Short Shifts And What Ifs - Goffstown 0 at Oyster River 1

February 08, 2023 – Short shifts and what ifs: The Goffstown Grizzlies got better as the game went on, keeping shifts short, and rolling their lines. One goal bested them on the scoreboard, but there is hope in the what ifs.

The Goffstown Grizzlies lineup before their game at Oyster River, at the Whittemore Center. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Goffstown got the first shot on goal in the game and then the Oyster River Bobcats had the next seven shots. The Grizzlies started slow, which has been a trend for this Goffstown hockey team. The Bobcats would take the shots tally, 12-6 in the first period, but nobody put a shot in the net.

The Oyster River Bobcats cashed in on a second period turnover in the Goffstown defensive end and put the puck in the net. That was the only goal of the game. Talon Beyer scored from the slot. There was no assist. Just the goal.

The goaltenders, Cole Hardwood of Oyster River, and Jake Webber of Goffstown, combined to stop the other 55 shots they faced in the game.

By the end of the second period the Grizzlies were playing much better and started to get more scoring chances. This would carry into the final period as well.

There were only two penalties called in the game, and they were matching penalties on the same play, so neither side even had so much as a power play opportunity.

Goffstown hockey captain, Xavier Bibaud leads the Grizzlies onto the ice out in Durham, NH. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

This was good old fashioned, line-up toe to toe and play hockey, and let’s see who wins. Special teams didn’t factor in at all.

In the third period, I thought Goffstown had the better legs and more left in the tank, but they could not get a puck past Harwood. I also noticed the Oyster River five on the ice were packed in below the tops of the circles, literally circling the wagons to fend off the Goffstown hockey attack.

Then again, when you have a 1-0 lead you really don’t need to score anymore goals if you allow none. The Grizzlies did have a questionable pinch at center ice which led to an odd-man break for the Bobcats. It was was a 3-on-1 which kind of turned into a pair of 2-on-1 breaks. Jake Webber made consecutive spectacular saves on the break-in. For a couple of seconds he looked like a cat chasing the light of a laser pointer, but he saved the Grizzlies bacon after the breakdown.

Goffstown’s forecheck did lead to some opportunities in the offensive end. On the other hand, Oyster River won most of the defensive zone faceoffs so the Grizzlies had to count on the forecheck to get the puck back and create scoring chances.

The Goffstown Grizzlies called a timeout and pulled Jake Webber from the net at 13:31 of the third period. They skated with the 6-on-5 advantage for the remainder of the game but were unable to score.

Goffstown has a week off and will play their next game on February 15th at Skate 3 in Tyngsboro, Mass. against Alvirne-Milford. Game time is scheduled for 7:50pm. Alvirne-Milford has won five of their last six games, and currently they sit in 7th place, one spot behind the Grizzlies in the D-II hockey standings.

For the Goffstown Grizzlies, and their fans, perhaps the Goffstown hockey squad can turn short shifts and what ifs into great hockey plays and winning ways.

How much do I love covering hockey, especially covering Goffstown hockey? Well, this is my 8th season with the Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team. Even I got through high school in less than 8 years. It truly has been my pleasure.

It’s a great game. The team is fun to watch, year after year. I know I love what I do for many reasons. The kids, the coaches, the families, and game coverage are among the reasons. Covering the games is about the kids.

Folks, this kind of stuff isn’t happening in other places. Why? Because people have stepped in and stepped up. The Goffstown hockey game presentation has been a staple of the program for several years now. It takes people stepping up and out of their ice-side seat to leave the program better than you found it.

I think of the people watching Goffstown hockey (and their opponents) games all over the United States, and Canada. The feedback I have head from the NH hockey community, all over the state, over these last several years has been nothing short of positively inspiring. But it doesn’t just keep happening because it happened once. It takes renewed effort and prioritizing something bigger than just sitting at the arena to watch your kid play.

