Written by January 16, 2023 – 2010 Flames – Saved their best for last
On Saturday morning they lost out in Dover, NH, then pitched a shutout win in Wilmington, MA in the evening. On Sunday morning they found a way to win in Vermont, and then won again back in Manchester, NH on Sunday night. But Monday night they saved their best for last with a 3-2 win at West Side Arena.
Lucas spreads his wings and pulls his team in close for an intermission chat.
On Saturday morning, I took my daughter to her figure skating workout while my wife took our son out to Dover, NH for a game against the Wild. I tried watching some of his game on LiveBarn from the rink I was in, and I had to shut it off because the commentary that came from parents across the feed was worse than a reality show on TV. Well, that and I wanted to focus on what my daughter was doing on the ice. She is a beautiful skater.
Anyways, the Flames lost 4-1 and the reports I heard back from everyone was that I had not missed much. Hey, I didn’t miss anything, I was able to watch my daughter skate, smile, and even waive to me in the stands. I did alright. I did check LiveBarn later to see the Flames one goal they scored. And I asked myself, how was it that they only scored the one goal, because that one looked so easy.
After figure skating, I rushed home, grabbed my stuff to go cover the Goffstown High School hockey game against defending champs, and undefeated, St. Thomas. The game started late. Goffstown came from one-goal-down four times to tie the game and earn a shocker of a tie after an 8 minute overtime. It was a tie that felt like a win.
I got home from the Goffstown game just in time to jump into the van with my wife and the twins to make tracks for Wilmington, MA and a game with the Shamrocks. The Flames played very well in this game, earning a 3-0 win along the way. Obviously, the 2010 Flames saved their best for last on Saturday night. Oh, and the pizza we grabbed at Pizza Mia in Tewksbury was really good.
Sunday morning the 2010 Flames were off to Vermont for their game with the Storm. They were able to wake up enough and get their legs going to skate off with a 4-2 victory to start the day. Once again though, they saved their best for last by scoring a pair of goals in each of the three periods on their way to beating the Islanders Hockey Club, 6-2. This came after the Flames allowed a goal in the opening 19 seconds of the game. After that goal, the Flames outscored the Islanders 6-1 over the remainder of the game.
Then, after all of that, on a holiday Monday, the 2010 Flames had to play the 2011 Flames in GSL Tier 3 action. The 2011 Flames are the top team in Tier 3. They also skated circles around the 2010 Flames before Christmas in a 6-0 route.
Sean McGee took the opening face-off and skated in on a stunning breakaway only to shoot the puck wide. But it was a much faster start for the 2010’s then when they played a month ago. The 11’s did score first on a wrap around goal that several people questioned whether it had actually gone in. The 2010’s trailed 1-0 after one period.
The 2010 Flames scored twice in the second period and the game was tied, 2-2 after two periods. There were 9 penalties called in the second period, with six of them going against the 2010’s. Still, they won the period, 2-1. Travis Ingalls played extremely well in net over the first two periods for the 2010 Flames.
In the final period, there was only one goal scored and one penalty called. The 2010 Flames scored the goal and they also took the penalty. The penalty was killed off and the 2010 Flames held on to win with some tremendous goaltending from Will Rosenbeck in the final 15 minutes. Again, for the third straight night, and over a 5-game weekend, the 2010 Flames absolutely saved their best for last, beating the #1 team in their division.
Flames vs. Flames in GSL action.
Saturday, January 14, 2023. Dover Arena.
Score by period:
Granite State Wild : 02 – 02 – 00 = 04
Flames: 00 – 01 – 00 = 01
Flames goals in order:
- Outlet pass from Garrett Warren to Lucas Ouellette up the middle. Lucas cuts left while Andy Soucy skates his lane through center. Soucy behind the D gets a feed from Ouellette and rips a shot ‘bar-down’ over the goalies shoulder. Soucy from Ouellette and Warren.
Saturday, January 14, 2023. Ristuccia Arena.
Score by period:
Shamrocks Orange: 00 – 00 – 00 = 00
Flames: 00 – 03 – 00 = 03
- Caleb Powers was down low and the puck squirted out to the corner from a gaggle of players behind the net. Powers grabbed the puck and skated toward the net along the goal line. He shot at the net from an impossible angle and the puck hit the goalie bouncing to his side. Powers kept coming and somehow tucked the puck into the net. Powers from Powers and Powers.
- The 2010 Flames had possession the offensive zone but the puck was cleared to center ice. Cooper Lazzaro picked up the puck, held it for a second, and hit Soucy with a pass at the blue line. Soucy skated in off-wing and ripped a shot that was saved. Teddy Beal flew down left wing to the crease and popped the rebound into the net. Beal from Soucy and Lazzaro. Great play.
- Soucy wins a defensive zone face-off that is corralled by Caleb Powers and pushed to Beal. Beal skates up the wing a few strides before hitting Soucy with a pass at center ice. Soucy loses the puck in the O-zone to winger, Jordan Hawkes. Hawkes then fires a pass from the left point to the far side post where Beal had kept skating to and he tapped in the puck for another Flames goal. This was a gorgeous play that started back in their own end and turned into a goal with tremendous puck movement. Beal from Hawkes and Soucy; and from Beal and Powers and Soucy. It was just like that.
Travis Ingalls nails down the shutout win with some solid, calm goaltending. He allowed few rebounds and got some help clearing the crease when needed.
Ahh yes, the embrace.
Sunday, January 15, 2023. Wendell Barwood Arena.
Score by period:
UVHA Storm: 01 – 01 – 00 = 02
Flames: 02 – 01 – 01 = 04
Flames goals in order:
- Sean McGee rushed up the left wing and dished to the crease before taking a nasty spill. Lucas Ouellette got a stick on the puck before Gavin Petrie pumped the puck into the net where it was lodged under the apron. Petrie from Ouellette and McGee.
