Lots of Hockey – 2010 Flames

January 27-28, 2024 – Lots of Hockey – West Side Arena – Union Arena – Lee Clement Arena –

A weekend with lots of hockey began and ended at West Side Arena. In between, the 2010 Flames traveled to Woodstock, VT and Henniker, NH for games. All in all, the Flames won 3 games and lost 1 over the weekend. The team played really well.

 

 

 

 

The #1 team in the league came to play the Flames at West Side Arena on Saturday. It was a really good game. I thought both teams played well. They both made mistakes, but then, who doesn’t make mistakes now and again. The game was tight all the way through, and this was just the beginning of lots of hockey over the weekend.

 

1. 2010 Flames tie it, 1-1 – The Flames had possession of the puck, but Top Gun broke up the play. Ouellette calmly worked the puck back to Powers at center ice. Powers moved the puck to Booth who had his first pass attempt blocked. Then Booth made a great pass up the wing to Soucy. Soucy entered the offensive zone with Hawkes and Ouellette on his right. Soucy slid the puck to Hawkes who had some open ice thanks to Ouellette skating his wing. Hawkes closed the gap to the net, fired, and scored. Great play with all 5 skaters touching the puck to set up the play. PPG – Hawkes from Soucy and Booth. 1-1.
2. Flames take the lead – This is why you pressure the puck! I don’t know if Hawkes was skating his wing or not, but he was the first skater in to pressure the puck on the end boards. The Top Gun player felt the pressure and passed the puck up the half wall to his winger, but the pass was not perfect and Soucy was right there. The puck bounced off of the wall where Booth had pinched in. Booth turned toward the middle and hit Ouellette with a pass in the slot. Ouellette spun and shot from the slot. The puck got through the goalie but bounced directly off of the post and slid out from under the goalie right to Soucy who tapped it in for the goal. Hawkes didn’t get a point on the play, but his forecheck started the hole play. Soucy from Ouellette and Booth. 2-1.
3. Flames tie the game again – Can I over emphasize this point like the coaches have for years and years? Pressure the puck. Hawkes on the end boards forces the D to move the puck before he wants to. This leads to Ouellette picking off the pass and getting a shot on goal. The shot was saved and covered. So, a puck in the other’s teams possession was forced into a turnover leading to a shot on goal and then an offensive zone face-off. Soucy won the draw to Hawkes who sent the puck back to Booth at the point. Booth stepped in and to his right and let a wrister fly. The puck found the top corner of the net for the Flames goal. Another great sequence. Booth from Hawkes and Soucy. 3-3.

I thought the Flames played really well in this game. But, here’s my take on the result. Was Top Gun ripe for the pickin’? Probably. But taking 7 penalties in the final two periods of the game, even after holding a 2-1 lead, opened the floodgates. Top Gun had 17 and 14 shots in the final two periods, after 8 shots in the first. The Flames had 8 in the first period, then just 11 for the rest of the game. Yes, the Flames killed 4 of the 5 Top Gun power plays in the final 30 minutes, but the shorthanded situations took their toll.

Ingalls made 14 saves on 15 shots, while Rosenbeck faced 24 shots and allowed 3 goals. Both goalies played very well.

 

 

 

West Side Arena –

Scoring –

Top Gun: 01 – 01 – 02 = 04

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 01 – 01 – 01 = 03

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Soucy (Roughing). PPGA.
2. Warren (Interference).
3. Drumm (Roughing).
4. Soucy (Hooking).
5. Mooney (Cross-Check).
6. Bench (Too Many Men). PPGA.
7. Mooney (Interference).
8. Soucy (Roughing).

 

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For the second game on Saturday a trip to Woodstock, VT was required. I think it’s a nice ride up there, and passing over the gorge and through the little town. I noticed, that even on the last weekend in January, there were cars from all 6 New England states as well as several more Mid-Atlantic states represented in license plates on the streets of Woodstock.

Union Arena is where the 2010 Flames played Upper Valley on Saturday afternoon. I do like this rink. It has some character and it’s a great place to watch a hockey game.

The Flames were ready to go after a morning game and a 90 minute ride to the rink. They played very well and cruised to a 8-2 victory in game two of a four-game weekend.

 

