Pardon Me, Your Leadership Is Showing

 – Pardon Me, Your Leadership Is Showing – January 24, 2026 – Sullivan Arena.

– Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey –

 

 

 

Leadership is critical in team sports, community, and family. Tremendous leadership shows itself in wonderful ways just as poor/no leadership shows itself in chaos and dysfunction. I am not sure that there has ever been a time where this is more clear than the present.

Saturday, the Grizzlies skated to a 4-0 win at Sullivan Arena against the Winnacunnet Warriors who came into the game with a 4-4 record in league play. From the booth, I thought, “Pardon me, your leadership is showing”. Bad and good, and I do believe this is trending better, toward the good.

There were positives and negatives. So, pretty normal.

Bad news first. Some bad habits crept back into the Goffstown Grizzlies game on Saturday.

• Defensemen taking liberties up ice with little to no positive outcome regardless of the risk taken.
• With said players out of position, forwards were forced to do the same, drop back to defense to cover their teammates.
• Once in a while this is okay. This happens time and time again. It becomes a strain on systems, structures, and ultimately results.
• Legendary University of Maine Hockey Coach Shawn Walsh once said, “The system doesn’t win games, players do. The system just puts players in the best position to succeed.” Either the system is wrong or players are taking liberties.
• When there is a player on the ice for one of the few times so far this season, rally around the kid. Also play to protect another teammate’s chance at his first career shutout. 5-0 is no more a win than is 4-0. The goaltender helped himself IMMENSELY by making some great saves. Team, my friends. All, before me.
• Walsh emphasized that “hockey is a game where you have to trust your teammates completely.” He has stated, “When you have a group that’s willing to battle for each other, that’s when you can accomplish great things.” Don’t leave a teammate on an island, especially one who doesn’t get as many game reps as many others do.

There was plenty of good news too. Energy levels ebbed and flowed. Team depth is a critical factor in managing these energy levels, as a deep team allows for shorter shifts, more frequent rest, and consistent energy levels across all lines.

• The team’s energy over the first period was amazing! The second line in particular was very effective on the forecheck and offensive zone pressure. They did everything but score.
• The whole team moved the puck well which led to a 16-4 shot advantage in the opening period. Even in the booth and boxes, we were remarking about the puck movement and team energy.
• Finally, in the last two and a half minutes of the period, the Goffstown Grizzlies scored, and won the period, 1-0.
• Despite the onslaught in the opening period, the score was just, 1-0 (Similar to the Alvirne-Milford game which was 2-2 despite an 18-3 advantage in shots). The team came out and added two goals in the first 4:01 of the period. Way to pick up where you left off!
• The Goffstown Grizzlies continued to roll three separate lines, to the Winnacunnet Warriors who were running two lines for the most part.
• In the final period Goffstown played a fourth line for a few shifts. This kind of stuff does more than just give other lines a rest.
• Some kids who rarely get ice time, got some ice time.
• The risk of playing kids deemed ‘lower on the totem pole’ in the area of roster depth rather than beating the first line into the ice to get more goals or wins is a sizable risk. But I would be willing to bet that the reward is far greater than a defenseman rushing the puck up ice into traffic and ultimate obscurity.
• It’s the buy-in from the team. If every player has a buy-in to the team, the greater good, so many more things are possible.
• Nick Saban, winner of 7 NCAA National Championships said this: “The thing about a team is you have to trust each other. You have to count on each other to do their job. When that happens, you have a chance to be successful.” Saban often emphasized that his players needed to “play for the guy next to you” and understand that individual success was tied directly to team success.
• Scotty Bowman won 9 Stanley Cups and NHL Coach of the Year 3 times: Bowman believed that “the best teams are those where players understand that their success is tied to the success of their teammates.” He has stated, “When you have a group that’s willing to sacrifice for each other, that’s when you have something special.”
• Bill Belichick won 6 Super Bowls and 17 AFC East Titles: Belichick has consistently emphasized that “team beats individual” and that players must “put the team first.” He has stated, “When you’re part of a team, you understand that your success is tied to the success of the people around you. You have to be there for them, and they have to be there for you.”
• Hmmm, there must be something to this ‘team thing’.
• John Wooden by whom almost all great coaches are measured against. He won 10 NCAA National Championships, in basketball, including 7 in a row. Wooden famously said, “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.” He also emphasized that “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team,” highlighting his belief that individual success was meaningless without collective support.

Before I move on to the descriptions of the goals and the numbers, I think it’s pretty clear that even in sports, ‘the more the merrier’ still applies. Perhaps the major catalyst for these team themes really is the leadership. Wooden was known for tailoring his coaching to each player’s strengths while maintaining his core principles. He once said, “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”

Imagine how free you could play if you held no resentment, got to play more often, and showed up every day with complete buy-in to the team. Roster, coaches, managers. All of it. All for one.

 

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Goffstown Grizzlies vs. Winnacunnet Warriors.

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

NHIAA Hockey: Game twelve.

Saturday, January 24, 2026.

 

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NHIAA Hockey:

Scoring:
Goffstown Grizzlies: 01 – 02 – 01 = 04 

Winnacunnet Warriors: 00 – 00 – 00 = 00 

Shots on goal:

Goffstown Grizzlies: 16 – 13 – 06 = 35 

Winnacunnet Warriors: 04 – 05 – 10 = 19 

 

Goffstown Grizzlies Penalties:

• There were zero penalties called in this game.

