Come Back To Even – Goffstown 2 at Winnacunnet 2

January 21, 2023 – The Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team fell behind and then worked to come back to even.

Another Saturday, another undefeated opponent for the Grizzlies to play. Goffstown hockey battled back with a better skating game and passing game as the afternoon went on. Eventually, they were able to persevere and come back to even. It looked to me like they still had gas in the tank at the end of overtime too.

Max Ouellette receives a pass out in Exeter, against Winnacunnet. (photo from Facebook Live)

The Winnacunnet Hockey team graduated some veteran talent from last year’s team, a team that got better as the season progressed. Even without the veteran talent, the Warriors started this season with 6 straight wins. Then they ran into this season’s version of the Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

There was no scoring in the opening period, but that didn’t mean there was a lack of scoring chances for both sides. Each team took a penalty, and neither team scored on the power play. The power play would play a major role in this game though, especially for Goffstown. After one period there was no score, one penalty per side, and both Hunter Marshall and Ethan Santoro recorded 7 saves each.

Winnacunnet scored first. As a matter of fact, they scored first, and second. The Warriors grabbed a 1-0 lead when Xavier Bibaud’s clearing attempt from behind the goal line didn’t get out of the zone. Tyler Blank kept the puck in at the blue line and the puck bounced away from him toward the slot. That is where Brady Thompson grabbed the puck while curling toward the middle and he fired a shot past Santoro into the net. Even strength goal, Thompson from Blank.

The second goal for Winnacunnet hockey came when Noah Andronaco blocked a shot from Zack Tarrier at the point. Andronaco high-tailed it into the neutral zone and then just plain robbed Nick Caldwell by lifting his stick at the precise moment he needed to in order to grab the puck. With the puck, Andronaco turned toward the net and beat Santoro between the body and glove (it looked like to me). There was 1:20 left to play in the second and the Grizzlies trailed, 2-0. The goal was even strength, and unassisted.

The Grizzlies celebrate while the Warriors are shocked at a goal scored in the last 5 seconds of the period. (photo from Facebook Live)

Now there was just a little more than a period left to play, against an undefeated team, on their home ice, for the Goffstown hockey team to come back to even. As I said earlier, the power play would be a major factor. Goffstown was 0-for-2 on the power play thus far, despite piling up some shots on goal.

With 8.3 seconds left in the period, Brennan Pierce cut hard to the net and drew a tripping call on the Warriors. The Grizzlies were going on the power play. What can happen in 8.3 seconds? A lot. Jake Klardie (of “Klardie and the Kids” fame) won the offensive zone face-off and tied up the opposing center. Zack Tarrier wasted no time and skated to the dot to grab the puck as he approached the slot. As he came to the middle he dished a perfect, short, quick pass to Tyler Lessard who one-timed the puck into the net for the power play goal. It only took 4.2 seconds. 2-1. Lessard from Tarrier and Klardie on the power play.

After the great play that put the Grizzlies on the board, the period would end with the Warriors leading 2-1. Each of the goaltenders had 17 saves through two periods.

To say that this game was pretty even was obvious by the score, but the shots on goal were almost identical too. In the third period, each team had 10 shots on goal. Fortunately, for the Grizzlies, one of their shots found the back of the net.

At 6:55 of the 3rd period, Andrew Skora scored on the power play from Brennan Pierce and Tyler Lessard. The play began with an offensive zone face-off win by Jake Klardie. After failing to connect on one pass, Lessard had the puck on the end boards and nimbly moved to miss a check by a Warrior defender while maintaining possession of the puck. He fired a pass through the slot that was intended for Skora, but he was tied up. Pierce grabbed the pass on the far boards and patiently waited a second for things to open up. Lessard slid to the crease and Skora dropped toward the circle.

Skora fires from the circle and ties the game, 2-2 on the power play. (photo from Facebook Live)

As that separation widened, the angle improved, and Pierce fed a perfect pass back to Skora who was drifting toward the circle. Skora squared his body and ripped a shot back toward the far-side post. The puck found the net, and the Grizzlies had come back to even. 2-2, with 8:05 to play in the third period. Another good hockey play with puck movement as an integral part of the desired result.

Regulation time ended with the score still tied at 2 apiece. The Grizzlies had used exactly 4 seconds and 16 seconds of power play time on their pair of power play goals. Yes, that is awesome, but it highlights, even more, the value of winning face-offs. Klardie won both of them in these two scenarios, and that went a long way in earning the Goffstown hockey team a chance at overtime play.

In the overtime, the Grizzlies dominated the shots on goal count, 9-4. At 5:40 of the overtime, Jake Klardie made a jab at Hunter Marshall’s glove hand right before the whistle was blown to stop play. Marshall had snagged a shot from the point. Klardie skated away and got cross-checked in the back by Seamus Bihari. There was no call. Had there been a call, Goffstown would have had a power play chance to win the game in OT. Then Tyler Lessard retaliated. He skated in and knocked down Nolan Rennie. When the Warriors reacted and came after him, he withdrew from the opponents attempt at retaliation.

The Lessard hit did draw a penalty (roughing) that would have nullified their advantage, had there been one. Somehow, Rennie was called for roughing too, and that evened things up. Goffstown was unfortunate to not get a power play chance, but very fortunate to have avoided being short-handed after the Lessard retaliation. He didn’t stick around long enough to get ‘roughed’. The Grizzlies dodged a bullet in the exchange even if a call was missed to start.

All I am saying is this, if you have enough of a thought process to take action, and are acting under sound conviction, then make things right for your team. This isn’t a one player incident, as a matter of fact, I have said these same things to my own kids, over many years. And if you are boldly taking action for the betterment of something bigger than yourself (like your team), then stand up and take it. Other people rally around such action.

But, if it’s a knee-jerk reaction, or worse, retaliation, then more thought and exercising self-control might be the best course. When any player wears the uniform of a team, then the actions of any player on the team, like it or not, reflects on the team. Sometimes it hurts the team, but in my experience, most of the time, teammates make choices that make the team better.

I heard Mr. Tarrier refer to one of Goffstown’s forward lines as, “Klardie and the Kids”. I have used that here already. I love it. Coining line names like the “All Beef Line”, or the “CBC Line”, or others, are all in good fun. As for the “Klardie and the Kids” line, they are fun to watch. They are moving the puck and producing goals and scoring opportunities. As they get better at working together and taking their games to loftier heights, especially in even strength situations, I will be applauding with everyone else as they write themselves into Goffstown hockey history.

For the second Saturday in a row, it took 53:00 of hockey to determine no winner. Although, if you ask me, the Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team did much better than even, with a pair of ties against undefeated opponents.

The Goffstown hockey team is scheduled to play a home game at Sullivan Arena on Wednesday night, January 25th, 2023. ***This has been changed to Thursday night, January 26th, due to the storm coming in***. They will host the Nashua North Souhegan Saber-Titans from Division I. It will be “Hockey Fights Cancer Night” at Sullivan Arena. Check this out.

Please join us Thursday, January 26th, for a very special night of hockey. Our GHS Grizzlies are supporting the American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer. Players will be wearing special jerseys designed by senior Jack Wilkinson. We will be collecting funds that night to donate to Hockey Fights Cancer. We have a team goal of raising $2500. You can also donate through the link below. Please share with friends and family to help this cause!

Student admission is FREE!! Please wear purple to show your support. See you the 26th at 7:15 at the Sullivan Arena!

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/goffstowngrizzlies

OT Period: None

(from Jen Webber Photography)

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.