Hockey: Goffstown 1 at Bishop Brady 1 (OT)

Goffstown Tackles D-I Brady in an Action Packed OT Tilt

It was a Saturday night in January, it was a hockey night. Goffstown went over to Hooksett to play against a Division I foe, in Bishop Brady. This was Goffstown’s fifth road game in two weeks. There was a pretty good crowd on hand for the game, and the two teams did not disappoint the fans, playing a well paced, action packed game. They even played an encore.

 

As hockey fans know, there are two ice rinks over at Tri-Town Arena, a north rink (Ryan Frew Memorial Rink) and a south rink. Well I was at the rink early as my 11-yr old son had a game on the South Rink scheduled for 6:10 pm, so for the first two periods of the Goffstown I ran over to check on the Grizzlies when the 2010 Flames were in one of their lengthy 60-second intermissions. The Flames pulled out a 2-1 victory in their game with the Monarchs. It was a battle.

After the game on the South Rink ended I was able to catch the 3rd period and Overtime period in their entirety. It was so much fun for me to watch the game as a fan, with other fans. I stood. I cheered. I muttered numbers to myself and some coaching tips that nobody else would ever want to hear. Mostly though, I just enjoyed watching the hockey game, as a lover of hockey, with other fans, with no pad in my hands, or iPad to track shots and times. I didn’t write anything down. I just smiled and enjoyed some NH high school hockey. Since, I have spent a lot of time on my laptop watching video of the game and the call on GTV.

I did get to thinking some too. I thought that the Grizzlies had some recent history of tight games against the Giants from Bishop Brady. Then I looked it up, and found that just last year, on January 20th, 2021, Goffstown lost a thriller to Bishop Brady, 3-2 in OT. Also, on the same Saturday night, at Tri-Town, on January 23rd, 2021, the Giants nipped the Grizzlies, 2-1. Last season, James Amorelli (Sr. goaltender for GHS who has been hurt this season) played in both games against Brady, and even though he took a pair of losses, he made 73 saves on 78 shots faced, a .936 save rate. Owen Currier was in net last year, as he was this year, and Currier made 78 saves in those two games, at a rate of .963. So, these two teams and their goaltenders had set the bar pretty high.

This season was not much different. Currier made 33 saves, and Jake Webber made 40 saves for the Grizzlies. As it was last year, it was on Saturday night, it was not just the number of saves. It was about the sequences and the brilliance of literally robbing goal-scoring dreams right out of mid air. Like magicians showing off their slight of hand. To the level that shooters with the puck on their sticks, in scoring areas all over the ice, instinctively knew that they had to be perfect to hit the elusive spots that appeared open, but were they really open. That’s when shots get whistled high and wide because the shooter feels the tug of pressure that accompanies that little doubt in their mind that they can beat this goalie on the given night.

Ultimately, the goaltenders won, not allowing either opponent to win the goal-scoring game, and after 53 minutes of play, the Grizzlies and Giants did everything in their power to win, while the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Bishop Brady scored 6:52 into the game. Brady Ziegler, a skate length from the crease, lifted a quick shot into the net on a feed from Colby Pederson, after grabbing the carom of Ethan Piotrowski’s errant shot off of the end boards. It was a great play from the Giants, and it happened lightning fast. Literally, that sequence played out in just about 4 seconds. What was terribly disappointing from a Goffstown standpoint was the fact that Goffstown had the puck on their sticks’ twice in the seconds prior and were unable to clear the zone and reset. That reality came back to hurt them, with the puck in the back of the net. Goffstown took a frustration penalty after the goal was scored and had to kill a 2-minute penalty immediately after falling behind, 1-0. Goffstown was able to get through the penalty kill without any further damage.

