Goffstown Hockey 2019-2020: Goodbye

Most April’s greet all of us hockey fans a whole lot different than this one did. With all that is going on in the world lately, it has been hard to focus on this hockey season, or any season for that matter. At least for me. In my head, I have been writing this piece for several weeks, or maybe it’s months by now. Actually, I guess I have been writing this piece in my head for at least five or more years. Another high school hockey season has come to an end, well sort of. The 2019-2020 high school hockey season ended for Goffstown on the ice as it did for most others, but the State Tournament semifinalists’ were left wondering what could have happened.

"But it's hard
Leaving all this behind me now
Like a schoolboy so lost
Never found until now

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye" 

Please forgive me for the delay in posting this story. I figured I would have this out by the end of March, after the end of season dinner, awards, coaches comments, and celebration of another season in the books. But that dinner never happened. Actually, since the Grizzlies lost in the quarterfinals to Oyster River back on March 7th, not much has happened in high school sports, or anything connecting to them, in any sport, anywhere.

2019-2020 Goffstown Grizzlies. (Photo by Roger Grondin)

I have been thinking about this piece for weeks. Ideas have come and gone, rattling through the empty spaces in my mind. Truthfully, this write-up has haunted me night after night for quite a while. I wanted to sit down at the keyboard and have the words and numbers just flow through me, onto the screen in front of me, and leave everyone in the program with, maybe, just a little something extra to take with them from this season. This shut down of so many things has emptied my schedule completely, and quite frankly, this new schedule has been awesome. In truth though, with my overloaded schedule absent, my desire to sit and put this together had almost flickered from a roaring flame to a thin trail of smoke. Hopefully, this will be worthy of the players, coaches, parents, and families in our hockey community. The standard in our program is high, and I hope you all feel that as we go through this together.

(Sage Photo)

See, to me, maybe to all of you, each season is not just a series of dates that fall between the beginning and an end. It’s a precise timing of multiple ages, abilities, maturity, individual players, personalities, various skills, leadership, coaching and direction, and even more, all coming together in one place at one time. The moments that unfold along the path of personal development and team competition are not only unique, but they are not capable of being repeated. This is where I have had a difficult time this year, this month, plodding through the magnificent and the memorable to tell an accurate and worthy story.

(Sage Photo)

I started writing about sports many years ago. Then I started some strange thing called a ‘blog’ back in 2011 as encouraged by friends that liked my chronicles and apparently they also knew what a ‘blog’ was. For my writing style, one of the things that is most vital to me is the truth. I write non-fiction. I almost always read only non-fiction. Perhaps this is why I have enjoyed covering sports for so long. It’s not made up. It’s all right there for everyone to see, and with video coverage, you can see it over and over again too. It’s truth. It’s reality unfolding in each detailed second, whether you like the outcome or not. There is no place to hide. Every plus and minus eventually shows through. It can be painful, heart-breaking, and devastating. But, man can it ever be exciting, unbelievable, and capable of bringing people to emotions and reactions that they never even knew they possessed.

So, we come to the 2019-2020 season and some of the days since. Wow! What an incredible season! I rather liked the introduction to last season’s summary because every season is like the latest concert in a much bigger production that runs year after year. This season was no less exciting and quite frankly, it was incredible.
Of the four seniors leaving the Goffstown hockey program from this season, Colby Gamache, Theo Milianes, and Melanie Riendeau played all four years. Drew O’Brien played just this season, his senior year, and what a pleasant surprise he was. I, we, will miss you Colby, Theo, Melanie, and Drew. May the rest of your senior year have many more highs than lows. Keep the faith, hold onto hope, and live life. All the best.

(L-R) Melanie Riendeau, Theo Milianes, Colby Gamache, Drew O’Brien. (Sage Photo)

