High School Hockey News

CHAMPIONS CROWNED

Congratulations to the recently crowned 2024 Champions. Championships were held last Saturday at the SNHU Arena.  In the Girls Division, Hanover squeaked by Oyster River-Portsmouth 2-1.  It marked the thirteenth Championship for the Bears in the seventeen contested matches.

In Division I, Londonderry upended top ranked Windham by a score of 5-2 to claim their first Championship.

Oyster River blanked Spaulding by the score of 3-0 in the Division II Championship.  The championship was the first for Oyster River.

In the Division III Championship, Berlin-Gorham shutout Pembroke-Campbell by a 2-0 score.  The Championship was the fifth in Division III for Berlin (Berlin-Gorham) in addition to their nine Division I Championships they’ve earned.

ALL-STATE SELECTIONS

The 2023-24 NHIAA All-State Hockey Teams as selected by the NH High School Coaches Association.  Certificates are provided by the NH Legends of Hockey and will be mailed to their Athletic Directors next week.

Girls Division

Coach of the Year: Aaron House (Kingswood)
Player of the Year: Ava Bartoli Berlin-Gorham-Kennett

To view First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention as well as previous years Click Here.

Division I

Coach of the Year: Shawn Dunn (Windham)
Player of the Year: Cam Keaveney (Exeter)

To view First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention as well as previous years Click Here.

Division II

Coach of the Year: Jamie Ferullo (Spaulding)
Player of the Year: Conor Dunn (Merrimack)

To view First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention as well as previous years Click Here.

Division III

Coach of the Year:  Justin Garzia (Kearsarge-Plymouth)
Player of the Year: Kolin Melanson (Berlin-Gorham)

To view First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention as well as previous years Click Here.

SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME

This Sunday The New Hampshire Legends of Hockey will host a Senior game at 12:00 pm at The Rinks at Exeter.  Players from Divisions I, II and III were selected by the coaches from their division.  The game is sponsored by New Hampshire Distributors and players will receive complimentary Ghost Energy drinks after the game.  Players have been divided into four teams and will play a round-robin again the other three teams.  Each period will be 25 minute running time, with ice resurfacing half-way through the second game.  Players should arrive between 11:00-11:15.  Teams will be donning the NH Legends jerseys for these games.  There is no admission charge, but donations are welcomed.   To view the program with team rosters Click Here.

Some of the players from this game will be selected by the coaches to compete against Vermont this June.  The 32nd Annual Men’s & 27th Annual Women’s VT/NH All-Star Hockey Classic benefiting Make-A-Wish Vermont and Make-A-Wish New Hampshire will take place at the Gutterson Field House at the University of Vermont on June 29th.  Start times have not yet been determined.   The Skills competition will be held Friday night. date.  The New Hampshire Senior All-Star Team will be selected by the Coaches Association after today’s action.

Those players selected to represent New Hampshire for the Boy’s team will be contacted by the coaches in the near future.  Go to http://www.allstarhockeyclassicvtnh.org/ for details of the Vermont event for our Boys and Girls teams.

AROUND THE BOARDS – MARCH 2024

In this month’s issue we will touch on the following: Our 2024 Supporter Campaign; NHIAA State Championship Games and the Senior All-Star Classic and Golf Classic.

2023 All Star Double Header

SUPPORTER CAMPAIGN:

Through March 7, 2024 we have 94 supporters so far, to view our current list CLICK HERE.  Many thanks to all of you for your support and we hope many others of you will join or rejoin in the coming weeks. CLICK HERE to read the complete article on the Supporters Campaign from January 2. Thanks go out in advance, to all of you joining this spring. You can mail a check or pay online.

NHIAA HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:

Championship games will take place this Saturday at the SNHU Arena in Manchester.    Good luck to each of the 8 teams who will compete for the 2024 crown this year.

10:00  AM – GIRLS DIVISION – #2 Hanover vs #4 Oyster River-Portsmouth
12:15   PM –  DIVISION II – #2 Oyster River vs #8 Spaulding
2:45    PM – DIVISION III – #1 Berlin-Gorham vs #2 Pembroke Campbell
5:00   PM – DIVISION I – #1 Windham vs #2 Londonderry

Please confirm with NHIAA.org website or your local school for any schedule changes.

