Four To Finish – 2010 Flames

February 17-18, 2024 – Four To Finish – West Side Arena  – Cyclones Arena – ICenter Salem –    Plymouth State U. –

It’s hard to believe, but it was the final weekend of the hockey regular season. The 2010 Flames played four to finish the regular season. They split the four games, going 2-2.

 

 

 

The first game on Saturday was one of those you can’t really explain, and even if you could, you would rather not remember. So, perhaps the Flames could win their way to a rematch with Berlin in the GSL Playoffs this weekend. There are no guarantees. Every single shift demands nothing short of your best.

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West Side Arena –

Scoring –

Berlin: 01 – 02 – 02 = 05

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 00 – 00 – 00 = 00

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Mooney (Hooking).
2. Warren (Roughing). PPGA.
3. Ouellette (Roughing).
4. Bench Minor (Too Many Men).
5. Drumm (Slashing).
6. Warren (Holding).

 

1. Somehow, the 2010 Flames lost 5-0 despite outshooting Berlin, 26-13 according to the game sheet. The Flames also hit the post twice and the knob of the goalie’s stick another time. When all is tallied, it’s a 5-0 loss, and it only counts as one game. It has no effect on future choices that can be made.

 

 

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I returned to West Side Arena to cover the Goffstown at Merrimack high school game on Saturday afternoon. It was an awesome game, by the way.

But even more awesomer (like an 8-yr old’s vocab), was the U8 Flames team showing support for their volunteer coach. See, their coach is a junior defenseman for the Goffstown Grizzlies high school hockey team.

 

 

After covering the third of three straight overtime games for the Grizzlies this week, I hustled down to Hudson to watch the 2010 Flames play the Cyclones. The Flames won, 6-2, but this wasn’t a terribly pretty game either. Anyway.

Cyclones Arena –

Scoring –

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 02 – 03 – 01 = 06

Northern Cyclones: 01 – 00 – 01 = 02

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Soucy (Roughing).
2. Hawkes (Roughing).
3. Ouellette (Cross-Checking).
4. Warren (Interference).
5. Booth (Head contact). Carries automatic misconduct.
6. Booth (Misconduct).

 

Here’s how the Flames scored in their second game of the day.