I know that nothing in team sports happens in a vacuum, so the achievements of some are most appropriately a reflection of the many. I don’t know many people who are more team-oriented than myself. I do know that whether kids are on the ice or not, it still takes all of them, every single one of them to make up the dynamic that becomes the show that we all can’t wait to see. So, even though some show up on the score sheet and others do not, all have a hand in the results seen by everyone. Behind the scenes, distant from a winter Saturday night before a packed house under the bright lights, there are practices, friendships, rides given and received, team events, bonding, relationships off the ice and in the classroom year after year, pond hockey, team dinners, and so much more. This effect from one to another cannot be understated. It’s hard for some to grasp this especially when they are younger and as they grow, hopefully they pass these lessons on. Some players had to step into the largest roles of their hockey careers, while others maybe had to realize for the first time, that there’s a lot more at stake here than personal ups and downs. The line is so very thin between all-in and going through the motions, then, in the blink of an eye, the season is done. All of it adds up to the team dynamic, and when it functions on all of its cylinders, it’s beautiful.
We met the group back in December, eventually, as the first two days of tryouts were snowed out. The program had an unprecedented number of freshmen players try out for the team. I believe it was the largest group of players trying out for the team in many years. Then, with maybe the youngest and least experienced varsity group in who knows how many years, this group ripped off a 13-5 record in the regular season. Unbelievable!

Jen Webber Photography

Yes, this group, they posted a 13-5 record in the regular season and finished their 4-year span with an, all-time GHS Program best record of 53-23-1. I mean, they won a whopping 12 or more games in the regular season league play in each of their four seasons! This, after no team had ever won 10 or more league games for more than 3 years in a row until the last two senior classes. I can honestly say that I was consistently amazed by what I saw each night and could not wait to get home from games and update the sheets that I track for this team. Names, stats, numbers, trends, records, memories, history, all recorded, our kids. Yes, those are our kids. For the kids. Not a single point, goal, or save was recorded by a coach or parent this season. It should always be about the kids.

For me, each season the production from this little Chromebook that was a gift from my wife, so I could really pursue writing, has been bigger, more involved, and hopefully better. I can truthfully tell you that each game consumes 10+ hours per write up for me. But, when you think about it, aren’t our kids worth it? I mean, how good is a story really, if nobody is there to tell it, capture it, or perpetuate it so that others may also share in the glow of our kids playing team sports and having the times of their lives. Our program has friends and family all over the country and many can’t get to the games, so we bring it to them the best way I know how. Then there is Goffstown TV, and they have been a huge help in this area too. They continue to be great friends of the hockey program. They even did their first ever live broadcast of a hockey game this season, and it was awesome! I try very hard to remember and to promote the simple fact that all of this; It’s all about the kids. This season was the 20th varsity season in Goffstown Hockey Program history. Even though it’s number 20 on a list of seasons, it was completely unique and completely it’s own presentation.

Sage Photo

I have written about being part of a team many times, over many years, and I would still find it difficult to say that there are many better ways to learn about life, to learn about the depths of yourself, than to play for something bigger than yourself, on a team, in pursuit of a common goal. Even when we aren’t personally sure we want to put the effort in on any given day, the commitment is necessary as others rely on each person bringing their best every day. Commitment is a good thing. And the memories of the experience, quite frankly, can be everlasting.

Colby and Grady fly past the net as the puck lays in the net for a moment. (Jen Webber Photography)

I wrote about team and individual hat tricks from last season because they were quite remarkable statistics. Then, like it was some sort of challenge from me to the team, two players absolutely destroyed goal scoring records this season. Colby Gamache (21) and Grady Chretien (42) scored a combined 63 goals which is a school record for a single season total combining two players. Not only that, they also contributed 12 hat tricks between them. Colby had 4 hat tricks and Grady had an astounding 8 hat tricks this season! Believe it or not, Chretien had 4 or more goals in 6 of those 8 hat tricks. How he didn’t win the player of the year award in Division II hockey this season is a complete mystery to me.

(Sage Photo)

Colby Gamache had the first hat trick of the season way back in December against one of the best goalies in NH, Ben Hardy of Merrimack. If you look back at the video of this game you will see that Gamache pulled off 3 near-perfect shots on goal to score his goals. I will not soon forget that display of expertise. Four days before Christmas, Grady Chretien started a streak that still has me shaking my head. He scored at least one goal in 14, yes, 14 straight league games! During the streak he tallied 39 goals, 8 hat tricks, and accounted for 49% of the teams’ goals during that period.

