I was unable to attend the game on Thursday night, but I got this quote from a very reliable source who was at the game. “6-4, lost to Nashua. 5 unanswered goals. Zero heart. Print that.” I also got this, “Lost, 6-4. Gave up 5 unanswered goals…skated around like they never played before.”
January 28-29, 2023 – 2010 Flames – Saturday the Flames came back from a 2-0 deficit to win, 3-2. Then on Sunday they played a great game, earning a 1-1 tie. The players were great,…
Some weekends look better on the ice than other weekends. These are pre-teen kids and sometimes they play up to competition, sometimes they play down to it. Either way, they give a lot of effort. Perhaps their tireless effort could be stretched much further as their ability to move up and down the ice as a team improves.
Another Saturday, another undefeated opponent for the Grizzlies to play. Goffstown hockey battled back with a better skating game and passing game as the afternoon went on. Eventually, they were able to persevere and come back to even. It looked to me like they still had gas in the tank at the end of overtime too.
On Saturday morning they lost out in Dover, NH, then pitched a shutout win in Wilmington, MA in the evening. On Sunday morning they found a way to win in Vermont, and then won again back in Manchester, NH on Sunday night. But Monday night they saved their best for last with a 3-2 win at West Side Arena.
It started like we might have expected, getting pummeled by a count of 19 shots to 5. With St. Thomas scoring a goal in the last 30 seconds to take a 2-1 lead to the break. 341 days earlier, the Grizzlies were outshot 36-5 after the first period while hosting the Saints. But, on Saturday, Goffstown got the game turned and tied.
I watched the five goals allowed by the Goffstown Grizzlies over and over again. All I could come up with was this. How bad do you want it? To me, a huge part of ‘wanting it’ is learning the game. Learn the positioning and structure. And by all means, don’t just stand around and watch the other team demonstrate their skill and determination to beat you.
It is a brand new season and many people have ideas on how this season may go, but the beauty is that the games still must be played. Do we ever really know? Maybe. Since games are only played one at a time, G-Town-Nation might as well celebrate the fact that Goffstown opened with a 6-3 opening night win to start their season.
Sometimes you show up to play as a team and everyone gives it all they have, and it’s enough. Then you have a day like today when one of your teammates just plays a game up in the stratosphere somewhere. The Grizzlies played hard and even played some pretty stingy team defense, but their best defender today, was their goaltender. What a performance.
In my opinion, what we saw on Saturday was not the best version of the 2010 Flames in-game skills. It was not a true depiction of their improved development as players, as a team. I left West Side Arena late in the afternoon, muttering to myself, “Where are we, as a team?”, “What is their hockey IQ?” and “What a comeback!” all at the same time.
It was my fourth visit to a rink in the same day. I was in desperate need of watching some good puck movement by a team I was vested in. When I left Rochester on Wednesday night, I was thinking, “too much running around”. On Saturday night I was pleasantly surprised by how well Goffstown was able to move the puck.
On a rainy night in Rochester, New Hampshire, the Grizzlies hockey team somehow managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Spaulding in an OT thriller. The goaltenders combined to make 70 saves on 75 shots on goal. And the last two shots of the game were not even on goal.
After defeating last year’s Winter Classic NH Runner-Up, Presque Isle, Maine on New Year’s Eve, the Flames earned a spot in the 2022 Winter Classic Championship Game and a chance to win this tournament in back to back years. It would take extra time to decide the winner, but what a game! What a finish!
On Saturday, the 2010 Flames were scheduled to play a pair of games in the 2022 Winter Classic. They opened with a convincing win over the Maine Gladiators-Black squad. Then they played last year’s Winter Classic Runner-Up from Presque Isle, Maine. The Flames dominated puck possession and limited the scoring chances for their opponent in a 3-1 win.
The 2010 Flames opened the 2022 Winter Classic with a Friday evening game against the Franklin Flyers. The Flames prevailed in this one and will play two more games tomorrow.
The 2010 Flames played an early morning hockey game on Christmas Eve. They played a familiar foe, in the Monarchs. The Flames were able to get a very early lead, and then they held the lead for the rest of the game. This time, there was no blown lead and the Flames skated to a 5-3 win at West Side Arena.
“O night when Christ was born”. The ultimate reason for celebration. “Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace”. God sent His own Son to pay the price, in full, for our sins. The greatest gift.
December 1999. I hear a Christmas song like no other on WAAF, 107.3 out of Boston. I call the station to find out what the song was and who played it. It’s Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and the song is Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24. I have been hooked ever since.
I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring. That is fit to give our King. So, I will do my best for Him. Oh, to get a smile from the King, now that would be a thing. Lord, at thy birth. Reverence, respect. So, to honor Him. That is how I see the Little Drummer Boy.
I honestly do believe that the world would be a much better place if we all experienced a lot more silent nights. Nights that are distraction free, and absent of our insane modern day schedules. Nights full of reverence, reflection, pondering, fun, but not entertainment, and allowing the creative mind to work like it did when we were kids. Or at least when our parents were kids.
Humble beginnings. Place of birth does not define your future, but it may enhance it. Often times the greatest leaders don’t wander too far from the very common. The humble. The meek. “Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, Close by me forever, And love me I pray”.
The 2010 Flames played games on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. They did win one, almost came back in another, and got smoked in the last one. All I can say, and that I can hope, is that they are finding their way.
Maybe it was the first time that I ever heard a Christmas song that didn’t sound like the rest of the Christmas songs that I knew, but it has stuck with me ever since. There was a second time too, but we’ll get to that on song #2. I heard this song on the radio and had to know who they were, and where could we get a copy of the song.
Whether you are stuck in an attic watching old family movies with Clark Griswold, or sitting by a cozy fire with your family, or even taking a walk in the snow, there is definitely something special about that spirit of Christmas.