I think of the parents, siblings, and grandparents that hear their player’s name on the broadcasts or even in the arena. I think of the players on both sides of the ice who get to see their names, hear their names, and represent their schools to folks everywhere.

Afterall, isn’t it all about the kids? Would you rise and take action to make something better for your kids? Of course you would. Then why draw the line at your kids, our kids? Keep stepping forward to make the game experience, the entire high school hockey experience, better for all of the kids. They say it takes a village. Well, I believe we represent a pretty spectacular village. Keep raising the bar, on and off the ice.

One

(Photos by Jen Webber Photography)

: There is One name on the front of the jerseys. That is the name each One represents. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: Two become One when defending for the name on the front. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: One leads, but all of them, yes, each One of them makes it team. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: You can’t make 28 saves if you don’t make them One at a time. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: To make what I call, “good hockey plays”, it starts with One good play. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: It’s a team game, and the team rises and falls together. With each One making a contribution. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: One team, is made up a lot of folks with One common goal. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: One on One, time and time again. That’s what it takes. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

: Covering Goffstown Hockey from the Whittemore Center out at UNH. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

Uniform number: One. Pucks to stop: One. Nets to guard: One. Positions to play on the ice: One. Team defending for: One. Stops to make: One, at a time. How many come to defend the position: EveryOne. Jobs to be the best at: One. Conscious decisions that matter most: The next One. Ripples that One makes: Countless. How many are affected: EveryOne. Team equals: All for One. (Photo by Jen Webber Photography)

You can follow other Goffstown Hockey stories, here.

You can also follow this blog here. I write a lot about hockey. It’s a long season. It’s not all just about the hockey, but rather about lessons and takeaways that come up throughout these seasons. Yes, I am biased. I am biased toward the truth and the right way to do things, whether anyone is watching or not.

The players play the games. The kids score the goals and make the saves. Most of the time, the kids band together for something that is bigger than themselves; the team. The kids do so many things right on any given play, on any given day. I have found that more often than not, the kids pleasantly surprise us all. It’s awesome. It’s all about the kids.

NHIAA Hockey:

Updated records.

Goffstown (7-5-2 NHIAA) (8-7-2 Overall) at Oyster River (9-4-0)

Whittemore Center, University of NH, Durham, NH

Wednesday, February 08, 2023. 6:21 PM Start.

Summary:

Goals:

Goffstown: 00 – 00 – 00 = 00

Oyster River: 00 – 01 – 00 = 01

Shots:

Goffstown: 06 – 10 – 11 = 27

Oyster River: 12 – 09 – 08 = 29

Scoring:

1st Period – No scoring.

2nd Oyster River at 2:38. Even. Talon Beyer unassisted.

3rd Period – No scoring.

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 0 for 0.

Oyster River Power Play: 0 for 0.

Saves:

Goffstown: Jake Webber 28 of 29. (.966). (43:31)

Oyster River: Cole Harwood 27 of 27. (1.000). (45:00)

(from Jen Webber Photography)

Remembering Jen Cheney…

The Jen Cheney Memorial Scholarship and Sportsmanship Award (awarded each season)

As a sixteen-year-old junior, Jen was a manager for the very first Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team in the 1999-2000 club season. Her infectious smile and friendly nature was a joy for everyone fortunate to know her. Jen is now our eternal team angel. The spirit of Jen lives on…our team champions an angel memorial patch sewn to each uniform jersey.

On Thursday, May 18th, 2000, Jen was killed by a drunk driver. We are dedicated to memorialize Jen’s life with the Jen Cheney Memorial Scholarship and Sportsmanship Award. But we also want to deliver a message from our team angel… simply…if you choose to drink, don’t drive.

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.

“We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we’re too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams.” ~ the late Herb Brooks.

“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it: If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” ~ Jim Valvano on how to live life, during his ESPY speech.

“I started writing sports stories 20 years ago. I still do. I write because somewhere, in some game, a kid might be having the time of his or her life. That’s awesome to think about. It’s all about the kids.” ~ Steve Beal Sr.