Throughout the season, freshmen were piling up a tremendous amount of minutes played and contributing to the team’s success in a big way. Jackson Burke (10g-11a-21pts) had 21 points in 18 games and came within one point of tying the all-time freshman mark of 22 points set by Craig Fournier (8g-14a-22pts) 20 years ago. Xavier Bibaud piled up 14 assists which tied the freshman record for assists in a season (Craig Fournier and Liam House-Myers). Jake Webber was 2-1 in goal and had a team-leading save percentage of 89.19%. In total, the freshmen had 16 goals and 35 assists for a total of 51 points on the season. Which is by far the most freshmen point total perhaps in school history. These numbers could have been even higher if it were not for injuries. The Freshmen lost no less than 27 games to injuries this season and there is a lot of promise in this group. I can’t wait to see more of them in the future.

(C) Jen Webber Photography

The hockey program at Goffstown isn’t that old and never gets much respect among larger schools, or more historic hockey powers in the area. For some reason, I have worked many hours over the last five years to reconstruct the history of Goffstown’s hockey program, or at least tie it together, and I have come across all kinds of numbers, scores, and players from the past. This season, two players burst on to the career 100-point pedestal and kept on scoring. Colby Gamache hit the century mark and then climbed to 123 career points, to edge one point ahead of Griffin Cook on the all-time scoring list. Grady Chretien had 56 points and ended his junior season with 111 career points, and counting. Gamache had an amazing (42g-57a) 99 points in his final two campaigns.

(C) Jen Webber Photography

Theo Milianes had a career high in goals, assists, and points, scoring 21 points in his final season while playing everywhere on the ice. He played center, wing, defense and wherever he was needed while injuries piled up and really cut into the depth charts. Drew O’Brien got better and better as the season went on. He played with Gamache and Chretien on the first line and you could see their chemistry improve from week to week. They were a lot of fun to watch.
Burke, Luke Chase, Luke Ouellette, Sean Hunter, Jack Wilkinson, Calvin Sage, David Martineau all scored at least one goal this season, and they will all be back next season. Jake Klardie, Brandon Bograd, and Corbin Huntley got some serious ice time along the way and should be better for it as they go forward. There is some serious talent in this group and they should be a lot of fun to watch in coming seasons. These kids can skate and they may hit you along the boards just for the fun of it.

(Jen Webber Photography)

The defensive group is talented and all of them will be back with the exception of Melanie Riendeau who played all four seasons and dressed in 79 career games while posting a plus rating for her career. She wasn’t afraid to step into a player along the boards and made quick decisions with the puck. A pair of freshmen, Xavier Bibaud and Brennan Pierce both played significant minutes on defense this season and that should really accelerate their learning curve and launch them into the remainder of their careers. Eric DesRuisseaux and Eric Purcell will return at seniors on the blue line next season, and together they added 2 goals and 15 assists this season. Colby Wright and Isaac McGregor will return as juniors and with the pressure minutes they played this season they could be on the brink of break out seasons as juniors. There are some impressive skaters in this returning group of defensemen and they should be an awful lot of fun to watch in the coming seasons.

(Jen Webber Photography)

From the Grizzlies Den: It would be hard to disagree with the fact that Goffstown enjoyed a solid collection of goaltenders this season. When I look at numbers from year to year and the other ways I look at them some interesting things appear. First, the trio of goaltenders, Maddie Sage (5 wins), James Amorelli (6 wins), and Jake Webber (2 wins) combined to go 13-9, with a 87.57% save percentage. The record includes going 0-3 in the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Tournament. The combined save percentage was just one save away from the 87.70% mark that the Grizzlies posted last season. Oddly though, the team allowed 21 more goals this season than last, and also allowed 164 more shots on goal. The shots on goal allowed were by far the most allowed in the last 6 seasons and that may be attributed to the overall inexperience on the blue line coming into this season. I would expect that to change for the better dramatically going forward. Honestly, I am excited to see how the goaltending tandem grows and how each of the players improve again this season. Maddie Sage has 19 career wins and sits one win behind Kyle LaSella, and just 2 wins behind Colin Holt for her career. James Amorelli’s next win will be his 10th career victory.