Then, as I was writing this recap, I thought of other Goffstown hockey games in recent memory on this same Saturday night in January, during the heart of hockey season. Like, the night that Colby Gamache joined the career 100-point club against Alvirne-Milford in 2020. Or the night way back in 2017 when Goffstown beat Winnacunnet, 11-1. Gamache scored his first career goal that night in a game that featured three goaltenders that had not only never played goal before, but none of the three had ever even played hockey before. Colby’s younger brother Alex (Class of 2025) is on the Goffstown roster this season.

Goffstown trailed, 1-0 after one period. The teams combined for just 13 shots on goal in the opening period, but things really opened up in the second period. Even though neither team scored in the middle period, each team had 13 shots on goal and every shift seemed like it might end in a goal for one team or the other. Thus, play went up and down the ice and hockey fans were delighted.

The third period was intense. Both teams would end up hitting double digits in shots on goal in the final period. Somehow appropriate, the Grizzlies only goal of the night came on a shot that wasn’t really a shot on goal…until it went into the net. Similar to Goffstown’s allowed goal when they couldn’t clear their own zone, it was a play, sometimes thought of as a ‘minor’ thing that led to the goal that the Grizzlies scored. Bishop Brady had withstood a Goffstown rush and shot on net and then worked on their breakout. Under a little bit of forecheck pressure, the Giants iced the puck on low percentage breakout pass attempt. This of course led to an offensive zone face-off for the visitors.

Brandon Bograd stood in the face-off circle, eyeing the dot and the rest of his surroundings. He doubled over or close to it, waiting for Dominic Dubreuil to step in, and for the ref to drop the puck. The puck was dropped and the two centers swiped at the rubber disc. Dubreuil slapped the puck first but it clanked off of Colby Pederson’s stick as Luc Ouellette boxed him out. Bograd spun and settled the puck quickly before pushing it back to Brennan Pierce at the left point. Pierce let a low hard shot fly and Currier made the stick save easily, directing the puck to the end boards. It all looked innocent like a hundred shots that are on net but not really a threat. But the following is why you must continue taking those shots. As the puck was saved, Max Ouellette was already reading what might happen next. He rushed to the end boards, eluding Currier who is one of the most mobile, active goalies I have seen in years. As Max beat Piotrowski to the puck the Goffstown sophomore spun on his backhand and fed the puck toward the crease where Bograd was looking for a pass. I mean he had his stick down, his head down, and his eyes looking down the shaft like he was taking aim at a freezer full of potential. But to the good fortune of the Grizzlies, the centering pass hit the side of Currier’s right pad and reversed directions, right inside the post and into the net. Go to the 53:20 mark of the GTV Broadcast and check it out. Max Ouellette from Pierce and Bograd at 3:31 of the 3rd period, and the game was tied, 1-1.

How even was this game? Well, from the time that Bishop Brady scored until Goffstown tied the game, they played scoreless hockey for 26:39 which is more than half of a game. After the Grizzlies tied it, there was another stretch of scoreless hockey for 19:29. And the only reason that was cut short was because the overtime ended. What a game, on a cold Saturday night in January, where we live free or die.

Some people say that a 1-1 game can’t be that interesting or exciting because there’s not enough scoring, or some such stuff. But even an impartial fan that loves the game and secretly roots for a team once he or she recognizes one team as an underdog, or has the better uniform, or cutest coach, or likes their style of play, whatever the reason, there were cheers, gasps, and involuntary muscular reactions throughout this game. It was just a good hockey game, with both teams playing their version of the pedal to the metal for a good part of it. Both teams had scoring chances throughout the game, especially from the 2nd period on.

Whew! I even got a little worked up just recapturing it. Anyways, the Grizzlies left Hooksett with 2.5 points in the standings, the value of a tie against a D-I team. Next up, the Goffstown Grizzlies go to West Side Arena on Wednesday afternoon, January 26th for a game against an explosive Merrimack Tomahawks squad. It’s always a good game when  Grizzlies tangle with Tomahawks.

 

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Please feel free to click on any picture to open it and zoom in for a closer look at Jen Webber’s incredible eye and talent. Enjoy!

 

 

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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.