Well, it turns out that when you have very little down time during Christmas vacation week, even an afternoon game might seem too early. Maybe it was just me. Either way, the 2010 Flames were ready to go and skated to a 7-1 win against the Berkshire Bruins.
Any morning activity during Christmas vacation week makes for an early morning, and today was an early morning. The 2010 Flames played their first game of the Winter Classic Tournament at 8:20am over at Tri-Town Arena against the Monarchs. The Flames woke up slowly, and by the second period, they were up to speed, eventually winning the game, 6-2.
Amidst an odd time in our history, an oddly scheduled weeknight game during a vacation week, was played between the Monarchs and the 2010 Flames. The game was played at West Side Arena before a packed house of 71. While the parents spent the first period confirming what day it actually was, the game featured a whole bunch of nothing clicking on the ice.
After some wonderful late-nights visiting with family and friends over the the past few days, there wasn’t a soul in my house that wanted to rise and shine this morning. Not on the morning after Christmas. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what we did.
Finally, the 2021-2022 hockey regular season got under way for the Goffstown Grizzlies. After a game that was postponed due to winter weather, and another game pushed back due to illness, Goffstown played host to the Bearcats from Somersworth-Coe-Brown-Northwood Academy (SCBN) on Wednesday night.
Not even the bright lights and ice of an old rink can brighten a moment quite like the glow of a dozen smiles
I entered the space and walked to the boards and the glass, I lit up, forgetting for a moment all of life’s trials.
For there on the ice were our 11-yr old players, their siblings, team coaches and the hardy hockey parents
A fun spin on a practice slot that felt like kids of all ages having fun, a timely endorsement of perseverance.
Early on Saturday morning, before the snow starting falling, the 2010 Flames played host to the Northern Cyclones at West Side Arena for a GSL game. The Flames played well enough to skate out of West Side Arena with a 1-0 shutout victory.
It was a lovely afternoon for a ride. So, separately, although united, a caravan of folks made their way to Woodstock, VT for an afternoon hockey game on a sunny afternoon in December. The 2010 Flames had a date with the Hanover Wild on the ice sheet at Union Arena.
The first weekend of December brought a four-game weekend on the calendar for the 2010 Flames. Games were played in Hooksett, Hudson, Hartford (VT), and Manchester. After all was said and done, the Flames split the four games, winning two, and losing two.
2021 has been one of the more difficult years of my life to this point. For a number of reasons. Many of the social interactions and other interests in my life for many, many years have not seemed to matter all that much to me this year.
It has been nearly a month since I wrote about this team, the 2010 Flames. A lot has happened since the last article but let’s just start with this. I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving. I find that there is always something to be thankful for.
Saturday afternoon at West Side Arena in Manchester, NH the 2010 Flames jumped out to an early lead against the Bridgewater Bandits. The Flames would go on to win the game, 9-0. That being said, this wasn’t necessarily as lopsided a game as the scoreboard read.
On Sunday afternoon the 2010 Flames played against the Gilmour Gladiators for the second time in less than 20 hours. This was the second Semi-Final game, and the Ramapo Saints had already won the first Semi-Final, 5-1 over the Bowie Bruins. This Flames game would be one of the wildest finishes I have ever seen in my hockey memory.
I don’t know what happened over the four hours that elapsed between the Flames 9-1 loss in game two, and their 2-1 win in game three, but it was absolutely awesome to watch. The 2010 Flames were literally everywhere on the ice, shift after shift. The team’s energy was contagious and their play was inspiring.
As teams are made up of individual competitors, and they go to tournaments to compete against others, and to better themselves. When the team travels out of state or their home region to compete, that’s even better. It’s a chance to measure themselves against a bigger, more diverse, and possibly better field.
After a long trip to northwest NY, and a full day of exploring the unparalleled beauty along the Niagara River, the 2010 Flames still had a hockey game to play. They played a very competitive game against the Bowie (MD) Bruins. The game ended in a 2-2 tie to begin the tournament for both teams.
It was a late October day up in the northwest corner of New York. The temperature just barely climbed past 50F and the clouds were winning the battle for sky supremacy. As it turned out, it was a perfect backdrop for a day that I hope none of us soon forget.