It truly has been my complete joy to walk into Sullivan Arena these last five years. Honestly, it continues to be one of my happy places. Having one of the best venues in NH for hockey doesn’t hurt. Well, then there are the people, the players, the coaches, the families, the hockey community in our school district, and the friends we have added over the seasons. Add all of this together and it’s a wonderful atmosphere to be a part of. And I don’t think it is coincidence that the Grizzlies are 33-5 at home in the regular season over the last 4 seasons (39-9 over the last five years). Coach Slocum has started quite a legacy of his own as well. He is the first and only coach to coach the team to win 10 or more regular season games 5 seasons in a row, and counting. Coach Slocum passed Paul Roy as the winningest coach in GHS history, ending the season with 64 league wins in 5 seasons. Let’s remember that this is high school varsity hockey and not a, ‘everybody must play’ sport. There are coaches in New Hampshire that have been coaching high school hockey for more than 40 years, some at the same school. So, yes this is about winning and losing, on and off the ice. Players come and go. Classes graduate and wide-eyed freshmen hold on for dear life, if not their lunch, as their high school varsity careers begin. Then before you know it, time is up, and each year, you really have no idea what you’re going to get. So, to maintain a high level of performance, to have kids line up to play (maybe for the first time), to fight through injuries and adversity, then just maybe the staff is doing a lot of things right.

(Jen Webber Photography)

Here’s a look at some measurements that were gathered this season. Honestly, these are numbers from the sheets, but only a part of a much bigger picture.

Goals:

Assists:

Points:

And just to break it down by class, this Grizzlies senior class won 53 league games in their 4-year career which is now the all-time record for GHS. As time winds on, players will return and there is quite a bit of skill coming back next season too.

Folks, if you haven’t figured this out already, I get caught up in the numbers. I love that sports are measured. Because measurement is really about charting progress, gauging improvement, or even creating a timeline of success in any given area. But I cannot stress enough how much fun this season was. Not solely because of numbers or wins and losses, but rather the kids. The people. The group. I heard myself say several times this season, “These kids can really skate. This team could be really good for a long time to come”. There have been something along the line of these sentiments every year for the last several seasons. I cannot begin to capture the positive comments made to me personally about this team. Opposing coaches and hockey fans across NH were shocked at the speed, skill level, and standard of performance that this team demonstrated all season. There certainly seemed to be a laid-back sense to this group, but not when it came to competing on the ice. These young men and women were a tenacious group, they were fearless, they were better together than individually, and a pure joy to watch. They never seemed to feel that they were ever out of a game, even if trailing late into the game. Each and every member of this team should be proud of themselves and their team. They should recognize that it’s not about any one of them individually, but about the entirety of the hockey program. As it should be. They should confidently hold their heads high and take tremendous pride in the honor of wearing Goffstown across their jerseys. It’s all about the kids.

The Grizzlies earned a #4 seed in the tournament. They were one of the best, if not, most consistent teams in all of Division II hockey. With the departure of such a large senior class in 2019, nobody had the Grizzlies on their radar for the 2019-2020 season. As Goffstown does though, they showed up and played hard night in and night out, surprising everyone along the way. Everyone in NH knew about Colby Gamache and Grady Chretien, or as opposing coaches would say, “we have to stop #14 or stop #7”. Even so, Grady Chretien was very much in the ‘Player of the Year’ conversation and earned a 1st-Team All-State spot. I still don’t know a player who had a better season. Colby Gamache capped off a second consecutive incredible season and was better than just about everyone else on most nights in Division II and was named 2nd-Team All-State. Colby has been selected to play in the Make-A-Wish Game in Vermont on June 29th. The 23rd Women’s and 28th Men’s All-Star Hockey Classic to benefit Make-A-Wish® Vermont and Make-A-Wish® New Hampshire will be held at Stowe Arena on Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively. Tickets are $12 or adult, $5 for children ages 7-17 (6 and under are free) and are available at the door.
One definition of the word, “finality”, reads like this: the fact or impression of being an irreversible ending. And that fact, that feeling, that reality, has always been one I struggle with. Especially as it relates to team sports, and special teams like this year’s Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team.
Like I said before, this year was like watching the stuff that gets written in history books, every single night! Records were set, the standard has been raised, and it has been set pretty high. Another stat for you all, this year’s seniors, the class of 2020 will graduate from Goffstown High School, and the hockey program, having won more league games than any class in the history of our program.
This group won an astounding 53 league games, at a 68.83% clip, both records! They earned a #4 seed in the post-season three times in four seasons, and only the second #3 tournament seed in program history.

For the third year in a row, the team decided to do something a little different this season as they went about their commitment to community service and volunteering. Over the last several seasons the Friends of Goffstown Hockey has asked each senior class to participate in a “charity of choice” event, as a legacy project. The concept was designed, in part, as a vehicle by which the team could give back to our community. A community that has been so supportive of the Goffstown Ice Hockey Program.
One definition of a Legacy Project reads simply like this. The concept of legacy is a powerful life tool for all ages and a catalyst for social change. Legacy is about life and living. It’s about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future. And in my words, living is very much about presence and participation.

