Back To Basics – Goffstown 4 vs. Nashua South Pelham 2

February 06, 2023 – Back To Basics: With a few changes in the lineup due to some shifts in players dressed for the game, the Goffstown Grizzlies got back to basics. They played more players in the game overall, and chemistry was replaced with focus on making good hockey plays.

The Goffstown hockey team entered the game against the Nashua South Pelham Kings, or NSP Kings, after a brilliant win against Winnacunnet and a less inspiring effort at Dover. In my opinion, the game in Dover probably ends differently if the Goffstown Grizzlies played their full throttle creative game combined with gritty shifts mixed in for all 45 minutes of the contest.

There are controllables for this Goffstown hockey team that are not yet being mastered on a consistent basis. Moving their feet, skating hard, going all out, skate all out and get off the ice with a sense of urgency so the next player can get on the ice at full speed and maintain intensity. To be clear, this is not a negative spin, but a huge opportunity because it is completely within the team’s control.

Dylan Ellbeg on the forecheck against Nashua South Pelham. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

That said, the kids are the ones we come to watch. They are the ones we cheer for. They are the ones who get us up out of our seats on any given second. They are the ones who make us shake our heads in pleasant disbelief. They are the ones who wear it all on their sleeves. They are the ones that possess the skills. They are the ones who control effort. They are the ones able to get back to basics.

I learned ahead of this game that the Goffstown forward lines were being changed up. I didn’t know who was changing which lines, or any of the names associated with the new look. My response though, was this, “I like it already”. The reason I answered in such a way was because I thought it could be a great thing for the individual players up and down the roster, and ultimately a very good thing for the team.

I thought the changes had immediate positive results for the Goffstown hockey team. By virtue of the Grizzlies 4-2 win over the Kings, and the fact that they held a 4-1 advantage in goals scored at even strength, several Goffstown players had their best ‘+/-‘ game of the season, and it wasn’t even close. The ‘+/-‘ rating is basically defined this way. Each player on the ice gets a plus one (+1) for every goal their team scores while shorthanded or at even strength. Each player on the ice gets a minus one (-1) for every goal scored against their team while at even strength or on a power play.

Everyone wants to get to the net. Lots of traffic in front of Jake Webber. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Anyway, being a tough team to play against in even strength situations is generally a hallmark of good teams. Good playoff teams. The shake up of the lines made it look like (to me) the Grizzlies were more aware of back to basics good hockey plays. They did a better job head-manning the puck. They did a better job with getting pucks deep. They were more responsible defensively (not pinching with the D as much).

The Grizzlies got on the board first. If it were being described on the radio it might have sounded like this.

Jake Klardie takes the offensive zone face-off for the Grizzlies. Klardie wins it back to Caldwell at the right point. He wrists it around the boards. Diodati grabs the puck in the corner and drops it to Klardie below the goal line. Klardie sends the puck past Bograd to Pierce at the left point. Pierce skates to the middle and rips a shot on net. He scores! Pierce scores on a wrister from between the circles and the Grizzlies lead, 1-0! What a play by the Grizzlies as they zipped the puck around the zone to get the wide open shot!

The Goffstown Grizzlies led, 1-0 after one period despite being outshot 9-6 by the Kings.

Goffstown scored the second goal of the game too, to take a 2-0 lead. This goal was a thing of beauty too, with tremendous fluidity and puck movement. I mean, look back at the video.

Brennan Pierce stood tall in this game. He scored the first two goals for the Goffstown Grizzlies in their 4-2 win. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Bibaud plays the puck behind his own net, nearly 200 feet from the net they are shooting on. Bibaud to Pierce in the corner. Pierce with a quick short pass to Bograd. Bograd finds Bibaud in the middle and Bibaud spins with the puck, hitting Diodati with a nice backhand pass. Diodati with a beautiful touch pass to Klardie cruising through center ice. Klardie moves the puck to Pierce joining the rush on the left wing. Pierce tries to hit Klardie in the crease with a backhand pass. And the puck is deflected into the net by the defeneman. Great play covering the length of the ice.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they took 4 penalties in the second period and this greatly impacted the game. The NSP Kings would end up with 11 shots on goal in the period and a power play goal of their own. Brendan Milward entered the zone in and dropped a pass back to Broden Landsteiner who jumped in from his D spot. He made a move to the slot and slid a sweet pass over to Gavin Asimakopulos in the circle. Gavin’s one-timer was perfect as the puck hit the bottom of the crossbar and into the net. That’s what they call, ‘bar-down’.

