Grizzlies Again In OT – Goffstown 4 vs. Spaulding 3 (OT)

February 02, 2023 – On January 7th these two teams played an overtime game. Goffstown was able to get the win. Then on Thursday night, they played at Sullivan Arena, and it was the Grizzlies again in OT. This time it was 4-3.

This was not the ‘classic’ high intensity, pure flow of a game that the Goffstown hockey team played in on Monday night at New England College. It was a pretty good game though. The Goffstown Grizzlies did not skate like they did against the Warriors. But that had a lot to do with the opponent, the Spaulding Red Raiders. This Spaulding hockey club came in to the game after winning two games in a row, and obviously playing some pretty decent hockey.

The goaltending matchup featured the same two goaltenders from the January 7th meeting. Anabel Prochilo was in net for the Spaulding hockey team, and Ethan Santoro was guarding the Grizzlies den for the Goffstown hockey team. Prochilo made 32 saves on 36 shots and looked as cool as a cucumber all night. Santoro got the victory while making 30 saves on 33 shots.

Neither team was able to run away with the game, nor were they ever really able to establish long possessions in the offensive end. This was punch and counterpunch, without all the penalties. There were 9 penalties called in the first meeting, and only 3 penalties called in round two. If anything, the Red Raiders gave the Grizzlies fits at times while trying to leave their own end with the puck.

On the other hand, the Goffstown Grizzlies did get 36 shots on goal, and put 4 of those behind Prochilo. Nick DiMarzio had a pair of goals (including the game-winner), and they were scored from a combined total of 12 feet from the net.

For the Spaulding hockey team, they scored similar goals at either end of the ice. Jackson Farrow barreled down the left wing and fired a shot past Santoro for their first goal at 11:18 of the first period. Then in the second period, Nate Gagnon exploded up the right wing, beat the Goffstown defenders to the puck and scored on a shot as he flew through the face-off circle.

Goffstown got a steal and a score from Max Ouellette who single-handedly turned a little bit of nothing into a goal. He broke up a play along the boards, turned and skated toward the slot to rip a shot that found the inside of the near post through traffic, on a near perfect shot.

Then in the second period, Jake Klardie scored a goal that will most certainly be a candidate for ‘goal of the year’. After some back and forth action over a couple of shifts the Grizzlies pulled a sweet play together. First, Tyler Lessard just eased a pass back to Brennan Pierce in front of his own net. Pierce looked for Klardie over the middle at center ice, even though there was double coverage. Somehow Klardie and the puck squeezed through and Jake had to skate down the puck before Anabel Prochilo came out of her net to cover, or move the puck.

In the booth, I yelled “Dive!” (not too loud) just as the moment of action was happening. Klardie was already thinking the same thing as he dove along the ice with his stick in his left hand and swiped at the puck. He connected with the puck and the black disc flew up and over Prochilo into top right side of the net as Klardie finished his Superman-esque slide into the goaltender and the post. Goffstown had a 3-2 lead.

The Spaulding hockey team kept on playing their game. They just continued to work and create chances. Sometimes that leads to goals that aren’t even really chances. For example, they tied the score, 3-3, with 1:55 left in regulation on a goal that would not have counted as a shot on net if it didn’t go in the net. I’ll explain.

Ethan Santoro was hugging his near post as the puck was behind the net on that side of the ice. Trevor Brennan took the puck on the end boards and centered a pass to Cam Taylor, or at least he tried to. His pass attempt was deflected by Xavier Bibaud and the puck went toward the net from behind the goal line and never made it to Taylor. Santoro used his paddle to keep the puck from going out front into the crease where Taylor was getting inside position on Brock Bennett. But the puck hit the paddle of his stick and caromed inside his right pad and into the net for the tying goal.

Santoro made a couple of real nice saves in the overtime, including a great save on Jackson Farrow just over two minutes into the extra time. Goffstown had swarmed to Cole Enman who, somehow slithered through three defenders to find Farrow all alone in the right wing circle for a clean shot. Farrow’s shot was true, but Ethan made a wonderful stick save to keep the game tied.

I have to say that Anabel Prochilo was brilliant in net, especially in the 3rd period. She saved all 12 shots she faced and some were excellent. Then in overtime she calmly robbed Tyler Lessard’s game-winning bid with the handle of her stick. Lessard had walked down the slot with Jake Klardie providing a screen and ripped a shot labeled for inside the post, but Prochilo knocked into the netting and a stoppage in play. This set the stage for the final goal of the game.

Goffstown changed lines and Brandon Bograd won the face-off to Max Ouellette who was immediately tied up along the half wall boards. Bograd came over to help out and secured the puck. Bograd turned and fired a rising shot that Prochilo saved with her blocker. The puck dropped at the top of the ice in the crease, and Nick DiMarzio, on the move from the weak-side, was able to backhand the puck into the net. On the face-off DiMarzio had lifted the defenders stick as the puck dropped and the stick pinwheeled into the air and toward the other circle. This became immediately crucial as the winning goal was scored against a defender with no stick.

It’s the Grizzlies again in OT!

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.