So, this season, instead of raising money through an event largely run by parents, the Seniors decided to take a more ‘hands-on’ approach. They committed to be involved in fighting a disease that has touched the Goffstown Hockey team directly. The seniors did their own Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and money for the ALS Association of Northern New England. In one night, the effort raised $1,113 to fight ALS. Thanks to the Goffstown Hockey community and our friends up the road from John Stark-Hopkinton the night was a huge success.

The team also wanted to get involved, get their hands dirty and do some community work themselves. Personally, I love it. These players are all in, hands-on, and doing the work themselves.

The hockey team went to volunteer at the New Hampshire Food Bank after their early morning practice on a Tuesday morning during February vacation, beginning at 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. The team went over in two different groups to tackle various tasks.

The folks at the food bank were thankful for the overall effort, teamwork, and behavior of the hockey players.

Over the course of the day, the groups combined to get several things done:

• cut pork & veggies
• packaged cooked chili
• prepped pork and veggies for 600 people
• prepped chicken for 500 people
• stored food to coolers/fridge
• washed dishes
• cleaned workstations
• swept & washed the floor

Call it simple. Call it special. Call it helping. But know that nobody can ever take away the fact that these kids gave of themselves for a cause bigger than themselves.

Then, no matter how I slice it, it was over. I still want to walk into Sullivan Arena and just be surrounded by the event that Goffstown Hockey has become. I want to see the familiar faces of the families we all come to know through this amazing sport. I want to see the numbers on the home whites skating the pre-game warm-up before they gather at the net like they are circling the wagons to proclaim it’s us against the world, and they are betting on themselves. I just want to hear the starting lineups one more time and hear the National Anthem sung. Then, to see the Grizzlies, all of them, skating, passing, succeeding, and having the time of their lives, well that just would top it all off.

The Grizzlies gather together after the seniors have been announced on Senior Night. (Sage Photo)

No matter how long I wait, the time has passed. The memories are ours to carry, and they will live on, especially if I have anything to say about it. I love that for as many years as I can remember Goffstown Hockey isn’t if ever, mentioned in pre-season rankings. Yet, they have qualified for the post-season 13 straight seasons. I love that our kids battle, play hard, and succeed way more than they fail, regardless of who thought they could or couldn’t. I love that they are good kids. I hope that continues into next season and for many seasons to come. Folks, Goffstown has a really good hockey program, starting from the coaching staff right through to the manager. I don’t care what anyone outside our community says. This program is solid. The game presentation is second to none, in any division. Perhaps one day soon, the Grizzlies will lift a hockey championship Trophy over their heads, and skate a victory lap around the ice sheet, but even if they don’t, they are winning more battles on and off the ice than they are losing, by a long shot. And that is how this group, these Goffstown Grizzlies go about their business, whether anyone else thinks they can or not.

(Jen Webber Photography)

They say that all good things must come to an end. Seasons end. Careers finish. Selfishly, I long for seasons to freeze in time with the faces and spaces full of life and the breathtaking excitement of what will happen next pumping through each of us. But, I know that the beginnings and ends of life have their place and even add to the joy that is the return of a love lost for a time. As a former athlete, a parent to six more athletes, a writer and observer of hundreds more athletes over the years, my heart truly aches for the yesteryear in some ways. Finality has never been my favorite, but I truly do appreciate the accomplishments garnered in time frames that never fun forever. Such is life. Such is sport. As it should be. The good Lord has been generous enough to allow me good health and good timing so as not to have missed a single Goffstown hockey game over the last five seasons. I am thankful for that, as I am the fortunate one. Here, I say, goodbye to another season that captivated all of us for more than three solid months. Thank you for all of your support. You all have been so very good to me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

(C) Jen Webber Photography

“Yet it’s hard
Living life on this memory-go-round
Always up, always down
Turning ’round and ’round and ’round

And all this could be
Just a dream so it seems
I was never much good at goodbye”
~ Goodbye

Label: MCA Records

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The beginning of every article. (C) 1inawesomewonder 2017.

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. Either way, “It’s a great day for hockey” ~ the late “Badger” Bob Johnson.