Goffstown Hockey 2021-2022: The Love Runs Out

Perhaps, as we walk quickly away from another season that our sons and daughters played,

we should pause for perspective, all the focus on them, and for our enjoyment, the prices they paid.

 

We all entered these overlapping eras the same way, from the back door, before dawn on a late November morn,

but did you get through the months that followed unmarked by the passion? Love of the game reborn.

 

Was all of this just another drive-thru moment, capture a picture here and there, passing by, out and about?

Or did you find a place to dig in, a connection to all-time, to make it better before the love runs out?

 

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“I’ll be your ghost, your game, your stadium

I’ll be your 50 thousand clapping like one

And I feel alright, and I feel alright“

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The Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team finished the 2021-2022 regular season with a 9-8-1 record. They qualified for the post-season for the 15th consecutive season. These were over achievements for this team, by almost all accounts. This season’s team was the least experienced, least game-tested group that the Grizzlies have put on the ice in probably ten seasons or more. They graduated the programs’ all-time leading goal-scorer, all-time point-getter, and winningest goaltender from last season’s team. So, when the Goffstown Grizzlies Team #22 (22nd team of the program’s existence) hit the ice in December to play scrimmages and start the regular season on December 22nd, the expectations were not terribly high.

What we got though, was a group that was nearly impossible not to fall in love with. They beat teams they should have. They could have lost to literally anybody. They surprised teams all season long. They got better. They achieved a handful of ‘career firsts’. They battled through illness and injury that disrupted the teams continuity, affecting forward lines, defensive pairs, and goaltenders alike. They showed that they were not only willing, but able to compete until the final whistle. Their collective, interminable effort, especially in times when hope flickered like a light that was powered by their own tiring, churning legs, was an endearing quality of this team.

 

 

These seasons go by so fast, and when these bumps in the road hit, it’s easy to be thrown off of your game for a week or two, which could be a significant portion of the season depending on the schedule during those times. This team and the coaching staff kept patching things together, and put their best effort in to motion night after night. Some times it worked and some times it didn’t. Some say that there is no failure, just winning and learning. Perhaps that might be a nicer way to say things in this day and age in order to keep folks off of the all-offended team. Ask the greatest achievers of all-time and they will tell you that they failed their way to success, or were motivated by their failures to get better. I suppose that is a form of learning but folks aren’t typically driven to a sense of urgency by a fear of learning, but rather a fear of failure. So, yes, this team failed at times. At time players failed to execute in areas that they had shown previously to be proficient in. That’s okay. We are all human, and we fail sometimes. The best part is that they kept getting back up to fight another day. Players who were failing to bring their best effort, made choices to up their game, and it made everyone better. Combinations that failed to produce desired results were changed, re-imagined, or worked on with vigor and it made everyone better. Players and coaches picked themselves up from each fall. Grizzlies always get back up.

I find that as each season ends, I am hit with a week or two of time-shock. My time-shock is the effect of both exhaustion and the absence of the deadline requirement for putting words and pictures together to get the next recap done, or to get to the next rink for another game tracking the numbers and moments that need tracking. Eventually, I find a quiet corner in my home and try to downshift to zero, to neutral, so that I can position myself to move forward again. It takes me some time to refill the literary coffers I draw from. Inspiration deserts me for awhile so that I can retool. So, I approach this undertaking carefully. This all matters to me. It matters a whole lot to many folks. I don’t take this burden lightly. Hopefully, this will be worthy of the players, coaches, parents, and families in our hockey community. The standard in our hockey program is high, and I hope you all feel that as we go through this together. We are so richly blessed.

 

 

See, to me, maybe to all of you, each season is not just a series of dates that fall between a beginning and an end. It’s a precise timing of multiple ages, abilities, competitiveness, 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 why each moment is so precious. This is why taking the next right step as a player, as a coach, as a team, is so important. I track a lot of things but I cannot begin to even guess how many ‘right steps’ it takes to make a successful season. Again, we have so much to be thankful for.

 

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“‘Cause we’ll work it out, yeah, we’ll work it out

I’ll be doing this, if you have a doubt

‘Til the love runs out, ’til the love runs out”

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I started writing about sports many, many years ago. Then one day I started this strange thing called a ‘blog’ back in 2011 as encouraged by friends that liked my chronicles. Apparently they also knew what a ‘blog’ was. I had no idea. For my writing style, one of the things that is most vital to me is the truth. I write non-fiction. I read mostly non-fiction. Perhaps this, and my lifetime love of sports, is why I have enjoyed covering sports for so long. Sports, the rules, the measurements, and the commentary have literally been the backdrop and soundtrack to my life. Sports. 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. In those fleeting seconds choices are made that determine outcomes. There is no place to hide. Constant evaluation in the present. Every plus and minus eventually shows through, some more obvious than others. 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. We are the fortunate ones. We just have to show up and support the experience.

