It was three weeks ago now, and in my mind, it went something a little bit like this. As the maestro held his baton high, coercing the grand finale in all of its glory, the final note played. Somewhere between stunned and proud, the maestro bowed his head and turned to face the masses and the feedback they levied on this collective piece of work. And those who witnessed it, they rose in unison to honor the performance and wished it never had to end.

“It’s a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you’re wearing your best clothes…You look pretty good down here…”

Goffstown’s monumental comeback bid fell short against a deep and talented Dover team, and the Grizzlies record-breaking season came to an end. It didn’t end the way we would have liked it too, but then again, only one team gets to finish the season with a win.

Oh, and what a season it was. The Grizzlies set some records along the way, but it was really the group, the people, the players, the coaches, the families, throughout, and around the program, that made this season so special. I was fortunate enough to have a front row seat to a season of memorable moments. The effort ended up being a tremendous product on the ice all season. Many a person attending games for the first time this season was blown away by the skill level, exhibition of teamwork, and intensity of the competition. As they should have been. And for all of us regulars, it was an event, a destination, a ‘can’t-miss chance to see something special’. Total knee replacement surgery couldn’t keep me away (although it probably should have), I was present the next day, not because of me, but because of them. It still gets my blood pumping as I think back on the season.

We met the group back in December. A roster made up of seven freshmen, three sophomores, seven juniors, and five seniors. Who knew that this blend would be so amazing, so tenacious, and quite frankly, so capable?

I probably only looked at this sheet a few thousand times over the last four months.

Yes, the group, they set a Goffstown hockey record, going 10-0 at home in the regular season, and are currently on a streak of 12 straight regular-season wins at their home ice in the beautiful Sullivan Arena on the campus of St. Anselm College. Oh, and they are the first team to win 14 games in a single regular season as well. Coach Slocum became the first coach in Goffstown history to lead the Grizzlies to 10 or more wins three seasons in a row during league play. And while we are at it, Goffstown shattered the single-season scoring record of 95 goals (17 games) set by the 2001-02 team that made it to the State Semi-Finals, by scoring 107 goals in the 18-game regular season. Incredible stuff. It will be a long time before I forget this team if I ever do.

I can honestly say that I couldn’t wait to get home from games and update the sheets that I track for this team. Names, stats, numbers, trends, records, memories, history, all recorded, our kids. Our kids. For the kids.

For me, each season the production from this little Chromebook that was a gift from my wife, so I could really pursue writing, has been bigger, more involved, and hopefully better. I can truthfully tell you that each game consumes an average of 8-10 hours per write up for me. It might even be more hours, if you include the game itself, coordinating the pictures with the unrelenting perfectionist, Karen Charron, the words, the numbers, the recaps to the media, updating of websites, watching the game video (to check myself), sending emails, etc. But, when you think about it, aren’t our kids worth it? I mean, how good is a story really, if nobody is there to tell it, capture it, or perpetuate it so that others may also share in the glow of our kids playing team sports and having the times of their lives. Some folks live far away and can’t get to the games, so we bring it to them the best way I know how. It’s all about the kids, and this season was a special blend of personalities, skills, and humor, for sure.

I have written about being part of a team many times, over many years, and I would still find it difficult to say that there are many better ways to learn about life, to learn about the depths of yourself, than to play for something bigger than yourself, on a team, in pursuit of a common goal. And the memories of the experience, quite frankly, can be everlasting.

So, back in December when we really had no idea what to expect, the schedule started whether anyone was ready for it or not. The Grizzlies lined up and beat Portsmouth-Newmarket (3-1), then Lebanon-Stevens (6-4), both at home. Goffstown lost at Oyster River, 4-2, but came back home and squeaked out a 2-1 win against Timberlane. The Grizzlies were 3-1 going into Christmas. The Grizzlies played well in the Christmas Tournament, and battled two of the best teams in Division I in Concord and Hanover (State Champs), before beating Bow.

After Christmas, Goffstown found their stride, and things got a little crazy. But, even before Christmas, and after the Oyster River loss, the Grizzlies started on a ridiculous run in the regular season. Goffstown won 12 of 13 games with win streaks of seven and then five games, respectively. During the 13 game stretch, the Grizzlies offense piled up 92 goals, while going 12-1. I can tell you with certainty that nothing quite like this offensive explosion for so long, had been seen in the history of Goffstown hockey.

Numbers on a sheet? That was our kids out there making this kind of thing happen! All of them. It takes all of them.

Maybe the 2001-2002 team scoring 53 goals over a 6-game win streak comes close, and somehow they even had a pair of one-goal games in that stretch. Or the 2013-2014 team, that holds the Goffstown hockey record with 9 consecutive wins, which was bracketed by a pair of two-game skids, scored 40 goals in their streak. I mean this season we were watching history unfold every night.

