-Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey-

 

Tip and a Prayer – Goffstown at Spaulding – December 21, 2024

Maybe a game against Spaulding would turn out the way it did more often than not. Either team could win it. Goffstown generated more Grade A chances than I saw in all twelve years of my schooling. Meanwhile, Collin McIntyre brought his A+ game. Eventually something had to give. A tip and a prayer, led to an OT game-winner. What a game!

 

 

It’s a new season and the outcomes are yet to be determined, but that does not mean that we enter the season not having expectations. For example, we would expect Spaulding to be a contender in every single game they play this season. Why? Because they have some really good players, a solid coaching staff, and their goaltending can be over the top outstanding.

Last season they needed overtime to win the #8 vs. #9 game for a chance to play #1 Merrimack in the QuarterFinals. Spaulding (#8) beat Somersworth Coe-Brown (#9), 3-2 in OT. Then they beat Merrimack (#1), 3-2 in Double OT. That game was a heavyweight prize fight between two goaltenders that were willing themselves into the upper echelon of playoff goaltending legend. Incredible game!

Then, there was this. “Sometimes playoff hockey looks like this. #8 Spaulding upset #5 Dover (Defending Champs), 3-1 in the SF. The Red Raiders have won 3 games in the playoffs already. Here are some interesting facts that make the last sentence almost inconceivable. Spaulding lost 6 of their last 8 games to finish the regular season. And get this, they had exactly ONE win against the D2 Playoff field during the season, a 5-4 win over Alvirne-Milford back in January. Yet, here they are in the D2 Final”.

And, this too. D2 Boys NHIAA Hockey Champions 2024 – #8 Spaulding shocked everyone, and won three games in the playoffs, but they needed one more win to take the D2 Title. They played #2 Oyster River in the Final. The Bobcats scored on a quick transition goal in the opening minute of the game, Moriarty from Beaupre, and that ended up being the game-winner.

Many of the Red Raiders are back for another season, and there is no doubt that they can beat anyone in NHIAA Hockey D2.

 

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So, on the final Saturday before Christmas, the Goffstown Grizzlies traveled to Rochester to play the Spaulding Red Raiders. The arena was packed. There was that awesome electricity that comes from being in the presence of athletes fine tuned for contest. Coaches were brimming with confidence and questions. Children were restless as they should be, and playing in the aisles. The student section spilled out and around the curvature of the rink’s end, like so many ants around a Christmas sugar cookie.

There was a Christmas tree set up and lit by the entrance. There were Christmas lights around the glass and other places in the arena. Perhaps a few more people found their way to the rink that night simply because they were home for Christmas, visiting family. Families together, one of my favorite settings on earth. Christmas has a way of doing that, and for the best reason. The greatest gift of all to mankind.

The only thing left to do was to stand to honor America with our National Anthem, and watch the scriptless beauty of teenagers playing sports play out in front of us. Each of us connected forever through the moments we witnessed. And, as it should be, it was about the kids doing what they do.

 

The Red Raiders took at 1-0 lead at 10:29 of the opening period while on the power play. Ryan Dube wired a wrist shot into the top corner, over Kyle Bennett’s shoulder, from the circle. The shot was perfect, and it was set up by Tyler Jean and Anthony Allen.

The first period ended with the Grizzlies trailing, 1-0. Goffstown had 11 shots on goal and the Red Raiders had 1o shots. Goffstown was called for two penalties in the period, the second one led to the goal by Dube.

The Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team scored the only goal of the second period, and I will get to that. The bigger story was Collin McIntyre. He made 21 saves in the middle period alone. I am not exaggerating when I say that Goffstown could have scored 5 to 7 goals in the middle period. They outshot their hosts, 22-6 in the period.

When I see something that defies reality in sporting events, especially when a player makes an other-worldly play or something, I might say something like, ‘He or she made that catch with their imagination’. As in, there’s no way that just happened. That’s how I describe McIntyre in this game, especially in the second period. That is a compliment, a huge one.

Albert Einstein said this about imagination, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”. Apparently it also encircles the opening to the net behind McIntyre on many nights. It wasn’t just the amount of shots he faced, but the quality of the scoring chances he stared down in those shots. And shots. And more shots. Like I said, Grade A’s all night.

