Written by From Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Honestly, I smiled walking into Sullivan Arena on the St. Anselm Campus last night, despite the masks, and thermometer, forms, and protocols. It was good to be back there for high school hockey. Not only that, it turned out to be a really good game.
It was great to see players all suited up and ready to play a game that most of them have been playing for the better part of 10 years, or more. It was good to interact with the staff running the arena, and the officials calling the game. It was good to see the coaches and chat with them. These little things that mean so much when they are present, yet seem so easy to disallow on a piece of paper from some distant place. It was even better to see the players from both teams hustling, having fun, and playing the game they love. They were so happy to play, in fact, that they played into overtime, where the Bishop Brady Giants earned a come from behind, 3-2 win.
Grady gets in the way of a clearing attempt by Brady. (Photo from GTV video)
The first period was a series of not so much defense, and a penalty box full of shots on goal. Bishop Brady goaltender, Owen Currier faced 18 shots on goal in the opening period, making 17 saves. James Amorelli was in net for the Grizzlies and he saved all 15 shots he faced over the first 15 minutes. Both goaltenders played well over the course of the game.
The only goal of the period was scored by Goffstown on an odd play as goals scored are concerned. While still on the power play, Goffstown won the offensive zone face-off back to Eric DesRuisseaux at the right point. Eric’s pass to Grady Chretien was shin-high and bounced past Chretien. Bishop Brady defenseman, Peyton Vachon grabbed the loose puck and turned to fire the puck down the ice in a clearing attempt. The puck jumped directly off of his blade and into Chretien’s midsection. While many people looked down ice for the flight of the puck, our GTV camera crew wasn’t fooled and caught Chretien doubling over in pain as the puck bounced and rolled back toward the crease. Currier, in net, went down to field the Bill Buckner-esque roller and had his skate bumped by his own teammate as he lunged back to his left toward the post. Somehow the puck bounced, rolled, hopped, and barely trickled inside the post and over the goal line. The goal went to Chretien, his second of the season, at 2:10 of the opening period. It was a power play goal, and Chretien was fit enough to play the rest of the game.
The puck trickles into the net for a Grizzlies goal off of the deflection. (Photo from GTV video)
As I said, both goaltenders played well all night. At 12:02 of the period, James Amorelli made an absolutely brilliant left pad save on a Bishop Brady 2-on-1 rush. His flexibility, timing, and reaction to make the save were amazing!
The period would end with the Grizzlies leading 1-0 on the scoreboard and getting 18 shots on goal. The Grizzlies had a power play on which they scored on the deflection goal, but then they also had a five-minute power play as well, which they could not cash in on. As they would learn, the inability to build on their lead would come back to haunt them.
The teams each had 12 shots on goal in the middle period, and at times, the pace was end to end, nearly frantic up and down the ice. Just over two minutes into the period, Amorelli made another nice save for the Grizzlies. After Jackson Burke skated into a dead end during a line change and turned the puck over just above the offensive right face-off circle, the Giants made one pass and turned it into a point blank scoring chance. Ethan Christerson took the puck and made a quick pass to Darren Earley cutting to center ice. Earley busted through a Chretien stick check, made a move, and was not fazed by another Grizzlies defensive fly-by swing and miss. He let a shot rip from between the circles and Amorelli made a nice blocker save that deflected just high and far enough to get over the top of the net. Goffstown scored their second goal half a minute later on a rush of their own.
Grady Chretien jumped into the face-off circle and grabbed a Jack Wilkinson face-off win in the defensive end and lugged it up ice in a hurry. Grady beat the two defensemen by splitting them while being hooked along the way. He had Luc Ouellette on his left skating with him. Chretien elected to shoot from between the circles, from the slot, and he put the puck up over Currier’s shoulder and off of the back bar in the top of the net where grandma hides the candy for the grandkids.