 

 

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History is constantly being made. We fully engage ourselves in some things, and many others we take for granted. Either way, time kept flowing like a river and lead us to the 2021-2022 season and now, some days since. But, let me back up for a minute though. I smiled as I stepped inside the ice-side booth in my favorite NH hockey venue to bring another game to the Goffstown faithful. It was December 2021. Masks were mandatory. But the lights were on. The ice was in, like glass. The scoreboard was all lit up. The speakers played the sounds of music and the addressing of the public. The teams were on their benches, a sheet of ice between them. Referees checked from center ice, a nod with the goaltenders. The puck was dropped and a new season was upon us. I have to say, first and foremost, that I am absolutely and truly thrilled that the kids all across the state got to play their hockey season. From start to finish. While many powers that be, yank sports from kids everywhere, like the whole experience is solely a one-sided health risk, or a financial detriment, I am ecstatic that this completely necessary use of time and resources was allowed to run its’ course. Yes folks, there are large and small victories all around us. Be thankful.

 

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It was a cold morning with pouring rain taunting drivers and pedestrians alike by mixing in some sleet and snowflakes just to show off. I sat in the cozy warmth of Tiffany’s Café & Catering with a delightfully hot coffee and a scrumptious bagel breakfast sandwich. I had my laptop with me and while I peered outside, happy that I wasn’t getting cold and drenched, I wrote the next four brief paragraphs, one for each class.

The Grizzlies graduate three seniors from the program this year. We celebrated James Amorelli, Lucas Ouellette, and Colby Wright and their families back on Sunday, January 30th, on Senior Day. Even that day hit a bump in the road with a snowstorm the day before, moving the game and ceremonies from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. But the game was played (a win), the ceremonies were held, along with the pictures and celebrations. I was fortunate enough to share your words over the public address system on that afternoon, and they moved me. The moment we remove ourselves from the equation of recognition and achievement to pay tribute to others (there is always someone) who helped us get where ever it is that we are happy or proud to be, we are better for it. It was noticed. It was an awesome day! We will miss you three players on the ice in the coming season. It will take me some time to make adjustments to seeing some other player wearing the uniform numbers that we recognized you in these last four seasons. The pleasure has been all ours. Your contributions to the program have been many, and not one of them could ever be wrestled from you. Thank you. May the rest of your senior year have many more highs than lows. May you glow in it’s glory for always. Keep the faith, make good choices, hold onto hope, take the next right step, and absolutely live life. To each of you, all the very best.

Next season, it’ll be your turn, Jake Webber, Brandon Bograd, Jake Klardie, Jack Wilkinson, Corbin Huntley, Xavier Bibaud, Brennan Pierce, Ethan Santoro, and Annie St. Cyr. You will be the senior class that the younger players and incoming freshmen look up to. I almost guarantee that; Who you are, and ‘How’ you are, will impact your teammates and even the very future of the hockey program. I am completely serious. Think back to those very first tryouts and practices, your freshmen season. How were you treated? How were you welcomed? How were you included? Think about it. I bet you still vividly recall moments that you will embrace forever; or memories that you can’t try to forget fast enough. So, know that someone is always watching, and the line between greatness and giving up might hinge on a single act of kindness, inclusion, or humility. Our example is always. You players in this class have made incalculable progress from your first strides on to the Sullivan Arena ice sheet on some 5:30am practice time not that long ago. Truly, your improvement collectively and individually has been nothing short of amazing! It is a joy to watch you play. Keep raising the bar on the ice, in the room, and off of the ice. It’s your next right steps that could perpetuate the GHS Hockey Program to heights not yet seen for Grizzlies fans everywhere.