1. 2010 Flames score first after a Beal leap over a diving goalie – Beal’s leap landed him in the corner on his backside, but it kept him from destroying the Upper Valley goalie who dove to cover the puck in the face-off circle as Beal was flying through it. Close call. The ensuing face-off led to a Flames goal. Giampa won the offensive zone draw, or at least tied up the puck battle long enough for Beal to step in and grab the puck. Beal sent a backhand pass from the bottom of the circle right to the crease where Warren was planted. Warren spanked the puck into the net from a good 18 inches away. Great play off of the face-off. Warren from Beal and Giampa. 1-0.
2. The Flames double their lead – Giampa had picked off a pass at center ice and rushed up the right side into the zone. The puck was taken by the defense but before they could clear, Beal stole the puck right back. While in stride, Beal cut left toward the net, and picked a spot over the goalie’s shoulder on the short side and hit it perfectly with his shot. I know, I can’t believe it either. Great shot. Beal unassisted. 2-0.
3. Flames again – St. Pierre took the UV clearing attempt off of the half-wall and curled to the toward the middle with the puck. As he turned he saw Mooney wide open in the circle and looking for a pass to his forehand. St. Pierre delivered the pass and Mooney ripped a wrist shot (low and along the ice) and not only was it on net, it got through the goalie’s pads for a Flames goal. Nice pass and shot. Mooney from St. Pierre. 3-0. GWG.
4. UV had the puck – Giampa pressured the point and the D made a quick D to D pass that wasn’t quite clean. This allowed Warren to step up and pick off the puck and hit Giampa with a pass that led to a breakaway. Sort of. Beal filled his lane on the right, and Giampa hit him with a pass that should have been a one-timer goal on a basic 2-on-0 break. But Beal fouled it off. Beal retrieved the puck and fired a centering pass to Warren who was planted like an oak tree at the top of the crease. Warren swatted the puck into the net from a good 24 inches away. Beal told me later, “That was a great pass from Chase and I almost messed up the whole play. I’m glad Garrett put that in”. I have been known to say (hundreds of times), “The steps to the hockey hall of fame begin at the front of the net”. Warren was right there to tap in passes to the crease, twice. Warren from Beal and Giampa. 4-0.
5. Flames get number five – The 2010 Flames had possession of the puck in the O zone for a spell. UV attempted to wrap the puck around the end boards to start a breakout. Lazzaro was down low and picked off the puck in the corner. He moved the puck to Drumm along the goal line. Drumm did the rest. By the rest, I mean, he lifted a backhand shot from an improbable angle and tucked the puck up under the crossbar where Grandpa hides the ‘good candy’ from Grandma. Sweet goal (pun intended). Drumm from Lazzaro. 5-0.
6. Back on the board – Giampa lost a face-off outside the O zone but proceeded into the zone and stole the D pass up the middle. Beal cut toward the net in front of Giampa as Giampa fired a shot on his forehand. The shot was true, and hit the strings. Giampa unassisted. 6-2.
7. 200 feet in a few seconds – Drumm was all the way back in the D zone along the end boards when he sent a pass up the boards, looking for Hawkes. Hawkes grabbed the puck, took a couple of strides and neatly banked a backhand pass off of the boards so that the puck would carom out to center ice in front of the onrushing Ouellette. It worked perfectly. Ouellette skated in all alone and buried the breakaway goal. Great passing to set this up. Ouellette from Hawkes and Drumm. 7-2.
8. Flames finish with eight – The puck was pushed deep into the zone where Mooney grabbed it on the end boards. Mooney held the puck and looked for a teammate for what seemed like a country mile measured in time, but then he found Soucy. Soucy had skated in from the point and took the pass and did the ole dangle for a better angle before shooting. The shot was good, and the Flames had another goal. Soucy from Mooney. 8-2.

 

 

Union Arena –

Scoring –

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 02 – 03 – 03 = 08

Upper Valley: 00 – 00 – 02 = 02

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Soucy (Hit From Behind).
2. Soucy (Misconduct-10:00).
3. Powers (Interference).
4. Soucy (Interference).

 

The Flames allowed two goals in the game, and both came against Rosenbeck. But let me explain – The first goal came as the Flames made a line change and allowed a clean 2-on-0 breakaway. The second goal came on a breakaway when a Flames defenseman was caught up ice and the break went through that hole. The Flames were the dominant team all game. The tandem of Ingalls and Rosenbeck was just fine.

 

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Sunday’s first game felt like a home away from home game. The game was played up the road a piece, at Lee Clement Arena on the campus of New England College.

I have to admit that I was very tired for this game. I was significantly inattentive, and also engaged in an off-and-on conversation with the rink manager for most of the second and third periods. I was trying to get Zamboni lessons for one thing. After two Flames games on Saturday, with one in Vermont, and a visit to Worthy Kitchen on the way home, all before hurrying home and then on to St. A’s to cover the Goffstown Grizzlies 5-4 win over Portsmouth, I wasn’t my best ‘update’ self.

So, I have listed below the goals and assists as seen by me, or recorded on the game sheet, or printed on Coach Tim’s notes, or all of the above.

 

1. First shift of the game – Beal from Soucy. 1-0.
2. Still the first shift – Beal from Giampa. 2-0.
3. Ouellette shot on goal. Drumm rebound. Drumm from Ouellette. 3-0. GWG.
4. Powers fires a shot from out by the blue line – Powers from Hawkes. 4-0.
5. Flames breakaway goal by Mooney on his own rebound after a pass from Lazzaro. Mooney from Lazzaro. 5-0.
6. Nice play as the Flames moved the puck with passes from Soucy and Mooney to St. Pierre. St. Pierre from Mooney and Soucy. 6-0.
7. Beal pilfered the puck off of the D and skated in to score on the backhand, for the backhand hattie. Beal unassisted – Hat Trick. 7-0.
8. Flames power play goal – After a late 2nd period penalty on the Huskies, the Flames broke through on the power play. PPG – Drumm from Hawkes. 8-0.
9. I would defer to a parent on this one as I am not sure I was even in Henniker when this goal was scored (sorry Jacob). But it was St. Pierre who scored it, and the refs gave no assists. St. Pierre unassisted. 9-0.
10. Flames power play goal – This goal was noted by more than one person as a goal scored by Booth. But the refs gave the goal to Soucy. So I say, this (and they both might be wrong). PPG – Booth from Soucy. 10-1.

 

 

Lee Clement Arena –

Scoring –

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 05 – 03 – 02 = 10

Henniker Huskies: 00 – 00 – 02 = 02

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Powers (Holding).
2. Soucy (Cross Check).
3. Soucy (Cross Check).
4. Mooney (Hooking).

 

With running time in the final period and the edge of the wild west visible on the horizon, the Huskies scored a pair of goals late. It was time to get out of Dodge.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, in a world just outside the edge of the ice surface other things have been happening.