The first period of yesterday’s game could have buried the 2010 Flames as the Crimson Club 10 team stormed the offensive zone and clogged the shooting lanes in their defensive end. Despite a lopsided advantage in shots on goal, the Crimson only managed a 1-1 score after the opening period.
The 2010 Flames battled to a pair of victories over the weekend, but it wasn’t easy. On Sunday, the Flames trailed 1-0 after the opening period. Then the Flames erupted for six goals in the middle period, and held on for a 7-3 win against the Crimson.
The 2010 Flames battled to a pair of victories over the weekend, but it wasn’t easy. On Saturday, the Flames had all they could handle in a 3-1 win against the Bandits. The game was a 2-1 affair until the Flames were able to bury an empty net goal in the final minute of the game.
Well, it’s officially that time of the year when hockey season begins. Nights and weekends fill up with trips to frozen ice rinks all over New England. New regimens kick in over the first several weeks, and most of them end up feeling quite familiar.
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The 2010 Manchester Flames wrapped up their 2020-2021 season with a sweep of two games against the NH Avalanche over at the Ice Den in Hooksett, NH. The teams had played each other several times over this oddity of a season, and each of the games were highly contested.
Hopefully this hockey season will go down as the most peculiar season of all time, and as the only one of it’s kind. Despite all of the misinformation and uncertainty, it was a near miracle that there was a season at all. I would be a complete fraud if I didn’t also promote the idea of how incredibly uplifting it was to play games, to embrace competition, and to know that the kids were simply able to play. Easily the happiest of my leisure activities over the winter, was watching the kids play. Kids playing the sport they love, as they should.
Last night the Goffstown Grizzlies traveled out to Durham, NH to play the #1 ranked team in their region, the Oyster River Bobcats. They played ice hockey on a piece of property called Jackson Landing, a place that the Jackson family first owned as early as 1658. Back then they might have just played the game on the river.
When the calendar turns to March, and high school hockey is still being played, you know that it’s a whole new season. Outcomes are not quite as predictable. Grit and determination is up. Scouting is up. Most everyone is aware of both their opponent’s strengths and their weaknesses. Intensity is way up. Every shift, move, pass, shot, hustle, or not, is all scrutinized with a higher degree of viewership. This is playoff hockey, and all of these things were evident right from the opening face-off.
After a season full of uncertainty, anxiety, and a literal, almost daily, lesson that in life there are no guarantees, the Goffstown Hockey team was able to have it’s senior night ceremony. The Grizzlies were the home team, oddly, on the home rink of their opponent, the Manchester Central-West Little Green Knights.
The mild temperatures last night made it feel like spring in New Hampshire. It felt to me like some sort of a fresh start, or at least a welcome transition. Then, some of the air was let out of that feeling when I realized that earlier games at Conway Arena in Nashua were running well behind. Eventually the rematch between Goffstown and Hollis-Brookline Derryfield School would get underway more than an hour after the scheduled start time.
With a mix of snow and rain falling from the February sky on a Nashua ice arena parking lot players from opposing schools gathered with their teams out in the weather. There was not a school bus anywhere in sight. High school student drivers got out of their vehicles and unloaded their gear not unlike middle aged men and women showing up for another day of work. The word drudgery came to my mind.
The 2010 Manchester Flames entered the GSL State Tournament as the #5 seed in the six-team field. The Flames caravan of players, coaches, and families made their way through the falling snow up to North Conway for the tournament being held at Ham Arena. Manchester had an impressive opening game before being shut down by the #4 and #1 seeds.
When I got home and walked through the door last night, mentioning that I had information about the Goffstown Grizzlies hockey game at Alvirne-Milford as I entered, I was greeted with excitement and questions.
On a snowy, freezing rain type of afternoon over at Tri-Town Ice Arena the Grizzlies played a home game at their third different home venue this season. They hosted the Bow Falcons in their second game in three days, both home games, both at different rinks. After falling behind, 1-0, and then 2-1 going into the final period, the Grizzlies erupted for five third period goals.