Goffstown got five hat tricks from four different players over the course of the season. Griffin Cook, 3 goals, and 3 assists, at Nashua North-Souhegan on January 6th. Sebastian Beal, 3 goals, and 1 assist, at home against Dover on January 13th. Brett Branscum, 3 goals, and 1 assist, at home against Bow on January 31st. Griffin Cook, 3 goals, and 2 assists, at home against Belmont-Gilford on February 13th. Grady Chretien, 3 goals, and 1 assist, at home against Alvirne on February 15th.

Four years ago when our seniors were freshmen, the team had one player score 10+ goals (Ian Gately with 21), and two players had 10+ assists (Connor Easton 16, and Ian Gately 13). Only six players even scored 10+ points (Ian Gately 34, Connor Easton 21, Nick Nault and Sam Greenwood 14 each, Mason Mable 13 (in 9 games), and Noah Charron 11). Fast forward to this season, with 3 and 4 lines playing in many games, and the production was off the charts. An astounding ELEVEN players on this team had 16 or more points this season! Incredible! It takes everyone on the roster playing their part and filling their respective role to even approach this type of success. What a credit to each individual on the roster. Really, this kind of thing just doesn’t happen very often.

Goals:

Assists:

Points:

And just to break it down by class, the Grizzlies have quite a bit of skill coming back next season too.

Folks, I get caught up in the numbers and I love that sports are measured. Because measurement is really the only way to gauge progress, improvement, or even success in a given area. But I cannot stress enough how special this season was. Not solely because of numbers or wins and losses, but rather the kids. The people. The group. To hear coaches talk, throughout the entire season, about how much fun they had coming to the rink every day to be around this group of kids is maybe the best indicator of them all. I can speak for my wife and me when I say that we had an absolute blast this season spending time and interacting with the coaches, players, and the parents of the players (new and old). There certainly seemed to be a laid-back sense to this group, but not when it came to competing on the ice. These young men and women were a tenacious group, they were fearless, they were better together than individually, and a pure joy to watch.

Listen, I heard a lot of people from within the program, close to the program, and around the state of NH in Division I and Division II hockey circles talk about our goaltending this year, both positive and negative. I want to make a huge, positive, statement about our goaltending right now. Madeline Sage, Kyle LaSella, and Ethan Smith all would be models of inspiration, sportsmanship, passion for improvement, and the team concept for any player on any other team to learn from. They battled. They cared. They worked hard. They lived and died with the ups and downs of the entire team. They only backstopped the winningest team in a single season, in Goffstown Hockey history. The 2001-2002 team that scored 95 goals in 17 regular season games also allowed 66 goals during the season. This year’s team and their goaltenders allowed just 64 goals in 18 games. They left numerous opponents shaking their heads and looking at the ceiling after a sure goal, wasn’t a goal at all. Considering this team was one of the least physical, and certainly least penalized teams in the history of Grizzlies hockey, I think our trio of goaltenders were sensational much more often than not. This year’s team increased their goal scoring by 42% over last year. They reduced their penalty minutes by 40%. Yet, only allowed 11 more goals than last year during the regular season. Yes, our goaltenders faced a lot of clean looks from opponents this season, and they stood tall, faced the adversity inherent in competition, and combined to win 14 regular season games. Props to them and their collective work ethic. Ethan Smith won a Sportsmanship Award from the NHIAA this season, and his positive outlook and ever-present smile will be missed next season.

The Grizzlies went 14-4 in the regular season, earning a #4 seed in the tournament for the second year in a row. Goffstown led all of Division II in scoring, with Windham, Keene, and St. Thomas close behind. I believe we had the best, most consistent, all-around line in Division II with the CBC line of Charron-Beal-Cook piling up 56 goals and 65 assists and a combined +/- of +79. Then to have a second line like the MGM line of Max-Gamache-Michael that most teams would want as their first line, adding 32 goals and 29 assists, it was obvious that the Grizzlies were very deep. The Branch line was not too shabby either with Theo-Branscum-Chretien holding their own with 23 goals and 33 assists. These totals include all of the teams’ 22 games played this season. Noah Charron was named to the D-II All-State 2nd Team. Sebastian Beal was named to the D-II All-State Honorable Mention team. Noah was also voted to play in the 26th Men’s All-Star Hockey Classic to benefit Make-A-Wish® Vermont and Make-A-Wish® New Hampshire which will be held at UVM’s Gutterson Field House on Saturday, June 30, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. Griffin Cook won a Coaches Award from the Grizzlies coaching staff.