- The 2010 Flames were swarming while shorthanded and the puck got loose at center ice where Caleb Powers legally gained control of the puck. Powers continued up ice with the puck like he was on a dare. Then he fired the puck into the net for a Flames goal. Powers unassisted.
- The Flames held the puck in the offensive zone and Andy Soucy’s stick was checked while making a pass. So the pass almost cleared the zone at the left point instead of going to a teammate at the right point. Logan McCain used his ‘go-go-gadget’ reach to keep the puck in the zone. Then he skated in and made a beautiful pass to Lucas Ouellette who was open in the slot. Ouellette ripped a quick shot into the net. Ouellette from McCain and Soucy.
- Caleb Powers wristed the puck out of the D-zone from his own goal line. The puck was headed for icing but Lucas Ouellette was in hot pursuit of the puck and a Storm player touched the puck. Ouellette got the puck in the corner but his momentum took him into the parking lot, leaving the puck behind. Fortunately, Gavin Petrie was right there to center a pass to the crease where Sean McGee scored from exactly 1-foot from the net. Nice play, with some serious hustle and passing. McGee from Petrie and Ouellette.
Sunday, January 15, 2023. West Side Arena.
Score by period:
Islanders: 01 – 01 – 00 = 02
Flames: 02 – 02 – 02 = 06
- Caleb Powers pilfered a pass at center ice and walked in, around one defender before lifting a shot from out deep. The shot was saved and landed in the slot where Teddy Beal picked the puck out of the defenders skates right in front of Powers. Powers ripped the puck into the net for the Flames. This tied the game at 1-1 after the Islanders had scored just 19 seconds into the game. Powers from Beal.
- Powers was up to his old tricks and wired a shot that hit the goalie’s face mask I think, and the rebound dropped in front of the net. Ian Kaveney was there to put the rebound into the net for a Flames 2-1 lead. Kaveney from Powers.
- After an icing call on the Islanders, Andy Soucy won the offensive zone face-off and rescued the puck himself before cranking a shot inside the near side post. Beauty, eh! Soucy unassisted.
- Lucas Ouellette and Chase Giampa moved the puck to each other before hitting Sean McGee with a pass through center ice. “Speedy” McGee was flying up the left side and just when you thought he might be out of room he let fly with a shot the snuck between the goalie’s shoulder and the near side post. A great shot at full speed. McGee from Giampa and Ouellette.
- The 2010 Flames had a 5-on-3 power play and as it expired, they scored. Logan McCain slid a pass along the blue line that only stayed in the zone by way of an optical illusion, over to Cooper Lazzaro. Cooper skated in to the circle and shot but the puck hit an Islander in the skates. This is where Giampa grabbed the puck and slid the puck under the sprawling goaltender for the 5-on-4 power play goal. Giampa from Lazzaro and McCain.
- Jordan Hawkes made a nice play to break up a play at center ice and he quickly hit Soucy with a pass headed toward the blue line. Soucy softly moved the puck into the zone through the middle of the ice where an Islander whiffed on the clearing attempt. This allowed Garrett Warren to grab the puck behind the defense. Warren walked in and popped a shot over the goaltender’s glove for the goal. Warren from Soucy and Hawkes.
Will Rosenbeck and Travis Ingalls combined for another stellar performance in net for the Flames.
The 2010 Flames line up to shake hands after a nice win at their home rink.
Monday, January 16, 2023. West Side Arena.
Score by period:
2011 Flames: 01 – 01 – 00 = 02
Flames: 00 – 02 – 01 = 03
Flames goals in order:
- This play started with a great break out pass from Teddy Beal to Ian Kaveney. Ian skated down the left wing and smacked a shot that was deflected and sailed high over the net. Chase Giampa and Beal hustled to the end boards to retrieve the puck and keep it moving. Giampa to Beal and Teddy worked the puck back to Jacob St. Pierre at the point. St. Pierre fired a nice hard, high shot through traffic and the puck whizzed over the goaltender’s shoulder and into the net. Game tied, 1-1 in the 2nd. St. Pierre from Beal and Giampa.
- The 2010 Flames went on the power play and won another defensive zone face-off. This time the puck was over on the left with Kaveney and he slammed a nice cross-ice pass to Beal. The pass was out in front of Beal so had to skate it down, which he did. Beal got the puck carried it behind the net and slid a pass out through the slot that ended up on Caleb Powers’ stick. Powers shot, low and hard, and Giampa deflected the puck on net and the goaltender made a great stick save. Beal was there at the edge of the crease, to pound the puck into the net. Beal from Giampa and Powers on the power play. 2010’s led, 2-1.
- It was the final period with the score tied, 2-2. The 2010 Flames got the puck deep and made a smooth line change on the fly. The 11’s worked the puck to center ice where Caleb Powers broke up the play with his skates. The puck glanced to Giampa who flew into the offensive end. Giampa lost the puck/or dropped a pass to Ian Kaveney skating through the slot. And Kaveney tickled the twine with a great shot on the move. The 2010’s led once and for all, 3-2. Kaveney from Giampa and Powers. What a goal! What a game!
Playing the 1st place team in their division, and getting the win. Awesome.
This coming weekend the 2010 Flames will be in Rockland, MA. They will be out in Keene, NH, and finally they will finish with a home game later on Sunday.
You can find more 2010 Flames material in these pieces, here. 2010 Manchester Flames.
It should be fun to be a kid. And these moments are pretty cool. This is a team reaction to a regular season win against the #1 team in their division. Unplanned, spontaneous childhood joy reaction to coming together as a team to beat a better team. This is how our lunch pail, punch the clock crew feels about raising their game.
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.