Goffstown was 1-for-2 on the power play, while Brady-Valley was 1-for-4.

• Goffstown Grizzlies – Jake O’Neil (Jr.) made 19 saves on 19 shots (1.000). (First Career Shutout)
• Winnacunnet Warriors – Logan Muirhead (Jr.) made 31 saves on 35 shots (.886).

 

Buckle up. Here we go. All the points were scored by our kids:

1. 1. 1st 12:39 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – Owen St. Onge from Zach Lessard. – The Grizzlies scored first. Zach Lessard and Owen St. Onge batted the puck around at their own blue line before Lessard settled the puck and took off. Lessard skated up the right wing with Connor Bernard on his left all the way up ice. The Warriors had to respect the rush, the shot, and the potential pass across to Bernard. It was a clean 2-on-1. Lessard shot. Muirhead made the save. The rebound came out past the second Warrior defender who raced back. Then it was Owen St. Onge who settled the puck and fired a shot inside the far post for the goal. Good rush. Great result. 1-0.
   2. 2nd 2:28 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – Jackson Horne unassisted. – The line of AJ Tramontozzi, Cam Desruisseaux, and Teddy Beal were on the fore-check again. Winnacunnet flipped the puck up the boards, and over Tramontozzi’s head. Jackson Horne stepped in from the point to bat the puck down to his stick. He settled the puck and fired from the top of the circle. The puck found the back of the net with AJ, Cam and Teddy all in the crease area.  2-0.
   3. 2nd 4:01 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – AJ Tramontozzi from Zach Lessard and Zack Tarrier. – Carrying momentum from the first period and an early second period goal, the Grizzlies scored again, 1:33 later. Goffstown kept the fore-check pressure up and it led to a goal. Tarrier caught a lofted puck with his gloved hand and dropped it to his feet. Then he fired a pass across the zone to Lessard at the point. Lessard stepped in and fired a shot toward the far post. The puck was en route when Tramontozzi got a stick on it. The puck changed direction and hit the netting behind the crossbar on the nearside. Muirhead’s reaction told the story as he started to one side and then the puck entered on the opposite side. Good pressure. Good traffic. Good goal. 3-0.
   4. 3rd 9:49 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – Jackson Horne from Owen St. Onge and Connor Bernard. – Jackson Horne worked hard to get the puck up ice while battling along the end boards behind his own net. He eventually got the puck to Zack Tarrier who shifted through his gears quickly while accelerating up the ice. He hit Owen St. Onge with a pass at center ice. St. Onge made a nice play to control a tough pass while maintaining speed. Connor Bernard was trailing his linemates. St. Onge fired a low hard shot that hit the apron of the goal at exactly the precise angle that allowed the puck to bounce back at a 45 degree angle to the post and toward the face-off dot. Crazy angles in play. Bernard ripped a shot into a 2-car pile up of defensemen in front of the goalie. The puck caromed up into the air, coming back from where it was shot. Horne had followed the play as the whole team was now on the ice and lined up (not really) to take a shot at the elusive puck. Horne took a good hard shot from the face-off circle. The puck caught the goaltender a bit handcuffed and it snuck into the net on the far side. Good play end to end. Third period energy comes from desperation, or from a balanced approach using three-plus lines all game long. I believe it was the latter.  4-0.

 

 

Integrity based leadership. What a concept. Actions reflect values. This is not only a core tenet of the coaches listed in this article, it’s a great way to approach life.

“I am not defined by my opponent, but my opponent may demand the best of me. My system, the pursuit of the greater good, is a part of every opponent I face and everything I do.”

 

1 Peter 5:2-3
New American Standard Bible
2 – shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not with greed but with eagerness; 3 – nor yet as domineering over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock.

 

This is a call to lead and compete willingly, eager to serve the pursuit of excellence. Not a foe to crush or a score to run up. Rather, an opponent who serves as a catalyst that allows you to be an example to the flock (team) by demonstrating integrity under pressure. In this example your system gives you the freedom to give your very best challenge without using the opponent to define your worth. (Don’t play to your opponent, just play your system, the very best you can play in pursuit of excellence with no fear of the opponent nor the result).

You can remain fixed in your principles by not forcing your will (self over team) upon the game, and fluid in your response by serving the moment with exactly what it demands (stay home, support your mate, and get the team shutout). This proves that true leadership and strength are found in humble service to the greater good rather than the pursuit of victory at all costs.

 

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 Goffstown Grizzlies are hosting their Annual Comedy Night on Friday, January 30th. Honestly, every single season this is a blast! It really is. A time to gather with friends, even ones not involved in hockey! Great food. Some unbelievable raffle baskets/prizes to win while raising money. Then of course, there are the comedians. Absolutely hilarious. It is a great night every year. There is almost always snow or winter weather on the Comedy Night, so just plan ahead. You have been informed. We live in northern New England. No big deal. Please help us if you can. Thank you.

The QR Code goes to this link: Comedy Show.

 

 

 

 

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The thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the individual contributors, mostly mine. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the leagues, schools, coaches, players, or characters listed in any of these blog posts. Or, maybe they do. Either way, you would have to ask them directly.