:13. Even. Noah Charron (22) from Sebastian Beal (19) and Griffin Cook (22).

3rd Alvirne at 3:32. Even. Levi Griffin unassisted.

3rd Alvirne at 6:28. Even. Levi Griffin from Tucker DesFosses.

3rd Alvirne at 11:25. Even. Ian Morse from Jake Natola.

3rd Goffstown at 12:30. Even. Brett Lassonde (1) from Noah Charron (15).

3rd Alvirne at 14:29. Even. Damien Barahona from Justin Carbonneau.

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 2 for 2. Alvirne Power Play: 1 for 2.

Saves:

Goffstown: Kyle LaSella 7 of 7. (23:04)

Goffstown: Madeline Sage 14 of 20. (21:56)

Alvirne: Shane Pimantel 8 of 13. (15:00)

Alvirne: Jackson Dowd 12 of 17. (30:00)

This morning’s paper. Manchester Union Leader.

Hockey: Alvirne 6 at Goffstown 10 The Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team played host to the Alvirne Broncos last night at St. Anselm College.

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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Hockey: Oyster River 2 at Goffstown 6

This afternoon the Grizzlies of Goffstown hosted the Oyster River Bobcats at Sullivan Arena for a rematch from a game they played way back before Christmas. Goffstown lost 4-2 at the Whittemore Center the first time they played. But then, the last five meetings, including the earlier contest this season, have not been great ones for the Grizzlies. (more…)

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1inawesomewonder · 6 years

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Senior, Brett Branscum and his line were clicking on all cylinders against Bow. Branscum had a hat-trick plus an assist. (Photo by L. McCuaig)

After losing a league game for the first time since before Christmas, everyone was wondering exactly how the Goffstown Grizzlies team would respond in their next game. Many folks in town hoped that the loss out at Kingswood on Saturday night would be a good learning experience for the team and serve as an in-season opportunity to self-correct their course.

The starting five skaters for home battle with defending champs, the Bow Falcons. (Photo by Charron)

As it turned out, Goffstown played their 8th and final game of January against the Bow Falcons. Goffstown played Bow in the Christmas Hockey Classic and beat the Falcons, 6-2.

The Grizzlies swarm to defend Madeline Sage in net. (Photo by Charron)

Bow was swept by Windham last week, 8-0, and 4-2, and they were playing tonight’s game without career 100-point scorer Ryan Tobeler. Goffstown was looking to improve in their own end and not overlook any opponent, especially a team they had already beaten 5 weeks ago.

It was apparent early and often that Goffstown was focused on the task at hand tonight. The Grizzlies scored 6 goals in the opening period, and their playmaking was spot on. Pass after pass to open players, setting up goals. The Grizzlies ended up earning 15 assists on the evening while skating to a 10-2 win against the Bow Falcons.

The first period was an exhibition of passing put on by the Grizzlies. 1:15 into the game Brett Branscum scored his first of three goals in the period, with consecutive passes from Theo Milianes and Luke Chase. Then at 3:33 Brett Lassonde and Griffin Cook set up Noah Charron to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead.

Michael Fortin (goal) and Brett Lassonde (2 assists) were all over the Falcons tonight. (Photo by Charron)

Michael Fortin scored at 6:35 when he and Griffin Cook broke into the zone and Cook fed a gorgeous pass across the slot to Fortin who could have skated with the puck into the open side of the net. Then in a 3-minute span, Brett Branscum scored a pair of goals on beautiful passing plays. Jacob Noonan and Theo Milianes assisted on the second for Branscum, while it was Milianes and Luke Chase setting up the hattie goal. Tremendous puck movement throughout. With the Grizzlies shorthanded finishing the first period, Noah Charron found himself in all alone with the puck dangling like his own personal yo-yo. Charron made a quick move, or seven, on Jason Howe in net for the Falcons, but his one on none breakaway ended up missing wide right. Seconds later, Sebastian Beal demonstrated for the captain just how it’s done. Colin Burke made a perfect lead pass to Beal who collected the puck, broke in alone, and rifled a shot up under the crossbar where Grandma hides the Christmas candy for the shortie.

Sebastian Beal finishes off a shorthanded goal over Jason Howe of Bow. (Photo by Charron)

Bow did score on that power play opportunity at 14:53 of the period, Aiden Roy from Devin Perry, to finish the period at 6-1 in favor of Goffstown. The Grizzlies held a 16-6 advantage in shots, despite fighting through two separate 5-on-3 disadvantages.

The second period started with Grady Chretien (celebrating his birthday) scoring a nice goal that was set up by Theo Milianes and Brett Branscum at 1:43. Bow would answer quickly though as they got their 2nd goal after a nice rush, with speed, and Corey Shore beat Madeline Sage to the far side post, from Reece Protzmann at 1:59. Goffstown led 7-2, and there was a lot of game left to play. Noah Charron scored his second goal of the night when he and Sebastian Beal completed a multiple pass exchange en route Charron’s race to the crease and the puck to the back of the net.

Noah Charron knew just Howe far to reach the back of the net. (Photo by Charron)

Griffin Cook capped off the second period scoring at 6:39 after the Grizzlies had converged on the offensive end like a lead blanket covering every inch of the ice.