Our defensive core made numerous passes to set up breakouts, odd-man rushes, and breakaways. More times than I can remember, the Grizzlies defense turned an opponents scoring bid into a goal for Goffstown with a quick pass, or even a series of passes. The Grizzlies were explosive, and everyone on this roster contributed to that. All the defensive players are back next year. Colin Burke, Brett Lassonde, Jacob Noonan, Melanie Riendeau, Eric DesRuisseaux, and Evan McCuaig, combined for 7 goals and 52 assists. Stephen Provencher, Luke Chase, Sean Hunter, and Calvin Sage are all back next year and look to add to their skills, as well as their individual contributions to the overall team dynamic. Colin Burke also won a Coaches Award from the Grizzlies coaching staff and led all Goffstown skaters in ice time this season.

One definition of the word, “finality”, reads like this: the fact or impression of being an irreversible ending. And that fact, that feeling, that reality, has always been one I struggle with. Especially as it relates to team sports, and special teams like this year’s Goffstown Grizzlies hockey team.

The Class of 2018, Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey style. (Photo by Charron)

Like I said before, this year was like watching the stuff that gets written in history books, every single night! Records were set, the standard has been raised, and it has been set pretty high. Another stat for you all, this year’s seniors, the class of 2018 will graduate from Goffstown High School, and the hockey program, having won more league games than any class in the history of our program.

This group won 46 games, at a 59.74% clip, both records. They earned a #9 seed, a #7 seed, and a pair of #4 seeds in the tournament. I voted that Noah Charron should be named Most Outstanding Player in Division-II this season. I call him the best two-way center on the most prolific line in Division-II. As it turns out, I don’t belong to any groups that recognize my vote, so it doesn’t actually mean anything, it is just something I do every year. Although I still believe it to be true. Noah Charron (only member of the 100-point club in Goffstown history), Max Lajeunesse (one of the best forwards the Grizzlies have ever had, just ask Windham), Brett Branscum (love his effort, hustle, and the goal at Spaulding), Michael Fortin (glad he came back this season and loved his energy), and Ethan Smith (love his attitude and wish him a sensational baseball season this spring) will most certainly be missed.

This group also did something a little different this season as they went about their commitment to community service and volunteering. Over the last several seasons the Friends of Goffstown Hockey has asked each senior class to participate in a “charity of choice” event, as a legacy project. The concept was designed, in part, as a vehicle by which the team could give back to our community. A community that has been so supportive of the Goffstown Ice Hockey Program.

One definition of a Legacy Project reads simply like this. The concept of legacy is a powerful life tool for all ages and a catalyst for social change. Legacy is about life and living. It’s about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future.

So, this season, instead of raising money through an event largely run by parents, the Seniors decided to take a more ‘hands-on’ approach and work with a local group that serves breakfast to Manchester’s homeless. The group, Do You Know Him? Ministries, serves more than 225 hot breakfast meals every Saturday and Sunday. All the players from our Goffstown High School hockey team served breakfast Sunday, February 11th at the Salvation Army starting at 5am. The hockey team also folded and bagged more than 450 pairs of socks that were donated by a volunteer network known as the Telephone Pioneers. The socks were handed out on Sunday as well. The team also decided to donate money taken in over two home games and cut a check to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Tremendous effort and example in getting their hands dirty and being involved.

Huge thanks to Karen Charron for creating the slideshow again this season. Even more thanks for sharing it with me and trusting me with her efforts.

Then, no matter how I slice it, it was over. The memories will live on, especially if I have anything to say about it. I love that for as many years as I can remember Goffstown Hockey isn’t if ever, mentioned in pre-season rankings. Yet, they have qualified for the post-season 11 straight seasons. I love that our kids battle, play hard, and succeed way more than they fail, regardless of who thought they could or couldn’t. I love that they are good kids. So many, many people noticed this season’s camaraderie and teamwork amongst the group. It was contagious, and the seats began to fill up over at Sullivan Arena, which everyone but our opponents loved. I hope that continues into next season and for many seasons to come. Folks, Goffstown has a really good hockey program, starting from the coaching staff right through to the manager. I don’t care what anyone outside our community says. This program is solid. The game presentation is second to none, in any division. Perhaps one day soon, the Grizzlies will lift a championship Trophy in hockey over their heads, and skate a victory lap around the ice sheet, but even if they don’t, they are winning more battles on and off the ice than they are losing, by a long shot. And that is Goffstown Grizzlies hockey, a sign of the times.

“…Just stop your crying
Have the time of your life…

…And things are pretty good from here
Remember everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here…”

~ Sign of the times

Artist: Harry Styles

Album: Harry Styles

Released: 2017

Songwriter(s): Harry Styles; Jeff Bhasker; Mitch Rowland; Ryan Nasci; Alex Salibian; Tyler Johnson

Label: Erskine; Columbia;