NHIAA SENIOR ALL-STAR CLASSIC:

The New Hampshire Legends of Hockey will once again host the Boy’s Senior All-Star Classic which will be held on Sunday March 17th at The Rinks at Exeter beginning at 12:00 noon.  Coaches from each of the three divisions are currently selecting and dividing the All-Stars into four teams (9 forwards, 5 defensemen and 2 goalies).  Each of the four teams will play the others in one 25 minute running game.  Once again, New Hampshire Distributors is the sponsor and will be providing Ghost Energy beverages after the games to the players.  Admission is free – but donations are welcomed.

Players from this round-robin will be selected by the coaches in attendance to represent New Hampshire against Vermont at UVM.

GOLF CLASSIC:

Save the date reminders went out in January to all the golfers from our successful 2023 Golf Classic.  Those golfers should receive this year’s golf brochure by April 1, and all payments for players are due May 30th.

We do anticipate a sellout once again. We hope to see you July 12th at the Stonebridge Country Club. This year we will open re-registration at 7:00 am and will continue through 8:00 AM with our start slated for 8:30 AM.  CLICK HERE to open and print entry form. The first 132 are guaranteed to play.

 

2024 Supporter Campaign Underway

There are four types of annual Support Levels: White $25; Blue $50; Red $100; Platinum $150 or more. This year, supporters at the Red level will receive a a pair of lined deerskin gloves or mittens from Fargo Apparel with our Legends logo laser engraved. Platinum level supporter will receive and a grey, long-sleeve ¼ zip jersey from OGIO golf. See complete details below and on our brochure.

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2024 Nominations Open

NH Legends Certificate

The Legends Hockey Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor those men and women who have made significant contributions to sport of ice hockey in New Hampshire by their participation as Players, Coaches, Builders, Officials or as members of the Media. Through our first Twenty-one years, one hundred and fifty-four deserving individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

If you know of anyone you feel may be a qualified Hall of Fame candidate, the Legends committee encourages you research and submit a nomination form for consideration of this high honor in any one of the above categories.

NH Legends of Hockey Policies and Procedures for Nomination states, “It is important that any nominee be of high moral character and the Induction Committee and Board of Directors shall consider such matters when considering candidates for induction.”

ELIGIBILITY FOR INDUCTION To be eligible for induction in the Player category, the individual must: a) have been born or raised in New Hampshire and played ice hockey at an exemplary level; or b) while an active player, have made a significant contribution to the sport of ice hockey in New Hampshire.

To be eligible for induction in non-player categories, the individual must: a) have made significant contributions to the sport of ice hockey in New Hampshire: or b) have made significant contributions to the sport of ice hockey while residing in New Hampshire.

In addition, each individual’s contribution may be different. Also to be considered will be the nominee’s ability, sportsmanship or character, or a combination of these qualities.

Nominations must be received prior to March 1, 2024. We have included a copy of the Sample Nomination Form for Sandy Sistare which was submitted by Jane Kalinski. This should help you with your nomination process.

If you have questions or need assistance with the nomination process, please contact any one of the New Hampshire Legend’s board of directors who are listed on the web site. You may also contact our Executive Director, Jim Hayes, at 743hayes@gmail.com or 603-731-4168.

Lastly, please visit our NH Legends of Hockey Facebook Page and “Like Us” to receive our upcoming Facebook posts.

Selected individuals will be recognized at our next Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, scheduled for October 20, 2024. At that time, we will also be honoring the NH Women’s Select (Youth) team.

Legends Enshrine Five

Master of Ceremony Ken Cail and the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey Board of Directors inducted five new members into the New Hampshire Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2023, in front of a crowd of more than 300 family members, friends, dignitaries and other guests.

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Twenty-first Induction Ceremony Tickets on Sale

Tickets are now available to the general public. Tickets for the luncheon and ceremony are $40 and the deadline to purchase those is October 13th. A crowd of 275 to 325 is anticipated.

The festivities begin with the social hour at 11:30 and this year, Master of Ceremony Ken Cail will kick off the induction and celebration at 12:30 pm. The induction ceremony will be held at the Grappone Conference Center. Address for the center is 60 Commercial Street in Concord.

The program includes Brian Murphy as the Keynote Speaker. Murphy was inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame last fall. Brian officiated for 32 years in the NHL and retired at the conclusion of the 2019 season. In May of 2020 he was named Supervisor of men’s officials for the Hockey East Association. In addition, Murphy is being inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on December 6th in Boston.