The Goffstown Grizzlies took a 2-1 lead to the final period.

Jake Webber squares up to the shooter to make this save against the NSP Kings. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Goffstown was getting the better of the play in the final period for the most part, but then one sequence came together for the Kings. After regaining the puck a couple of times after taking shots at the net in the zone, the Kings reset while in the zone. Dylan Carr made a backhand pass to Brady Pelletier who was granted access into the slot. The rush was stopped but the puck went right to Sean McCarthy who spun and threw the puck at the net through traffic. The shot hit the inside of the far post and glanced into the net. The game was tied, 2-2, with 2:38 left to play.

I don’t know if the Goffstown hockey team thought about this, but they immediately got back to basics.

The game was tied for fourteen seconds. Zack Tarrier won the face-off at center ice, back to Xavier Bibaud. Bibaud flipped the puck to Max Ouellette on the right side and Max gloved the puck down to his stick and sent the puck into the zone on the net. Robinson sticked (hockey term) the puck aside but Tarrier was the first player on the puck and he threw it out front to the middle. The puck hit a skate and was moved along by Dylan Desruisseaux where Ouellette collected the puck and ripped it into the net. Grizzlies led, 3-2 with 2:24 left to play.

Max Ouellette scores! Dylan Desruisseaux (#4) and Zack Tarrier with the assists. This was the game-winner. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Then, just seventy seconds later the Grizzlies struck again, and this one was a beauty.

So here’s another thing about stats that intrigues me. Tyler Lessard makes a good hockey play in two ways: 1) he shovels the puck deeper into the zone while the Grizzlies make some changes. 2) he skates off of the ice for a line change which of course is critical in keeping skaters fresh. Lessard gets an assist but isn’t even on the ice when the Grizzlies score the goal.

Lessard’s shovel of the puck goes to Zack Tarrier who pummels a shot that flies high from a tough angle and into the opposite corner. Since the Grizzlies are changing, there are players coming and going all over the place so Nick Caldwell tracks down Tarrier’s shot and rips a shot-pass through the crease from the far corner. Tarrier might be a freshman but he’s got a nose for the game and where the puck might go next. After his wild shot he circled and came back toward the weak-side post right when Caldwell’s pass came whistling through the crease. Tarrier smacked the puck into the open side of the net to finish off a gorgeous hockey play.

Tarrier scores the insurance goal on a gorgeous pass from Nick Caldwell. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Get the puck to the net. Get to the post. Back to basics.

Another favorite part of the replay on video is Jake Klardie skating to the bench on his line change when the puck goes in. He never turns around but sees his teammates’ reactions and smacks the glass in celebration as he gets to the bench. It only takes everyone.

Goffstown skated away with a 4-2 win on a night when they had turned a lot of things upside down. I still think that this team is loaded with creative, puck moving players and they are a threat to score at anytime. If they can continue to be better in even strength situations, they could be a tough matchup for any opponent in the playoffs, if they get in. This team still gives up more than 32 shots on goal per game, that is probably too high despite the great goaltending tandem they have. Even at a 90% save percentage (which is good) that’s allowing 3 plus goals per game which is a lot in tournament standards.

For now, the Grizzlies will take the win against the D-I team and continue to build as they get back to basics. I believe there is much potential in this group. Can they consistently call on their mastery of skill backed with 100% effort, shift after shift?

That’s a final! Grizzlies 4, Kings 2. A, back to basics, kind of win. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

So many memories for these players, sitting, standing, cheering, skating alongside one another, day after day. Hold on to these memories and cherish them always. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

(from Jen Webber Photography)

The current look at my ‘hockey office’. So many hours spent in this space, tracking numbers and capturing season after season. (C) 1inawesomewonder 2023.

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.