25 Years – Goffstown vs. Portsmouth-Newmarket

25 Years – Goffstown vs. Portsmouth-Newmarket – December 17, 2024

Silver Anniversary Night was a special night for the Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey program. It was the first home game of the season, the 25th season in the program’s history. A lot of friendly faces came out to the ice rink on Tuesday night. And without those people, and several more, who knows when the Goffstown hockey program would have started.

 

• The Turcotte family are the first family of Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey. The Turcotte’s came to visit on Tuesday night. This is how we announced their visit to the ice on Tuesday night, “Lastly, would Grizzlies Captain – Brock Bennett & Clipper Mules Captain – Chase Conklin please skate to center ice for a ceremonial puck drop. We wish to acknowledge Mike & Marlene Turcotte. Their tireless efforts and inexhaustible energy resulted in a club hockey team in Goffstown that led directly to the team’s first varsity season 25 years ago. We are eternally grateful for their efforts and service to our Goffstown community. Please give them a round of applause.”
  

  (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

• The Cheney Family came to visit as well. The Cheney’s, where the angel of the Grizzlies came from. Family, family, family. Where would any program be without family. “First, we would like to honor the Cheney family. Our kids play every game with an angel perched on their shoulders. An emblem adorns each Grizzlies uniform, on the back, above the uniform number in remembrance of our first team manager, Jen Cheney. Jen was a Junior who lost her life by the senseless act of a drunk driver. From the beginning, The Friends of Goffstown Hockey established a Memorial Scholarship honoring Jen’s memory. For 24 straight years a scholarship has been awarded to a player pursuing post-secondary education. We want to recognize and thank her parents, for allowing us to remember their dear Jen for her lasting contribution and memory she’s made to the team. Would Rod & Diane Cheney please stand for a warm Grizzlies welcome.“
  

  Thank you for coming to see us. It was our pleasure. Thank you. (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

• We talked about participating in high school sports and the importance of being a part of a team. Especially in what should be the times of our lives. “Thank you to the players here tonight. In an age where we spend increasingly more time separated from others on our own islands, each measuring roughly 3 feet in circumference, I applaud these players and their families for promoting and participating in high school sports. Too many athletes don’t play for their school teams anymore. Perhaps the times of our lives aren’t what they used to be. Although, I believe that our high school years, and those precious relationships, on and off the ice are critical to the remainder of our lives.”
  

  (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

• It was worth pointing out how many people it takes to ‘present’ a high school sports contest. And inferred the example being set by too many to count volunteers across scholastic sports. Coaches, administrators, AD’s, trainers, and more. There are teams of people behind the teams we see on the contested grounds. “Of course, high school hockey is about winning and losing games. Except, it’s just part of the equation. A small part. High school sports, even hockey, are about people. Players, coaches, parents, families, schoolmates, opponents, officials, administrators, community, and volunteers. There are so many people involved just to present one high school contest in any sport. People truly do make the world go round. Before the teams warm up, we would like to take a moment to recognize and acknowledge some very special people.”
  

  Thanks to all. (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

• And of course, being a stat guy, I had to share a few numbers and names from a bird’s eye view of the Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey program entering the 25th season. Our Silver Anniversary. There are so many stars out front, behind the scenes, and everywhere in between. High school sports can be, and should be, a beautiful experience for all. I hope events like this would inspire more kids to pursue their love of sport, teamwork, and competition for their high school teams. “24 seasons have been completed. 232 regular season wins have accumulated. 28 players have made All-State teams. 7 players have scored more than 100 points in their career at Goffstown from Dan Mercier to Grady Chretien. The program has produced a Division II Player of the Year and a Division II Coach of the Year. The program has earned a playoff berth 20 times in 24 seasons.” Keep in mind that these numbers were not created by some other kids, they were created and earned by our kids. Yes, your kids and mine. That is what this is all about. The kids.

 

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I was fortunate enough to talk to ClipperMules Head Coach, Joel Brown on Tuesday night. I like Joel and the way he runs his program. He told me about a handful of players that were out of the lineup for the game against the Grizzlies. They only had 11 kids dressed for the game. I don’t know how much the outcome would have changed with the missing players because of how well Goffstown played as a team.

I wished Joel and his program well going forward. I know they are coming off of a few great Senior classes, so it’s hard to maintain that high level of success and playoff runs. Hopefully, more kids will come play for their high school sports teams in lieu of full season club hockey. NHIAA Hockey is a great product. There are great hockey programs in all of the divisions. And on any given night across the state, on some ice sheet, the near miraculous is happening. More people should know about such things.

Despite the Grizzlies success on the ice against Portsmouth-Newmarket, my favorite moments of the night were the warm, rousing rounds of applause. The applause for the Turcotte’s and the Cheney’s. The applause for other parts of the ceremony. And most certainly, the reaction and applause for Ryan Dutton’s first career goal. That was just awesome, and it should be at least a partial definition of why anyone should play high school sports.

Kai Tupper made 13 saves to get the win in net for the Grizzlies and the whole roster had an impact on the outcome. It was a great night in Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey history.

Words are a lot, but rarely are they enough. Silver Anniversary Night was best described by 25 years of memories. Glimpses flashing through our minds that somehow tug on the corners of our mouths and eyes. Leading to a smile while a tear swells at the same time. Even so, being there is always the place to be.

 

 

 

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Goffstown Grizzlies vs. Portsmouth-Newmarket Clipper Mules.

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH.

NHIAA Hockey: Game Two.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH.