It might be hard to believe, but you sophomores will soon be entering the second half of your high school careers. That’s awesome! You trust old guys like me when I tell you that these moments go by way too fast, and many of you will long for these very days for the rest of your lives. So, thoroughly enjoy them! But never lose sight of the significance you play in the history of your school and our community. They say that many hands make light work, and even though raising the bar might be hard work it’s possible if you all are on board. Max Ouellette, Owen Matatall, Nick DiMarzio, Andrew Skora, Nick Caldwell, Aiden McKelligan, and Alex Veary your leap from freshmen to sophomores was noticed all through the rinks of New Hampshire this season. I honestly cannot wait to see where you take your own games and your teams’ direction over the next two seasons! Most hockey folks say that the biggest jump in skill, progress, and effectiveness on the ice in high school hockey players is made between their freshman and sophomore seasons. That is probably true for many, but I think the class in front of you would beg to differ. Not only that, I think you are capable of at least that. While it’s nice to have a break from the pace at which we hurry through the seasons that we miss so much from the time they end until the time we end, I look forward to seeing you all making history next season. Thank you for your commitment to the program, to your teammates, and to yourselves. Stay at it. The best is ahead.

Then there were the freshmen. Oh, you poor souls, it can be so difficult at times. Austin Campbell, Dylan Desruisseaux, Cole Stratford, Dylan Ellbeg, Gavin Diodati, Jack DeCristoforo, Caiden Merlin, and Alex Gamache. First, hang in there. Second, you have three more seasons to show the world what you are made of. That is an extraordinary opportunity! Use it wisely. It might seem forever away right now, but what you are doing today, the choices you make are what impact results, not what has happened prior to now. So just imagine where you all can take this! Way back when, my freshman year seemed to me like I was always looking up, not like ‘things are looking up’, but more like I am small and looking up or I am looking up at the heights these older athletes before me have taken this sports program to. Not to worry though, because we all progress if we decide to. Remember, it takes each of us to make the difference for all of us. That’s you. Maybe when your time here at GHS is done, everyone else will be looking up too, at a Championship Banner. Dream big. Then make choices that put you in the best position to be your best as a player, a teammate, a student, and a citizen. Thank you for coming out to play hockey for the Goffstown Grizzlies. Make the most of every chance, and if that’s not enough, make more chances.

 

 

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Yes, Team 22, they went 9-8-1 in the league, even though they allowed more shots than they took and gave up more goals than they scored. I point this out because there were times when they could have mailed it in, and just folded, but they didn’t. Thankfully, their collective memory was very short. They bounced back time and time again, to compete, even if in a lopsided loss, to get back up and move forward. One of the low points had to be out in Rochester, when they went 0-for-11 on the power play, got completely manhandled, and totally banged up in every way, in a 7-1 loss to a team that played that night like a band of untamed thugs. They were bullied, verbally disregarded (to put it nicely), and virtually laughed out of town. That night ended a four-game week with the Grizzlies playing against the teams that finished #1, #2, #4, and #5 in D2. To make matters worse, they left rink, some dragging their bags, others hanging their heads, to get on the bus for home. After the coaching staff checked the dressing room before leaving, they went to the bus and made the players come back in to the rink to ‘leave the locker room better than they found it’. You cannot hold to a high standard if you do not constantly make choices to do the right thing, or the better thing. With teams it takes all hands to hold the bar high. I was in the rink. I was at the door to the room where the players filed out. I was at the door when they were told to get off of the bus. I was at the door when they re-entered. My heart hurt for all of them, while simultaneously, I felt pride swell in my chest as I watched the unhappy upperclassmen make sure they all finished the dreadful night by doing the right thing. 

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I wrote, in my very brief write-up, the following words about that Saturday night in February:

Takeaways from Saturday night:

I left the rink on Saturday nigh thinking about words like the ones listed below.

I thought of privilege, both mine in being able to watch the players play, and theirs in being named or appointed to their positions to play. Privilege being defined as: a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others.

Then I thought of the word duty. Defined: the force of moral obligation. When I put these two words together, privilege and duty, I thought that maybe these two words should always be linked together.

One of the synonyms of leadership is steering. Steering defined as: to operate or control the course of.

Sportsmanship is defined like this: conduct (such as fairness, respect for one’s opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport.

Oh yes, the word, conduct: to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way.

Instead of trying to get right to the heart of integrity, I submit the word, honorable as defined: characterized by integrity : guided by a keen sense of duty and ethical conduct.

Several days later, I will still be thinking about these words and why they jumped to the forefront of my mind on Saturday night.

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But I did misrepresent the truth a little. I said I would still be thinking about those words several days later. It’s 6 weeks later and I am still thinking about them. Perhaps I always should.