Several Grizzlies made plays to possess the puck before Colin Burke finally got the puck to Cook who scored. Goffstown dominated in shots 17-3 in the period.

With running time in the third period there was little time to pause. However, there was enough time for Luke Chase to score his first career goal, from Brett Lassonde at 5:04 (or thereabouts). Goffstown took 6 minor penalties in the contest but were able to kill off 5 of 6 and keep the Falcons at bay. Other than the lonesome wandering defenseman on an impromptu walkabout through the offensive zone and being caught up ice a time or too many for my liking, the Grizzlies played a sound game of hockey over the entire 200 foot sheet of ice.

Theo Milianes had a huge game against the Falcons, with 4 assists. (Photo by Charron)

I know this game was probably over early and not deemed as the most competitive of affairs, I want to point out something that I made note of during the game. There were three different times, once in each period, where those of us down along the ice level all reacted in astonished admiration of the opponent. Bow’s goaltender, Jason Howe, who won’t get many accolades from a 10-2 defeat, made 3 saves that I noted with stars on my notepad. In the first period he outright robbed Max Lajeuness on a shorthanded bid with a right skate save that was pure gold. In the second period Howe somehow got over to get a piece of a one-timer off of the stick of Sebastian Beal who had been set up on a fantastic feed from Noah Charron. Finally, in the third period, Howe made a brilliant save on Calvin Sage after Theo Milianes had threaded the needle with a splendid pass through the slot. Howe made 30 saves on the night for the Falcons.

Grizzlies gather to defend their home ice against the Bow Falcons. (Photo by Charron)

Goffstown returns to home ice on Saturday for a matinee with the Bobcats from Oyster River at 1:45pm. Oyster River beat the Grizzlies 4-2 back on December 18 at the Whittemore Center. See you at the rink.

The eyes have it. Maddie Sage, locked in. (Photo by Charron)

NHIAA Hockey:

Updated records.

Goffstown (10-2) vs. Bow (3-10)

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH January 31, 2018. 7:15PM Start:

Summary: Goals:

Goffstown: 6-3-1 = 10

Bow: 1-1-0 = 2

Shots:

Goffstown: 16-17-7 = 40

Bow: 6-3-0 = 9

Scoring:

1st Goffstown at 1:15. Even. Brett Branscum (4) from Theo Milianes (5) and Luke Chase (1).

1st Goffstown at 3:33. Even. Noah Charron (16) from Griffin Cook (15) and Brett Lassonde (10).

1st Goffstown at 6:35. Even. Michael Fortin (6) from Griffin Cook (16).

1st Goffstown at 7:20. Even. Brett Branscum (5) from Theo Milianes (6) and Jacob Noonan (5).

1st Goffstown at 10:36. Even. Brett Branscum (6) from Theo Milianes (7) and Luke Chase (2).

1st Goffstown at 14:03. SHG. Sebastian Beal (15) from Colin Burke (15).

1st Bow at 14:53. PPG. Aiden Roy from Devin Perry.

2nd Goffstown at 1:43. Even. Grady Chretien (7) from Theo Milianes (8) and Brett Branscum (7).

2nd Bow at 1:59. Even. Corey Shore from Reece Protzmann.

2nd Goffstown at 3:38. Even. Noah Charron (17) from Sebastian Beal (15).

2nd Goffstown at 6:39. Even. Griffin Cook (10) from Colin Burke (16).

3rd Goffstown at 5:04. Even. Luke Chase (1st career goal) from Brett Lassonde (11).

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 0 for 3.

Bow Power Play: 1 for 6.

Saves:

Goffstown: Madeline Sage 7 of 9.

Bow: Jason Howe 30 of 40.

Some things you just can’t un-see, then there things you’d rather see than a row of empty seats. Thank you GTown Nation! (Photo by Charron)

Calvin Sage was robbed by Jason Howe on one attempt, and chose to pass the puck on another chance he had. Team first. (Photo by Charron)

Melanie Riendeau on defense for the Grizzlies, was +1 for the game. (Photo by Charron)

Sean Hunter was ready to go against the Falcons. (Photo by Charron)

Brett Lassonde avoids traffic against Bow. He had a pair of assists on the night. (Photo by L. McCuaig)

Grady Chretien wears #7 and scored his 7th goal of the season on his birthday. (Photo by Charron)

Colby Gamache leaves em in his wake. (Photo by Charron)

Every career starts somewhere, and Luke Chase got on the scoresheet in a big way against the defending champs. (Photo by Charron)

If you click on a gallery photo, click on it again to open the larger original image.