We are pleased to announce St. Paul’s School is once again our Luncheon Sponsor, New Hampshire Amateur Hockey Association and Werner Mazda will be our two Title Sponsors, nucar Automotive Group is our Ring Sponsor and New Hampshire Distributors and the NH Mountain Kings are our two Social Hour Sponsors.

At this time, the Presenting Sponsorship is available, as are Gold, Silver and Bronze Opportunities. Businesses or individuals wishing to assist with sponsorship or purchase tickets, please contact Executive Director Jim Hayes. Click here to view our sponsorship form. Our non-profit Tax ID is 56-242-1910.

Deadline is October 5th for sponsorships. Contact Executive Director Jim Hayes for more details. His contact information is hayes743@concast.net and 603-731-4168.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees include Mick Mounsey who will be inducted as a Player; Nelson Hutchings will be inducted as an Official and Dave Caron, Walter J. Nadeau will be inducted as Builders as is Paul Comeau, who is being inducted posthumously. To read the May news release on the inductees click here.

In addition, the Concord Eastern Olympics Hockey Club and their history will also be honored this year.

2023 Golf Classic Results

Last Friday, July 14th, the board of directors held their seventeenth NH Legends of Hockey Golf Classic at the Stonebridge Country Club in Goffstown.

The event was kicked off with a message from John Normand, President of the (Legends). He thanked the players, volunteers, board members and the thirty-two generous sponsors led by long-time Gold Sponsor St. Paul’s School, along with nucar Automotive Group and The Rinks at Exeter. In addition, eighty-eight businesses and individuals donated wonderful certificates and items for our raffle and auction, all of which makes our Golf Classic the successful tournament it has become known for.

Click here to view our thirty-two sponsors. To view the businesses and individuals who donated gifts in kind to our golf classic click here.

He also acknowledged the twelve Hall of Famers in attendance.  Lee Blossom; Dick Boucher; Ryan Brandt; Chris Brown; Dick Dodds; Mark Evans; Rene LeClerc; Roger Letourneau; Bruce Parker; Ken McKinnon; Steve Murphy (and John Normand completes the list).

The Class of 2023 will be inducted on October 22 at Concord’s Grappone Center at the Twenty-first Legends of Hockey Induction Ceremony. Mick Mounsey will be inducted as a Player; Nelson Hutchings will be inducted as an Official and Dave Caron, Walter J. Nadeau will be inducted as Builders as is Paul Comeau, who is being inducted posthumously.

In addition, the Concord Eastern Olympics Hockey Club and their history will also be honored this year. Click here to read a press release for the five incoming Hall of Famers.

In addition, John asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of two spouses of long-time board members, Mary Ellen Gould and Virginia Martin – and to former board member Jay High who all passed since last year’s Golf Classic.

A full field of one hundred and thirty-two players had a blast and the course was once again top notch (even with the rain) led by General Manger Jason Jozokos and his entire team at Stonebridge.

Photographs Seven-hundred and one photographs taken by Matt Parker Photography can be viewed at no charge and any can be purchased for a nominal fee. Please visit his site by clicking here. You may enter your name in search bar to view photos. There is a small sample of photos at the bottom of this article.

Dan Smith lets go his putt at the nucar Putting Contest

 

Ken “Captain” McKinnon, Dave Kruse, Tom Foote and Steve Rich

Volunteers Our volunteers worked very hard all-day long keeping the registration, raffle and on course contests running smoothly. Many thanks to Matthew Murray, Sean McDonough and Chrissi Patterson of Vachon Clukay & Company PC of Manchester as well as Nancy Swenson; Joanie Vallieres; Lynda Heath; Sandy Adams and Julie Sedgwick all who worked tirelessly to ensure the re-registration and raffle ran smoothly.

And on the putting green, board members Dick Boucher, Dan Zapton and Jack Mudge led the putting contest where ultimately, Dave Kruse was crowned the champion for 2023.

In addition, on the “Scott “Ace” Citroni Hole”, Hole 4, board member Eric Swenson, HOF Jim Rivers led volunteers which included Kearsarge Youth Hockey Association (KYH) representatives Stephanie Perkins and her son Bridger. On Hole 13, board member Ray Bernard and HOF Steve Murphy along with Dara Gove and daughter Lynlee Gove (Kearsarge) also helped raised funds towards their equipment purchases.

In addition to the NH Legends of Hockey donation to KYH. The Samantha C. Smith board elected to donate $3,000 in memory of Jay High to the Kearsarge Youth Hockey program. Click here to read the full story.