 

NHIAA Hockey:

Scoring:

Goffstown Grizzlies: 04 – 05 – 01 = 10

Portsmouth-Newmarket: 01 – 00 – 00 = 01

 

Shots on goal:

Goffstown Grizzlies: 24 – 13 – 07 = 44

Portsmouth-Newmarket: 05 – 06 – 03 = 14

 

Goffstown Grizzlies Penalties:

• Ellbeg – 2:00 – Tripping.
• St. Onge – 2:00 – Hooking.
• Ellbeg – 2:00 – Tripping.
• Tarrier – 2:00 – Holding.
• Fratus – 2:00 – Unsportsmanlike.
• Wilkinson – 2:00 – Tripping.
• Tarrier – 2:00 – Interference.

Goffstown was 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Clipper Mules were 0-for-7.

• Goffstown Grizzlies – Kai Tupper (So.) made 13 saves on 14 shots (.929).
• Portsmouth-Newmarket – Will Clark made 34 saves on 44 shots (.773).

 

Here is how the Grizzlies scored their goals.

1. 1. 1st 2:55  – Zack Tarrier won the offensive zone face-off so forcefully that the puck scooted past Gavin Diodati all the way to AJ Hill at the point. Hill fired a nice shot low and hard that Clark made the save on. But he left a rebound, and Dylan Ellbeg put the puck into the net for the goal.  Even – Ellbeg from Hill and Tarrier. Tied, 1-1. 
   2. 1st 8:22 – Owen St. Onge gained control of the puck back in the D zone and decided to carry the puck up ice. He met little resistance so he bounded up the right wing and cut to the middle between the circles. He fired with some traffic crisscrossing in front of Clark. Clark made the save but the rebound came out to Connor Bernard who immediately pumped the puck into the back of the net. Nice play. Even – Bernard from St. Onge. GWG. Up, 2-1. 
   3. 1st 8:30 – Cooper Chapman won the center ice face-off and carried into the zone. He dropped a pass for his brother Sam Chapman. Sam put a shot on net to the far side, but Clark knocked it down. Sam followed his shot and put the rebound over Clark’s shoulder for the goal. Even – S. Chapman from C. Chapman. 3-1.
   4. 1st 13:26 – Kids, this is why we headman the puck. Sam Chapman gained possession of the puck in front of his own net. He circled and started up ice. He saw Cooper ahead of him and made a nice lead pass. Cooper Chapman stayed left and dished the puck to his right. Tyler Lessard had a lane all to himself. He took the pass and fired it past Clark on a quick hitting 2-on-1. Great pass play and finish. Even – T. Lessard from C. Chapman and S. Chapman. 4-1. 
   5. 2nd 3:38 – Zach Lessard and Cam Desruisseaux kept the battle for the puck alive at the offensive zone blue line. Then the puck squirted free to St. Onge. He skated with the puck through the slot and let fly on a perfect shot. The puck hit the underside of the crossbar in the top corner and into the net for the goal. Even – St. Onge from Desruisseaux (first career point) and Z. Lessard (first career point). 5-1. 
   6. 2nd 4:44 – Ellbeg broke the puck out of the zone through the D at the point. He pushed the puck ahead to Diodati who was flying up the ice. Diodati hit the left wing circle and ripped a shot into the far side top corner for the shorthanded goal. SHG – Diodati from Ellbeg. 6-1. 
   7. 2nd 9:16 – Sometimes glimpses are all you need in order to see a lofty place. Such is witnessing brief moments with Sam Chapman on the ice. While killing a 5-on-3 power play for the Clipper Mules, Brock Bennett and Chapman turned a 2-man disadvantage into a 2-on-1 rush in a matter of seconds. Bennett pushed the puck up the boards back in the D zone. Sam Chapman skated on to the puck and hit high speed in an instant. He cut to the net with Bennett there if needed. At the last second after a defender’s poke check, Chapman turned backwards and slipped a backhand shot between Clark’s pads for the goal. Nothing special unless you look at the details, which were a sequence of special movements. SHG – S. Chapman from B. Bennett. 7-1.
   8. 2nd 10:16 – A special moment that you hope you’ll see but never fully expect that you will. Tyler Lessard and Cooper Chapman kept a play alive along the half wall. Lessard to Chapman. Cooper skated to the middle and had a clean look at a shot. But he didn’t shoot. He dished the puck to Ryan Dutton on his left. Dutton took the pass and swiped a clean shot on net in one motion. The puck slipped through Clark’s pads as the goaltender slid from left to right. Immediately, the Grizzlies on the ice went nuts! They mobbed Dutton, the goal scorer. The bench and the student section were going crazy! It was Dutton who scored a goal, in a varsity hockey game. Dutton, a Senior, had never played hockey before, yet he tried out for the team this season. And there on 25th Year – Silver Anniversary Night another countless reason why high school sports are so necessary played out in front of all of us. The goal came on an awesome pass and shot. Just as it should. Even – Dutton (first career goal) from C. Chapman and T. Lessard. 8-1.

      

      (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

      

      (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

      
      

      

      (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

      

      (Photo by Meagan Tarrier)

      
      
   9. 2nd 11:07 – Another great goal for a career first. Bernard took the puck from a St. Onge face-off win. He swept the puck toward the offensive zone but it hit a defender’s skate. The puck skidded toward the wall. Brock Bennett turned on the jets and reached the puck first. He skated into the zone and high slot. He could have shot but slid a pass ahead to Cam Fratus instead. Fratus took the pass, spun and lifted a perfect backhand shot over Clark’s right pad for the goal. Even – Fratus (first career goal) from B. Bennett and Bernard. 9-1.
   10. 3rd 5:00 – To cap the night off, the Grizzlies scored one goal in the final period. Cooper Chapman made a brilliant backhand pass from his own end to Tyler Lessard at center ice. Lessard glided in all alone and pumped a shot into the net. Even – T. Lessard from C. Chapman. 10-1. 

 

You can find news, video, updates, and all kinds of interesting tidbits involving Goffstown Grizzlies hockey here, Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey.

 

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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.