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.
Old farm land divided into commercial properties. But the pond, a few trees, and the green grass provide a glimpse of a long ago past.
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.
We know that the 2010 Flames will enter the post-season tournament as the #5 seed, finishing 7-5-2 in their tier. With league games finished, the Flames played a pair of games over the weekend to get ready for the trip to North Conway this Friday.
It had been a few weeks since the Grizzlies had played any competitive hockey when they pulled into one of their many ‘home’ rinks for this season, yesterday afternoon. Goffstown hosted John Stark-Hopkinton at JFK Coliseum, of all places, for their return to the ice.
Night to day Four minutes apart
Yesterday the 2010 Flames traveled to Hudson to play against the Cyclones in their next to last GSL game of the season. The Flames took advantage of some odd-man rushes and some good passing to skate out of town with an 8-1 win.
The trip over to West Side Arena didn’t take very long for the Goffstown hockey team to make, but getting through the afternoon affair seemed like it took several hours. And that didn’t even have anything to do with the pregame ceremony to recognize Merrimack’s senior players.
There I Can’t Wait To Be.
It was early this morning, cold and dark, and I was humbled in prayer
For my Uncle I asked that God’s will be done, was he better here, or up there?
The Grizzlies traveled to Nashua to play in the home opener for Hollis-Brookline-Derryfield School (HBDS) last night, looking for their first win of the season. It didn’t turn out the way that they would have liked it to, in a tough 5-4 loss to the HBDS Warriors.
From Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Monday, January 25, 2021
Trinity scored later than earlier but quite often en route to their first win of the season at Goffstown. At least I think it’s their first win because getting accurate information on anything that is NH high school hockey this season is not easy. The Grizzlies kept coming at the Pioneers, but the combination of Anthony Dizillo and Quinn Booth in the 3rd period alone, was too much to overcome.
From Tri-Town Arena, Hooksett, NH – Saturday, January 23, 2021
After an overtime affair just three nights earlier, it surprised nobody that Goffstown and Bishop Brady played another tight, one-goal game on Saturday night.
Yesterday afternoon the Flames hosted the Cyclones at the West Side Arena where we, very thankfully, can still play hockey games, and actually watch them in person. As it usually is, the game was tight and intensely contested.
Sunrise colored sky. Beholder’s gift, mine.