But that Saturday night in February wasn’t the end of the story. The Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team had to somehow find the will and the way to rebound mentally, physically, emotionally, and confidently. And they had to do it fast. Due to the scheduling nightmare that has been the use of Sullivan Arena in recent years, the Grizzlies had to play a home game on Sunday afternoon. They had to show up at the rink just 14 or 15 hours after returning home from the complete humiliation that pushed many very close to their breaking point the night before. They did it though. They played Nashua North – Souhegan, and won the game, 4-1. They started the game a little shell-shocked it seemed. But to reiterate a point that I make a lot, it takes each of us to make the difference for all of us, it was Owen Matatall (among others) that helped pull the Grizzlies the rest of the way out of their pity party. He made a nice play that started the sequence of events leading to Goffstown’s first goal. Then he scored from the point to give the Grizzlies the lead that they would not relinquish. It was the game-winning goal.

Way back down at the other end of the ice, nearly 200 feet from the goal that the Grizzlies found four times on the day, stood Senior, Alternate Captain, Goaltender, #30, James Amorelli. James had been pulled from the net after just 17:07 of ice time, less than 24 hours earlier. He was not happy about that or that the team was pulled of the bus to clean up their own mess the night before. But he did what he had to do, and made sure others did too. Then he started in goal on that Sunday afternoon and led the team with an outstanding 36 save effort to get his 10th career win, his final win, at home, just hours after the season’s low point. We are fortunate that we have the leadership we have in this program year after year, because these Grizzlies always get back up.

 

 

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 is like learning something new. The slate is always clean. Then I buy in more and more, until I can’t share enough, track enough, or promote NH high school hockey enough. Days run into nights, and nights over run their boundaries into the wee hours of morning. I write. I watch video again and again. I look through all of the pictures and match my own memory of what I saw to the video and to the pictures, and the words start to accumulate. The numbers are tracked and confirmed. It’s a lot. 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 we know how. Facebook Live became a thing in the last two seasons. Then there is, and has been GTV and this season’s hockey playlist.  They have been a huge help in this area too. They continue to be great friends of the hockey program. I try very hard to remember and to promote the simple fact that all of this; It’s all about the kids.

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, to learn that the next decision is not predetermined by the past, 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.

 

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Coming to a rink near you later in 2022

 

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“And, oh, we all want the same thing

Oh-ooh-oh, we all run for something

Run for God, for fate, for love, for hate

For gold and rust, for diamonds and dust”

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It truly has been my complete joy to walk into Sullivan Arena these last seven 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. It doesn’t come simply by showing up. Parents, coaches, players, and friends of the Goffstown Hockey community show up night after night, and make the game presentation a priority. They make it part of an absolutely exceptional high school hockey experience for friend and foe alike. I challenge you all to hold this standard and even to raise the bar. It’s worth it.

Coach Slocum and his staff are seven seasons into the legacy they are building while adding to the history of Goffstown Hockey. It’s a good story. Slocum leads all GHS hockey coaches in seasons (7 and counting), league games coached (129), league wins (79), playoff appearances (7), and least speeches written (2.5, just kidding coach). Overall, the team is 79-47-3 in league play since Coach Slocum moved from assistant coach to head coach. 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.

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

By Class:

Class	G	A	P	PIM
Fr	4	1	5	8
So	14	20	34	18
Jr	23	41	64	76
Sr	18	19	37	27
Total	59	81	140	129

 

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2021-2022 Leaders by Category

 

 

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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 great it was to see the kids playing the game they love all season. Not solely because of numbers or wins and losses, but rather the enjoyment of kids being able to be kids. The people. The group. There have been something along the line of these sentiments every year for the last several seasons. This season I shared more “first career” moments than I could ever remember. Nobody expected the Grizzlies to be this good, this resilient, or this difficult to get wins against. 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 rarely 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.

 

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The Grizzlies earned a #6 seed in the tournament. They surprised several teams throughout the season. Not many folks marked Goffstown down for a tournament visit this season. As Goffstown does though, they showed up and played hard night in and night out, surprising many along the way. Then in the playoff game, they gave Portsmouth-Newmarket a truly classic battle for a spot in the Semifinal. The Grizzlies ended up losing, 3-2 in OT. Their season was over but they fought with all they had right to the final whistle. 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 teams I really enjoy, like this year’s Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team. I trust they will be back, and they will build on this year’s results.

 

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Grizzlies Give Back

Each year Friends of Goffstown Hockey ask Senior Players to find a way to give back to the community in some way by volunteering or raising money for a charity. This year senior’s honored one of its alumni players by hosting a skills clinic and game at the New Boston Town Hall Ice Rink and asked for donations for our local food bank.