In the 3rd period, Spaulding scored to take a 2-1 lead. Defenseman, AJ Hill roamed up ice and laid a big hit on Riley Kondroski who was coming out of the D zone with the puck. Kondroski still made the pass up to Rowen Hughes, leaving Hill instantly 80 feet behind the play. Hughes and Jackson Shapleigh turned a mismanaged 2-on-2 into a wrap around goal before the Grizzlies could recover. The Spaulding lead was, 2-1 with 5:00 left to play in regulation.

 

 

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Goffstown Grizzlies at Spaulding Red Raiders.

Rochester Arena, Rochester, NH.

NHIAA Hockey: Game Three.

Saturday, December 21, 2024.

 

NHIAA Hockey:

Scoring:

Goffstown Grizzlies: 00 – 01 – 01 – 01 = 03  (OT)

Spaulding Red Raiders: 01 – 00 – 01 – 00 = 02  (OT)

 

Shots on goal:

Goffstown Grizzlies: 11 – 22 – 09 – 04 = 46

Spaulding Red Raiders: 10 – 06 – 07 – 04 = 27

 

Goffstown Grizzlies Penalties:

• Ellbeg – 2:00 – Roughing.
• Tarrier – 2:00 – Tripping. PPGA.

Goffstown was 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Red Raiders were 1-for-2.

• Goffstown Grizzlies – Kyle Bennett (So.) made 25 saves on 27 shots (.926).
• Spaulding Red Raiders – Collin McIntyre made 43 saves on 46 shots (.935).

 

Here is how the Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team scored their goals against McIntyre. There were no easy goals in this one.

1. 1. 2nd 10:23 – Austin Campbell was retreating on defense when he broke up a play and cranked the puck across the rink to open ice and out of danger. As this was happening, Lessard and the Chapman’s were tagging up to leave the zone and get onside for another attempt on offense. The puck hit the sidewall as Tyler Lessard circled to re-enter the zone. Perfect. He grabbed the puck on the right side with both Chapman’s ready for anything on his left. Lessard was open so he fired a shot. The shot was perfect, just inside the far post. He had eight inches of an opening to shoot at, and he hit it. Finally, something had got behind McIntyre. Even – T. Lessard from Campbell. Tied, 1-1. 
   2.  3rd 14:56 – I can only describe this goal as ‘too high’ or ‘not too high’, depending on which team your heart was pulling for. I was at the game and knew for sure the stick was ‘too high’. But that didn’t account for when exactly the stick made contact with the puck, or even which team had in fact made contact with the puck as it flew through the air. The Grizzlies had pulled Kyle Bennett from the net with 50 seconds left in the game, so they could use an extra attacker. Eventually, this led to an offensive zone face-off after an icing call when a clearing attempt missed the open net. Zack Tarrier won the draw which led to a shot that was high and wide, off of the end boards. Brock Bennett kept the clearing attempt in the zone along the wall and fired a shot from the point with less than 5 seconds left to play in regulation. The puck was above the crossbar but gravity was still at work. The puck was dropping. There was traffic in front of McIntyre. A lot of traffic. Zack Tarrier clearly redirected the puck past McIntyre for the game-tying goal. Extra – Tarrier from B. Bennett. Tied, 2-2. A tip and a prayer. Good goal.
   3. OT 4:19 – This was a beautiful play that covered three zones in a matter of seconds. Tarrier was back in the D zone to retrieve the puck. As he turned he spotted Tyler Lessard up ice. Tarrier made a brilliant two-zone pass that Lessard collected at the offensive zone blue line. Lessard had Cooper Chapman to his left, in the middle. Lessard cut outside and took a defender with him. Then he dished left, to Chapman. Chapman wasted no time and put a quick shot past McIntyre for the OT-Game-Winning goal. OT GWG – C. Chapman from T. Lessard and Tarrier. 3-2. 

 

The majority of the people in Rochester Arena were poised to go nuts and celebrate an OT win for the Red Raiders. And they did have their chances in the overtime. Kyle Bennett quite ably made 25 saves on 27 shots, including 4 for 4 in the OT, and his play allowed the Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team to score the game-winner in OT. Tremendous hockey game.

 

 

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.