The following board members got a chance to play, but also volunteered many hours to help make this event a great success: Peter Bedford; Dave Corriveau; Mike Gould; Jim Hayes; Roland Martin; John Normand; Dwayne Robinson and Dan Smith.

 

 

Team Psychedelic Psychos Dick Turelli, John Filyaw, Dwayne Robinson and Dan Borden enjoying Scenic IPAs

 

Congratulations to our Champions, Mark Placy, Don Steenbeke Jr, George Colburn and Lee Blossom.

 

Putting Contest Directors Jack Mudge, Dick Boucher and Dan Zapton

POST GOLF AUCTION. Still some great items available, BUY NOW only. 

All Champions

2023 – Lee Blossom, Mark Placy, Don Steenbeke Jr., George Colburn
2022 – Lee Blossom, Ryan Sahr, Mark Placy, Don Steenbeke Jr.
2021 – Mark Bozek, George Chase, Bob Oziomek, Tim Pratt
2019 – Lee Blossom, Ryan Sahr, Mark Placy, Don Steenbeke Jr.
2018 – Mike Desmond, Mike Bayer, Jason Bergeron, Scott O’Neil
2017 – Lee Blossom, Ryan Sahr, JM Sahr, Scott Towle
2016 – Lee Blossom, Mark Placy, Ryan Sahr, JM Sahr
2015 – Rene LeClerc, Pete Ackerson, Steve Grzywacz, Dave Kuhman
2014 – Todd Philbrick, Tom Otto, Jim Corbett, Jerry Collins
2013 – Dick Dodds, John Dodds, Scott Peters, Dean Cashman
2012 – Chris Chisholm, Jim Hayes, Ray Martin, Pat McNicholas
2011 – Casey Kesselring, Jeff Graham, Mike Beliveau, Trevor Smith
2010 – Chris Chisholm, Jim Hayes, Ray Martin, Pat McNicholas
2009 – Mike Castagna, Paul Lemire, Doug Leppart, Doug Snyder
2008 – Chris Chisholm, Jim Hayes, Ray Martin, TJ Whitelaw
2007 – Mike Castagna, Mike Ladouceur, Johnna Lory, Rich Tombs
2006 – Ken Roberge, Mike McGinn, Glen Williams, Dwayne Robinson

2024 Golf Classic Mark your calendar now for next year’s Golf Classic scheduled for Friday July 12, 2024.  The 2024 shot-gun start will be at 8:30.  Registration will begin at 7:15 and continue to 8:00 am.

To view the tournament program click here.

  • Roland Martin II, Roland Martin, Mike Martin and Tim Roberts.

  • Dave Kuhman, Rene LeClerc, Steve Grzywacz and Pete Ackerson

  • Gerry Bergeron, Ed Staph, Scott Richards and Ken Collins.

  • Steve Rich, Dave Kruse and Tom Foote

  • Stephanie Wilkinson, Todd Montwill, Pete Lafauci and Alex Pearl

  • Parker Mabbett

  • Dan Smith, Jim Hayes and Jim Rivers

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NH High School All-Stars Take on VT

The Make-A-Wish All-Star Hockey Classic returns for another year at Gutterson Fieldhouse this weekend.

The Vermont and New Hampshire boys will square off for the 31st time on Saturday, July 1, while the girls game reaches is set for its 26th meeting. The showcase features the top graduated high school seniors of Vermont and Hampshire.

The girls contest is slated to start at 4 p.m., the boys game at approximately 6:30. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students (ages 7-17). Children 6 and under are free.

On Friday night there will be a skills competition.

The boy’s team will be coached by Mike Young, Tyler Briand and Chris Hitchcock of Dover, and Paul DiMarino and Henrik Barbin of Exeter. Both Young and DiMarino serve of the Legends Board of Directors The girl’s team will be led by John Dodds, Tucker Garrity-Hanchett and Alex Dodds of Hanover and Jamie Long of Oyster River. John Dodds is in the NH Legends of Hockey Hall of Fame. To view the NH boy’s roster click here and for the girl’s click here.

Here’s the link for this weekend-

https://www.dppgnetwork.com/watch-dppg

The skills competition, girls game, and boys game can all be seen LIVE & on-demand through their link as well as through their Roku channel.

All viewing options are free to watch live and on-demand through their website & Roku channel. There will be an option to download the film through the DP Production Group website at a minimal cost. Viewing through the DP Production website is always free.

