From J.F.K. Coliseum in Manchester, NH, December 27, 2018:
It was nice to show up to the rink and have the honor of listening to our National Anthem sung before the game. Being the first game of the day, the Anthem was played. The Bow Falcons and Goffstown Grizzlies, each entered the day with a 1-0 record in the tournament.
This afternoon the Grizzlies of Goffstown hosted the Oyster River Bobcats at Sullivan Arena for a rematch from a game they played way back before Christmas. Goffstown lost 4-2 at the Whittemore Center the first time they played. But then, the last five meetings, including the earlier contest this season, have not been great ones for the Grizzlies.
After losing a league game for the first time since before Christmas, everyone was wondering exactly how the Goffstown Grizzlies team would respond in their next game. Many folks in town hoped that the loss out at Kingswood on Saturday night would be a good learning experience for the team and serve as an in-season opportunity to self-correct their course.
From J.F.K. Coliseum in Manchester, NH:
Goffstown played their third and final game of the Christmas Hockey Classic Tournament in Manchester on Thursday night against the defending Division II State Champion Bow Falcons. The Falcons are not what they were last year, but neither are a lot of teams. Goffstown pounded the puck at the net out shooting Bow 48-18 en route to their 6-2 victory.
Well, the results are in, and the Nationals are over with. New Hampshire high school hockey was pretty well represented in Michigan and also in Texas. The New Hampshire Avalanche 18U and the Manchester Flames 16U teams both made the trip to their respective Tier II National Championship tournaments. I purchased a subscription to HockeyTV so that I could watch both teams play.
The New Hampshire Avalanche 18U team is playing for the Tier II Division 2A USA Hockey National Championship tomorrow at 10am! This press release is meant to be informational and also serve as a summary of how the NH Avalanche 18U team reached the final.
Well, the results are in, and the Nationals are over with. New Hampshire high school hockey was pretty well represented in Michigan and also in Texas. The New Hampshire Avalanche 18U and the Manchester Flames 16U teams both made the trip to their respective Tier II National Championship tournaments. I purchased a subscription to HockeyTV so that I could watch both teams play.
The New Hampshire Avalanche 18U team is playing for the Tier II Division 2A USA Hockey National Championship tomorrow at 10am! This press release is meant to be informational and also serve as a summary of how the NH Avalanche 18U team reached the final.
Mettlesome and gritty are a pair of words that come to mind when I look to describe the Bow Falcons in their game this afternoon. See, Bow entered the tournament as the #2 seed, and they owned an awesome regular season record of 15-2-1. As these kind of things often work themselves out, the pair of losses for Bow came at the hands of this afternoon’s opponent, the Keene BlackBirds. Bow lost to Keene 3-0 just before Christmas, and then they lost again, 5-3 in mid-February. In today’s Division II State Championship game, the #1 BlackBirds (18-0) looked to remain undefeated, and cap their perfect season with their first ever hockey title. Though, as we have learned over the years, in sports, and in rivalries, it is very difficult to beat a good opponent three straight times, especially in the same season. Today was no different.
Mumbled and garbled audio aside, the atmosphere in Exeter was electric. The Bow student section was in place early. The Windham throngs seemed to show up at exactly the same time. Keene packed their side with orange and black. St. Thomas showed their various blues. Before long the seats were full. The areas all around the glass where people were allowed to stand, were accounted for. The crowds for all of the Final Four teams were loud, present, and noticeable. Despite my hometown Grizzlies being absent from the semifinals, it was fun to watch some good high school hockey. Storylines run in every direction when there are a few of us, or more, gathered at events like these. Then, there comes the time when the game is played, and legends are born.
Misery and gloom are associated with distress and anxiety. And these emotions could have played major roles in tonight’s home game against the undefeated Keene Blackbirds. Especially when Keene scored six unanswered goals over a span of 17 minutes. But the Grizzlies kept skating. They kept competing. They kept getting scoring chances. The final score was 8-3 in favor of the Blackbirds, who improved to 13-0 on the season. Goffstown did battle, and they did get some great chances to score. Myles Ditkoff was solid in net for the visiting Keene squad, making 26 saves on 29 shots. Keene had only allowed as many as 2 goals in a single game, just once this season. Tonight, they allowed 3 goals to the Grizzlies.
To the game we go. Honestly, I told myself in the very first minute of the game, that unless something went horribly wrong, Goffstown should be in this game until the end. It was apparent early that Goffstown came to play.
After all was said and done, the Bow Falcons improved to 10-1-1 on the season. Goffstown dropped to 5-5. According to records, streaks, common opponents, etc. Bow was supposed to win this game. Ultimately the young, talented team from Bow did win, but this was a battle from the opening faceoff.