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.
Baseball season has opened. Spring has started, but not yet sprung. Then there are still some prominent New Hampshire high school hockey players still playing hockey.
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.
Welcome to September hockey fans! Believe it or not, it’s time to get the 17th year of the Friends of Goffstown Hockey started. There is a board meeting coming up, and we would like to…
Also, back on March 27, 2016, The Union Leader published to the Hockey All-State teams. Congratulations to all of the players named, especially to Goffstown Senior, Goaltender, Colin Holt who was named to the 1st Team. You can see that brief article by clicking the link below.
In short, Merrimack was prepared, they were sharp, and they were better. Right from go. Their intensity waned not. After all was said and done, the Merrimack Tomahawks advanced to the Semi-Finals with an 8-5 victory over the upset-minded Goffstown Grizzlies.
Prior to the overtime winner scored by Greenwood, there was one name on my tongue, as it related to the one who stole the show; that name is Colin Holt. Senior, Goaltender, Colin Holt, he wears uniform #1 and tonight, he was the #1 defender. Were it not for Holt’s heroics in net, the Grizzlies could have been down 4 or 5 goals after the first period alone.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016. 730pm @ Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Goffstown vs. Windham. It’s Thursday morning, March 3rd, 2016, and I am not certain that I have yet caught my breath from last night’s spectacle…
Monday, February 29, 2016. 730pm @ Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Goffstown vs. Hollis-Brookline-Derryfield. Last night the Goffstown Grizzlies played host to the Warriors from Hollis-Brookline-Derryfield in NHIAA Division II Hockey. Before the game…
Saturday, February 27, 2016. 420pm @ Campion Arena, West Lebanon, NH – Goffstown @ Lebanon. On Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after playing Keene at home, the Goffstown Grizzlies traveled to Campion Rink and slugged…
If you think about the kids themselves and how “big” everything in their lives seems to them in these moments, you’d remember how momentous these occasions are in a timeline that is still being written.
They had not come closer to winning a game (in score) than a 6-3 loss in their first game of the season, against Timberlane. Last night though, the team from HBD played well enough to make things difficult for the visiting Grizzlies from Goffstown.
Thursday, February 18, 2016. 730pm @ Sullivan Arena, Goffstown, NH – Goffstown vs. Oyster River. Tonight, the Grizzlies from Goffstown hosted the Bobcats from Oyster River in a Division II hockey game, with the chances to host…
Saturday, February 13, 2016. 400pm @ Sullivan Arena, Goffstown, NH – Goffstown vs. Dover. In the end, Goffstown did make the road upset win at Dover stand up. The Grizzlies came out and beat the high-flying Red…
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.
Sunday, January 24, 2016. 330pm @ Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Belmont-Gilford @ Goffstown. Today reminded me of something from a quarter-century or so ago. I remember going to the old Boston Garden,…
As I get into the game itself, I will say that this Windham team is a good team. They appear to be well coached. They skate well as a team. They move the puck quickly, especially in the offensive end.
The play told a too familiar story for Grizzlie fans though, as either of two Goffstown defensemen could have raced behind the net and been the first player to the loose puck, but instead, neither one went, and Oyster River centered the puck to the slot and scored, or didn’t score, officially.
Saturday, January 16, 2016. 5pm @ Keene Ice, Keene, NH – Goffstown @ Keene. The Goffstown Grizzlies came to Keene after a week of practices, playing their first game since blowing out Timberlane last Saturday. As of late,…
Saturday, January 9, 2016. 730pm @ Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Timberlane @ Goffstown. The Goffstown Grizzlies seemed a bit anxious to get out on the ice and play another hockey game after a…
Goffstown definitely took more chances to make plays in the third period, and they would end up getting 13 shots on goal in the final stanza.
Honestly, this roster will be better for having competed in the Bauer Hockey Christmas Classic. They gave Hanover all they could handle for 41 minutes before the Marauders broke through. They are capable. They are learning. The youngsters now have 9 games under their belt, including scrimmages, and I look forward to watching this team develop in 2016. The youngsters from Stephen Provencher to the veterans in Holt, Roy, and Greenwood will keep working. They’ll keep bonding. They’ll continue to develop and there will be wonderful moments on and off of the ice for the next couple of months.
Goffstown versus Bedford, always draws a little more attention. The neighboring towns have established quite the rivalry through athletic contests over the years. Well, today the hockey rivalry was renewed. Bedford is considered by most to be one of the top teams in Division I NH Hockey, and to start the season, they have done nothing but cement that notion, winning all three games they have played thus far. Goffstown on the other hand, well, they aren’t making anybody’s list of anything worth listing this year in Division II. Lists are also made to be re-written. Goffstown knew they were playing one of New Hampshire’s top teams.