James Amorelli robs Tucker Townsend of a sure goal on a Giant scoring chance. (Photo from GTV video)
Bishop Brady was not going to go away though. After a great shift from Goffstown’s third line, you might have thought the Grizzlies were going to grind the visitors down and maybe add to their lead. That was not to be the case. Ben Mordarski won the offensive zone face-off because the Grizzlies had iced the puck just after narrowly missing on springing Chretien for another breakaway chance. Dom Dubreuil stepped into the circle and ripped a quick shot on goal that Amorelli smartly turned away. Darren Earley grabbed the rebound and centered the puck to Dubreuil in the slot. Dom got the shot away although he didn’t get all of it as Jack Wilkinson stick checked him as the shot was released, but there was traffic in front of Amorelli and the puck hit his paddle and caromed into the net. It was now 2-1 with 1:42 to play in the second. With just less than a minute left in the period, Grady Chretien exploded for a break in, 1-on-3 style while the Grizzlies were changing lines. Chretien got a solid shot away that hit Owen Currier in the chest, and dropped in front of him. Chretien muscled through to the rebound and Currier made a solid right pad save and tied up the puck to keep the score, 2-1. The Giants would tie the score on the next shift when Ben Marceau threw a pass out to the slot to Jack Allen who got a shot through traffic that Amorelli saved but the rebound landed in the crease. Before Amorelli or a teammate could move the puck, Marceau who had curled to the post after his pass, pushed the puck into the net to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left in the period. The teams would go to the 3rd period, tied 2-2.
Neither team scored in the third period despite another 23 combined shots on goal. A few minutes into the period the Grizzlies got caught with two forwards below the goal line and a bouncing puck got past Brennan Pierce along the boards. The Giants were off to the races. Quickly, a 3-on-1 developed with only Eric DesRuisseaux back on defense. I made another note on my pad on this play because I saw Jackson Burke literally put his head down and hustle all the way back down the ice to tie up the right wing and take him away as an option. It was a brilliant hustle play, one that should be noted. As it was, James Amorelli had to make a pair of stellar saves and get some help from DesRuisseaux to keep the game tied at 2-2. With a couple of minutes left in regulation, Luc Ouellette broke up a pass while on the forecheck, tipping the puck to Chretien who skated toward the slot and ripped a backhand off of the post. He got the carom and Currier shut down his rebound shot with a big save. Regulation time would run to 0:00 left in the period with the score still knotted at 3-3.
James Amorelli makes a big save in overtime for the Grizzlies. (Photo from GTV video)
The teams took a three-minute breather and returned for the eight-minute overtime period. Next goal wins the game. It didn’t take too long to get a final score. Before the game-winner though, Amorelli made another sparkling save, this time with his right skate. Ben Mordarski won the offensive zone face-off to Dom Dubreuil who was given the time and space to curl back to his forehand and rip a shot on goal. It was inches from being the game-ending goal. The rebound eventually came out toward the blue line but was kept in the zone by Peyton Vachon who slid the puck along the left wing boards. Mordarski guarded the puck with his body and kicked a pass to Dubreuil. Dubreuil skated to the slot area on his backhand, and again, was afforded the space to curl, turn, and fire from his forehand, and this time he rippled the twine just inside the far post for the game-winning goal at 0:48 of the overtime.
Goffstown and Bishop Brady played a pretty good high school hockey game in an empty arena on a forgetful, cold, snow showery night in January. Honestly, there wouldn’t be many places that I would rather be though, than watching good competitive sports being played by our youth, during the times of their lives.
These two teams meet again on Saturday at Tri-Town Ice Arena with a 5:00pm ice time. It should be a good one.
Updated records.
Goffstown (0-2-0) vs. Bishop Brady (1-0-0)
Sullivan Arena, Goffstown, NH
Wednesday, January 20, 2021. 6:10 PM Start:
Summary:
Goals:
Goffstown: 1-1-0-0 = 2
Bishop Brady: 0-2-0-1 = 3
Shots:
Goffstown: 18-12-13-0 = 43
Bishop Brady: 15-12-10-3 = 40
Scoring:
1st Goffstown at 2:10. PPG. Grady Chretien (2) unassisted.
2nd Goffstown at 2:45. Even. Grady Chretien (3) from Jack Wilkinson (1).
2nd Bishop Brady at 13:18. Even. Dom Dubreuil from Ben Mordarski and Darren Earley.
2nd Bishop Brady at 14:31. Even. Ben Marceau from Jack Allen.
3rd Period: No scoring.
Overtime: Bishop Brady at 0:48. Even. Dom Dubreuil from Ben Mordarski and Peyton Vachon.
Special Teams:
Goffstown Power Play: 1 for 3.
Bishop Brady Power Play: 0 for 1.
Saves:
Goffstown: James Amorelli 37 of 40. (45:48)
Bishop Brady: Owen Currier 41 of 43. (45:48)
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.