Around NHIAA Hockey this week: (Scores from NHIAA and my records)

Boys Ice Hockey – Tonight

Londonderry (H) 5 vs Nashua South (A) 2

Location: Londonderry, Tri-Town Ice Arena Time: 3:00 pm

Manchester Memorial (H) 3 vs Exeter (A) 7

Location: Manchester Memorial, JFK Coliseum Time: 4:30 pm

Nashua North (H) 1 vs Concord (A) 6

Location: Nashua North, Conway Arena Time: 7:10 pm

Salem (H) 10 vs Manchester Central (A) 2

Location: Salem, Icenter/Salem Time: 7:50 pm

Bishop Brady (H) 1 vs Bishop Guertin (A) 7

Location: Bishop Brady, Tri-Town Arena Time: 8:10 pm

Lebanon (H) 4 vs Spaulding (A) 1

Location: Lebanon, Campion Arena Time: 5:00 pm

Windham (H) 7 vs Kingswood (A) 1

Location: Windham, The Salem Icenter Time: 5:40 pm

Portsmouth (H) 2 vs Winnacunnet (A) 1

Location: Portsmouth Time: 6:00 pm

Keene (H) 6 vs Merrimack (A) 1

Location: Keene Time: 6:10 pm

Goffstown (H) 10 vs Bow (A) 2

Location: Goffstown, Sullivan Ice Arena Time: 7:15 pm

Alvirne (H) 4 vs Timberlane (A) 3

Location: Alvirne Time: 7:50 pm

Laconia (H) 0 vs Berlin (A) 7

Location: Laconia Time: 5:00 pm

Somersworth (H) 2 vs Belmont (A) 5

Location: Somersworth Time: 6:00 pm

Kearsarge (H) 5 vs Hollis-Brookline (A) 2

Location: Kearsarge, Proctor Academy Ice Hockey Rink Time: 7:30 pm

Boys Ice Hockey – Tuesday night

Hanover (H) 3 vs Pinkerton (A) 1

Location: Hanover, Campion Ice Skating Rink Time: 5:50 pm

Monadnock (H) 8 vs Kearsarge (A) 2

Location: Monadnock Time: 4:00 pm

Boys Ice Hockey – Monday night

Trinity (H) 6 vs Bishop Brady (A) 2

Location: Trinity Time: 7:15 pm

Pinkerton (H) 12 vs Nashua South (A) 0

Location: Pinkerton, Ice Den Time: 8:10 pm

Alvirne (H) 0 vs Kingswood (A) 7

Location: Alvirne Time: 4:00 pm

Dover (H) 3 vs Oyster River (A) 2

Location: Dover, DOVER ICE ARENA Time: 6:30 pm

Sanborn (H) 4 vs Moultonborough (A) 6

Location: Sanborn Time: 3:00 pm

Berlin (H) 3 vs Lebanon (A) 2

Location: Berlin Time: 6:00 pm

Division I Standings through 1/31/18

School W L T Points Rating Hanover 11 1 0 44.00 3.6667 Pinkerton 10 1 0 40.00 3.6364 Concord 9 1 0 36.00 3.6000 Bedford 9 3 0 36.00 3.0000 Bishop Guertin 5 3 1 22.00 2.4444 Salem 6 4 1 26.00 2.3636 Londonderry 5 5 1 22.00 2.0000 Trinity 4 6 0 16.00 1.6000 Exeter 4 7 0 16.00 1.4545 Nashua South-Pelham 4 8 0 16.00 1.3333 Bishop Brady 3 8 0 12.00 1.0909 Manchester Memorial 2 9 0 8.00 0.7273 Manchester Central 1 10 0 4.00 0.3636 Nashua North-Souhegan 0 12 0 0.00 0.0000

Division II Standings through 1/31/18

School W L T Points Rating Goffstown 10 2 0 42.00 3.5000 Windham 10 2 0 41.00 3.4167 Keene 8 1 1 34.00 3.4000 St. Thomas Aquinas 8 2 0 32.00 3.2000 Dover 8 3 1 35.00 2.9167 Lebanon-Stevens 8 4 0 32.00 2.6667 Oyster River 5 3 0 20.00 2.5000 Kingswood 4 6 1 18.00 1.6364 Portsmouth-Newmarket 4 7 0 16.00 1.4545 Merrimack 2 5 1 10.00 1.2500 Winnacunnet 3 8 0 12.00 1.0909 Alvirne 3 9 0 12.00 1.0000 Spaulding 2 6 0 8.00 1.0000 Bow 3 10 0 12.00 0.9231 Timberlane 1 7 0 4.00 0.5000

Division III Standings through 1/31/18

School W L T Points Rating Kennett 9 1 0 37.00 3.7000 Berlin-Gorham 8 1 1 35.00 3.5000 John Stark-Hopkinton 8 2 1 34.00 3.0909 Monadnock 9 3 0 36.00 3.0000 Somersworth-Coe-Brown 6 5 0 24.00 2.1818 Belmont-Gilford 5 5 1 22.00 2.0000 Pembroke-Campbell 5 5 0 20.00 2.0000 Sanborn 5 6 0 20.00 1.8182 Moultonborough-Inter-Lakes 4 5 1 18.00 1.8000 ConVal-Conant 3 6 0 12.00 1.3333 Kearsarge-Plymouth 2 5 0 8.00 1.1429 Hollis Brookline-Derryfield 1 10 0 4.00 0.3636 Laconia-Winnisquam 0 9 0 0.00 0.0000

Hockey: Bow 2 vs. Goffstown 10 After losing a league game for the first time since before Christmas, everyone was wondering exactly how the Goffstown Grizzlies team would respond in their next game.

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