In 2019 Sean Hunter, GHS Graduate and Hockey Alum, created the New Boston Outdoor Skating Rink as part of his Eagle Scout Project. On February 6, 2022, Senior’s James Amorelli, Lucas Ouellette and Colby Wright along with their teammates hosted a Hockey Skills Clinic and Game on the outdoor ice for New Boston and Goffstown boys and girls in grades K- 6. In the two sessions the team worked with a small group of kids (7) in the first session and more (11) kids in the second session. Both sessions were geared toward teaching and working on skills like handling the puck, shooting the puck and more. After the session kids were able to enjoy hot chocolate, and snacks, each receiving a gift bag full of goodies that included a ticket to an upcoming Goffstown High School Hockey game.

A big thank you to Mike Sindoni and Sheri Moloney who helped promote this in the local community. Goffstown High School seniors and players, we thank you for your commitment to the community and for sharing your skills to benefit future “Goffstown Grizzlies” Hockey players. The outpouring of commentary and feedback for the Grizzlies players that were working with the groups was overwhelmingly complimentary and a resounding sense of gratitude. Perhaps this could become an annual event for the Grizzlies. I know there are not many, if any, players who have played for the GHS hockey team in recent years, that have not gone over to that rink to skate at one time or another.

There are stories like this all over sports and a lot of the time they don’t get mentioned, captured, or promoted. Here’s one that was noticed though. As I mentioned earlier, GHS Senior Day was moved to a Sunday afternoon. There were youth hockey games being played right up until our ceremonies. The 12U goaltender that lost the youth game had a rough game. One senior Mom noticed this goalie because he played a lot like a young James Amorelli, diving for every puck. She shared with me, at that age James was always diving for the puck and had the nick name “Flounder” for the longest time because he was always on his belly on the ice trying to get that puck. As Senior Day ceremonies neared she lost track of the youth players until she saw James bang on the glass trying to get the kid’s attention. When the young player turned around Amorelli tossed him a puck. She said, “The look on the young goalie’s face was priceless! I will never forget when the kid looked up and James smiled and gave him a thumbs up.” Mrs. Amorelli stopped and chatted with the young player’s mom and was told that her young son had a really bad game. But when he saw the high school goalies he was in awe. So she asked one of the coaches if she could get a puck from the team as a reminder for her son to focus on what he could be if he kept trying hard. She did not know the coach was going to have James bring the puck over. “But she, like me was almost in tears at the look on her sons face.” Mom and the young goalie ended up staying for the entire game. The starstruck goalie ran to the door and slapped hands with each Grizzlie player who came off the ice. When Jake Webber came off the ice after closing out the game in net, the kid was in awe again. Jake reacted in a wonderful way by taking off his glove and to shake hands with the young goalie on his way off the ice. The young goalie’s mom stopped by and thanked Mrs. Amorelli, and the Grizzlies for helping making the kids’ day. Well done James and Jake.

The Goffstown Hockey Program ran a food drive and raised donations for a local food bank at the door of one of their home games and raised more than $250 as well as gathering 10+ bags of food to be donated as well. The donations raised by this group will provide more than 550 meals for friends, neighbors, and members of our community who desperately need help.

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.

 

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Then, no matter how I slice it, it was over. December, the Christmas Tournament, a 7-2-1 January, February, and a QuarterFinal OT loss, all came and went. It seems like a long season until you are looking back at it knowing that it will never happen just like that again. 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 student section full of GHS students full of life and spirit. 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. It’s a great game. It’s a wonderful program. It’s all about the kids.

 

 

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 anyone’s pre-season rankings. 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 managers. I don’t care what anyone outside our community says; This program is solid. The game presentation is second to none, in any division. I hear that sentiment from people all over the state. 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.

 

 

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 run 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 to witness almost every Goffstown hockey game over the last seven 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 Coach Slocum and staff for putting up with me. Thank you to the 2021-2022 Team for letting me speak with you all, I hope we can do more of that in the future. Thank you FOGH for letting me do the things I do, even though they don’t fit anyone’s role or description. Thank you GHS AD, Justin Hufft for your support. Thank you Jen Webber for sharing so many photos and ideas with me, through your amazing skill and talent. Thank you to all my readers and followers for your trust and your support. You all have been so very good to me. I am blessed and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

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“I’ll be your light, your match, your burning sun

I’ll be the bright in black that’s making you run

And we’ll feel alright, and we’ll feel alright”

~ Love Runs Out