1. Late in a scoreless first period, the Flames had a face-off in the offensive zone. Petrie lost the draw, but he and Mooney made plays along the wall to get the puck back. Then Petrie centered a pass to Beal at the edge of the crease. Beal slipped a 2-foot backhand pass to his right where Mooney tapped the puck into the net. Interestingly, the game sheet listed the goal as Mooney from Warren. But Warren wasn’t even on the ice. I know this because I had asked him to do some youth hockey public relations during the shift. He was kissing babies and signing autographs at the time of the goal. Mooney from Beal and Petrie.  1-1.
2. While the Flames were mostly controlling the puck in the offensive zone, Drumm got to a rebound and then the puck squirted free to Giampa who dropped a nice little pass on Lazzaro’s doorstep out at the point. Lazzaro shot the puck wide and it caromed off of the end boards. While this was happening Booth was at the left point instantaneously computing an equation that factored in things like angles, velocity, head count, and risk, all weighed against his level of ‘get up and go’ (I learned that on Saturday morning cartoons as a kid). Well the solution showed that the Booth factor satisfied the equation and he sprang into action. Booth raced down the boards and grabbed Lazzaro’s rebound roughly a quarter mile from where the shot originated, and cut inside a defender toward the slot. Since I am talking about cartoons, I could see the little bubble and words above Booth’s head as he made this play. “Got the puck. Check”. “Deke the D, hehe! Check”. “Second D, of course, I’ll use him as a screen. Check”. “All systems go. Fire”! Play it cool, just another snipe. Check”. Booth from Lazzaro and Giampa. Good hockey plays. 2-1.
3. The Flames allowed a 2-on-0 break just to let Ingalls hone his skills. Ingalls made the save. Lazzaro hit Beal to start the breakout. Beal hit Kaveney with a diagonal pass at center ice. Kaveney back to Beal up the right wing for an uncontested shot that was saved and led to an offensive zone face-off. Good plays, well, starting with the Ingalls save. Line change. The face-off led to half a dozen chances to score before Ouellette and Giampa regained possession at center ice. Then Giampa to Drumm to Ouellette in open ice. Ouellette on the forehand, for the goal. Ouellette from Drumm and Giampa. 3-1. GWG.
4. Giampa was wound up like a top, you know, the cool tops. Starting at the defensive zone blue line where an unfortunate Cyclone ran into Powers, the puck was free. Giampa grabbed the puck and skated it behind his own net, not because the puck needed to go there, but because Giampa was going so fast, he needed a longer runway. He circled the net and came up the boards on the right wing side. He cleared a half-mile of skating as he cruised into the offensive zone and dropped a beauty of a pass, eh? To Drumm. Drumm skated in and made a move in the crease, sliding the puck inside the post. The trail official saw the whole thing and signalled for a ‘good goal’. This was a good thing because after the whistle blew, there was a ‘Cyclones only’ meeting with the referees in the crease. I think they even Face-Timed some friends to assess the situation. Eventually, the call on the ice stood. Good goal. Drumm from Giampa. 4-1.
5. Leading up to this awesome goal, the 2010 Flames won an offensive zone face-off when St. Pierre won the face-off and he along with Hawkes tied everyone up. Then, like a human bowling ball, Warren bowled through the dot and picked up the 7-10 split, sending Hawkes and St. Pierre flying. Okay, the goal. Holding the blue line from opponents entry, Lazzaro deadened a dump in attempt and St. Pierre grabbed it before making a quick pass to Warren at center ice. Warren quickly hit Hawkes with a pass up ahead. Beauty. Hawkes got to the net under duress but his shot came to the crease where Warren busted a brand new, shiny, sweet backhand pass across the crease to a wide open St. Pierre for the goal. Good defense, awesome transition passing, and great finish to get the goal. St. Pierre from Warren and Hawkes. 5-1.
6. The Flames capped off their offensive night with another nice goal. The rush up the ice was started by Rosenbeck with a pass up the boards to Drumm. Drumm to Powers with some open ice. Powers tried a centering pass but it was deflected behind the net. Ouellette skated it down and circled in the corner. Ouellette tried to center a pass but it hit the side of the net as he and Drumm had planned. See, Drumm then grabbed the puck with some space in the corner and he paid a quick stickhandling tribute to basketball ball handling masters, Marques Haynes and Curly Neal. Then, still on script, Drumm’s centering pass looked like it was to Ouellette, but Ouellette did the ole volleyball fake spike play and everyone bought it. Meanwhile, the puck slid through to Giampa who was wide open for the shot and goal. Nicely done. Giampa from Drumm, Haynes, Neal, and Ouellette. 6-1.

 

Okay, there were some pretty parts to this game. The Flames did pile up 46 shots on goal while allowing only 16.

 

 

 

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ICenter Salem –

Scoring –

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 00 – 00 – 02 = 02

Top Gun: 00 – 03 – 00 = 03

 

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Powers (Interference).
2. Beal (Interference).
3. Powers (Roughing).
4. Soucy (Cross-Checking).
5. Drumm (Roughing). Matching.
6. Drumm (Unsportsmanlike). Matching.

 

Two periods passed and the 2010 Flames found themselves trailing, 3-0 on the scoreboard, and something like, 35-7 in shots. Then they showed signs of life. They scored a pair of goals in the 3rd period and made the last minute of the game very interesting. Here’s a recap of the two goals, as reviewed by satellite imagery.

 

1. The Flames took a face-off in the offensive zone and Soucy won it. Subtle nice plays ensued. Beal grabbed the puck in the corner and sent it back to Santitto at the right point. Santitto wrapped the puck hard along the boards through the corner. Soucy won position and the puck behind the net, and he spun to seal off the defender. As he did, Beal had floated from the corner to the post. As he approached the crease, Soucy made a quick pass from behind the net, and Beal tapped it inside the near post for the goal. Flames were on the board. Beal from Soucy and Santitto. 1-3.
2. In the final minute of the game, down 3-1, the Flames narrowly avoided a fourth goal against. But they did. Then, Santitto and Petrie pressured the puck enough to disrupt the offensive and work the puck to Ouellette who skated it out of the zone but lost the puck at center ice. Petrie followed the play and tapped a quick pass ahead to Mooney. Mooney cut inside the defense to his forehand and got a clean shot. The shot was on net, in fact, it was in the net. Nice little play from out of nothing. Mooney from Petrie. 2-3.

 

 

 

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How long is hockey season? The first regular season game played and the last regular season game were played 162 days apart. I’m not too good with math, but that has to be close to half a year.