Winning Is A Flawed Symptom

Winning Is A Flawed Symptom – December 22, 2025 – Sullivan Arena.

– Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey –

 

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 (NLT)
The Advantages of Team

I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

 

 

 

It has been a day and a half since I stormed out of Sullivan Arena, mad, frustrated, and even more frustrated than saying it once would portray. Even though the result of the game was a thrilling, 4-3 win with the game-winning goal coming in the final four seconds of the game. I will try not to take away from the thrilling result nor the players that made it happen.

I do have to talk about something else though.

Winning is a Flawed Symptom. I am an American. Americans are raised, programmed, and praised for winning. Winning is everything. Winning is the only thing. Winning. Winning. Winning.

I have nothing against winning. I enjoyed playing sports for most of my life, and winning was an awful lot of fun. I worked very hard to become a better athlete, a better player, so that I could be a better teammate. And of course to win more often.

Honestly though, looking back at my childhood and growing up alongside two very competitive brothers who were both excellent athletes in their own right, I was the peacemaker. Not that peace was in short supply, but in the sense that I loved to just practice with them, to play with them. Playing our favorite sports, not to beat each other or keep score, but just to share the time together, doing things we absolutely loved…together.

 

 

I would give anything to have those moments with my brothers again. It was about them more than the sport, more than the winning. More than ‘the me’.

So, when I look at this Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team, here is what I see.

I see a group that is varsity young. This graduating class will finish their high school hockey careers as a class with among the least varsity games played (per player) than almost any other Grizzlies class of hockey grads. Even so, unless something changes, that trend will continue.

This team is loaded with youthful hope. They are inexperienced playing together, and short on varsity game experience. But I believe the ceiling for them is much higher than where they are right now. Significantly higher.

I also see a roster that could/should be getting regular shifts, all game long. Yes, there are gaps between the most talented/experienced and least talented/experienced players. There always are. I happen to think that the gaps are not that large.

But to think that this roster isn’t full of kids chomping at the bit to make their mark, to make their impact, would be a grave error in judgement. Not only that, the depth found in numbers could and would make for a balanced, rested roster, game after game.

Would there be some bumps in the road? Yes. There already has been.

Would kids leave the ice frustrated and ticked off even after a thrilling one-goal victory? I hope not, but that’s already been happening.

Yes, the entire roster is important. Yes, they can, do, and will contribute in ways that are not seen on the ice during games. Still, I believe the upside of having a roster fully engaged in the outcomes of games on the ice opens up the possibilities like a Christmas tree encircled in gifts to be shared.

Imagine a group from top to bottom, bottom to top, all engaged and pushing their personal ceilings higher with every shift. Would they lose some games they ‘should’ have won? Sure. That has happened already, too. But winning games while half the team continues on their path and the other half wilts like dying leaves isn’t going to be strong or sustainable.

They will make mistakes, and miss their spots, and execution will ebb and flow. But they will grow and get better. And I do think that this roster, if they start to feel collective confidence from knowing that they are going to see ice time every night, could blow the doors off of the expectations for this group. This season? Yes. Future seasons? Yes.

Develop players. Develop teammates. Develop young men and women. We were created to thrive, not to sit by and watch others do so. And this goes way, way beyond high school hockey careers.

Winning a game in December at the expense of a better, deeper, thriving roster is dreadfully shortsighted. It is not risky, nor is the reward great. But my approach isn’t everyone’s approach.

Game five, six, and seven are on the three days following Christmas. The Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team will play in the Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Tournament again this year. All games are played at JFK Memorial Coliseum in Manchester, NH.

 

 

 

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Goffstown Grizzlies vs. Nashua North-South Knights.

Sullivan Arena, Goffstown, NH.

NHIAA Hockey: Game four.

Monday, December 22, 2025.

 

 

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NHIAA Hockey:

Scoring:
Goffstown Grizzlies: 00 – 00 – 04 = 04

Nashua Knights: 00 – 01 – 02 = 03

Shots on goal:
Goffstown Grizzlies: 09 – 05 – 13 = 27

Nashua Knights: 06 – 12 – 09 = 27

 

Goffstown Grizzlies Penalties:

• Tramontozzi – 2:00 – Head Contact.
• Horne – 2:00 – Roughing.
• G. Matatall – 2:00 – Tripping.
• Tarrier – 2:00 – Roughing.
• Beland – 2:00 – Roughing.

Goffstown was 0-for-0 on the power play, while the Nashua Knights were 0-for-2.

• Goffstown Grizzlies – Kyle Bennett (Jr.) made 24 saves on 27 shots (.889).
• Nashua Knights – Brendon Reudt von Collenberg (Jr.) made 23 saves on 27 shots (.852).

 

Here we go.

1. 1. 2nd 6:49 – Nashua Knights – Even – Brendon Doughty unassisted. He stole Corey Beland’s clear attempt and shot from the low slot. 1-0.
   2. 3rd 1:34 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – Corey Beland unassisted. Nice read at center ice to break up play. Gathered the puck and beat the defender to the outside. He cut to the net and put a shot in the top corner for the goal. Great play. 1-1.
   3. 3rd 10:57 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – Cam Fratus grabbed a loose puck left behind by the Nashua defense and fired a shot that found the back of the net. Fratus unassisted. 2-1.
   4. 3rd 11:07 – Nashua Knights – Even – Callen Cullity from Connor Prunier and Brendon Doughty. Grizzlies defensive breakdown and the Knights set up a nice goal. 2-2.
   5. 3rd 11:44 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – Owen St. Onge from Zack Tarrier and Gavin Matatall. Matatall and Tarrier won a puck battle along the end boards and Tarrier centered a pass to the slot. St. Onge was there, open, and ripped a shot into the net for the goal. Nice play. 3-2.
   6. 3rd 14:20 – Nashua Knights – Extra Attacker – Doughty backhand goal at the side of the net from Prunier and Cullity. Nice play with the extra attacker as they had pulled their goaltender just eight seconds earlier. 3-3.
   7. 3rd 14:56 – Goffstown Grizzlies – Even – St. Onge unassisted. GWG. St. Onge took the puck off of the boards after an odd carom out of the corner on a Nashua clearing bid. He stepped to the slot and got a quick shot away for the game-winner. 4-3.

 

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 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.