Hockey: Goffstown 2 vs. Merrimack 4

It is said that all good things must come to an end. Last night Goffstown lost on home ice for the first time in the regular season since February 8th, 2017 (Keene). That’s right, almost 2 full calendar years, and 14 straight home wins later, the regular season home streak is over. Merrimack just kept playing their game and got solid goaltending from Ben Hardy en route to a 4-2 win.

I think it’s difficult to beat teams twice in a season in high school sports especially when teams are neither the top-ranked team nor the bottom-ranked team. Goffstown won at Merrimack, 10-5 earlier in the season when they were without Hardy in goal. Then last night, both teams limped into action with the Tomahawks down one sick, and one injured player last night. Goffstown had 6 players miss practice this week from sickness or concussions and didn’t even dress 4 regulars last night. No excuses though, watching the game it appeared for most of the night that Merrimack wanted the win more than Goffstown did. For long periods of the middle stanza the game resembled either rugby or little kids out in the garage playing with hockey sticks for the first time. You know, when they just whack their sticks against each other’s sticks or against the ground or both.

So back when the game began, Merrimack scored first when Andrew Frothingham was given all kinds of space to come out in front of the Goffstown net and score on Madeline Sage in goal for the Grizzlies. Matt Warrington got the puck deep into the corner after a questionable late hit from Sebastian Beal. Dominic Carozza moved the puck to Frothingham who walked out from the corner and beat Sage on the near post. The goal came at 2:04 of the period. Goffstown answered at 4:55 when Grady Chretien scored on a shot that was set up by Brett Lassonde. At the time the Grizzlies were starting to enforce their will and possess the puck while creating numerous scoring chances.

Then, at 13:30 of the opening period some Goffstown hockey history happened. Griffin grabbed a rebound from a Sebastian Beal shot who had taken a drop pass from Colby Gamache and ripped a shot into the back of the net to give the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead. On the play, both Griffin Cook (38-62-100) and Sebastian Beal (39-61-100) achieved their 100th career points. Cook and Beal join former linemate, captain, and 2018 grad, Noah Charron (60-50-110) as the only players in Goffstown Hockey history with 100 points or more in their career. Although it seemed like after that moment, the Grizzlies didn’t play with the same fervor and Merrimack had something to do with it. The Grizzlies led 2-1 at the break and held the Tomahawks to just 4 shots in the period.

The second period was choppy, aesthetically unpleasing, lacking in continuity, and well, you know, just not much to look at. Goffstown led the shot count 10-6 but Merrimack scored the only goal. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, Grady Chretien lost the puck right onto the stick of Zach Stimeling who took about 1.3 seconds to rip a shot past Maddie Sage in net, and the Tomahawks had tied the game at 2-2, 9:28 into the period. Dominic Carozza was given an assist on the goal. After two periods, the score was tied 2-2.

Given the fact that the Grizzlies were on home ice, and at worst were just tied 2-2, with a full period to go, you’d think they were in good shape. Merrimack just kept doing what they had been doing all night, especially after the first period. They congested the middle of the ice and made players skate to the outside or take on a sea of blue up the middle. They were poke-checking pucks off of the highly overrated “dangle” like it was a fun game of Whack-A-Mole. Goffstown did get chances to score but could not get pucks past the positional saves of Ben Hardy. Madeline Sage made a great save of her own when she snapped a glove save off of a shot by Zach Stimeling on the rush at 5:08. At 11:26 of the period, Stimeling scored from Drew Lemire to give the Tomahawks a 3-2 lead. Colin Burke had the puck for the Grizzlies, with time and space. He sent a hard pass, or clearing attempt, right in front of Sage and hit the skate of Grady Chretien. Fortunately, the puck didn’t go into the net off of Grady’s skate but instead went to Drew Lemire at the right point. Lemire let a quick shot go that was perfectly redirected by Stimeling and into the net. The teams traded timeouts then Goffstown pulled Sage from goal at 13:14 for an extra attacker. The Grizzlies had a chance or two, but Andrew Frothingham scored an empty net goal with less than a second left after a Merrimack player had blocked a Colin Burke shot with his leg or foot and Frothingham willed his way to the goal at the other end of the ice. Final score, 4-2 for the Tomahawks who are 3-3-1 with Hardy in goal.

Goffstown has 8 days off from games, mid-term exams, and hopefully some time for healing and good health before they travel to Exeter on the 25th to play a very tough Portsmouth-Newmarket team.