MAKE A WISH
Make-A-Wish began in 1980, when a seven-year-old boy in Phoenix, Arizona with leukemia expressed his wish to be a police officer. A group of officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety granted his wish by giving him a custom-made uniform, helmet, badge and even a helicopter ride! The young boy’s delight in having his wish granted inspired the group to form an organization which would grant the special wishes of other children.

Any child between 2 1/2 and 18 years of age who has been determined by their physician to have a life-threatening medical condition is eligible for a wish. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to eligible children regardless of race, religion or socioeconomic status.

The average cost a wish is more than $10,000. Money for these wishes is raised by fund-raising events such as the All-Star Hockey Classic and through the generosity of corporations and people in our communities.

Make-A-Wish® New Hampshire celebrates over 30 years of granting wishes to children battling life-threatening medical conditions. The chapter has granted over 1,600 wishes to date. Alex’s wish for a synthetic ice hockey rink in his backyard makes this continued partnership all the more exciting, as we continue to strive to grant the wish of every eligible child in New Hampshire. For more information on the New Hampshire chapter, please visit www.nh.wish.org, find us on Facebook Make-A-Wish New Hampshire, follow us on Twitter @MakeAWishNH or give us a call at (603)623-9474.

Make-A-Wish® Vermont, established in 1989, grants wishes to Vermont children facing life-threatening medical conditions.  The Vermont chapter’s first wish was a trip for Bonnie, an 11-year-old girl, to meet her favorite television characters: Larry, Darryl, and Darryl of the Bob Newhart Show.  Since that time, the Vermont chapter has granted the wish of every medically-eligible child referred to us, over 830 wishes to date.  For more information on the Vermont chapter, please visit www.vermont.wish.org, like us on Facebook.com/makeawishvt, follow us on Twitter.com/MakeAWishVT, or call us at (802) 864-9393.

HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023 ANNOUNCED

The New Hampshire Legends of Hockey is pleased to announce the five inductees who will make up its 21st Hall of Fame class:

Mick Mounsey will be inducted as a Player; Nelson Hutchings will be inducted as an Official and Dave Caron, Walter J. Nadeau will be inducted as Builders as is Paul Comeau, who is being inducted posthumously.

They will be formally enshrined during a ceremony on October 22, 2023. The ceremony will be held at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

The Hall of Fame Induction luncheon tickets will be available to the general public on September 1st. Please contact executive director Jim Hayes at hayes743@comcast.net or (603) 731-4168.

Here is a closer look at the inductees.

Mick Mounsey: A state champion at Concord High School playing with his big sister, future U.S. Olympic gold medalist Tara Mounsey, Mick went on to become one of the best defensemen in UNH history. He played four years for the Wildcats from 2000-04, winning two Hockey East championships and helping the team reach two Frozen Fours. His 157 games played rank among the most in program history, and he enjoyed a brief career in the ECHL, winning a Kelly Cup with the Idaho Steelheads.

Nelson Hutchings: Now 99 years young, Hutchings has spent the last 45 years as the scorekeeper and publicity agent for the Rochester Men’s Hockey League. Born in Portsmouth in 1923, he is set to turn 100 in July. It is estimated that Hutchings has been on hand for roughly 2,900 league contests, rarely missing a game. In addition to keeping the clock and the scoresheet, he would also report results and stats to local newspapers.

Dave Caron. A native of Biddeford, Maine, who now makes his home in Belmont, Caron is credited with spearheading the creation of the Belmont-Gilford cooperative team, bringing together a diverse network of people to garner community support and, ultimately, NHIAA approval. He also served as a coach and on the Board of Directors for the Lakes Region Lakers from 1982 to 2011, and as a USA Hockey official from 1989 to 2019.

Walter J. Nadeau: A native of Berlin, Nadeau’s more than 30 years of service to the Berlin and Coos County Historical Society has established him as the keeper of the hockey legend in Berlin, overseeing a permanent exhibit that celebrates the city’s long and successful hockey history. He served as a board member and secretary in that organization, and currently serves as vice president. He spent more than two years researching and editing biographies, and acquiring photos, of the 40 Legends of Hockey members from Berlin as part of that exhibit.

Paul Comeau: For nearly 30 years, Comeau was actively involved in youth hockey in both the state’s Seacoast region and also at the state level for USA Hockey. Paul also served as President of NHAHA for several years. Born in Everett, Mass., he grew up in Salisbury and served many years as the president of New Hampshire East youth hockey before later becoming the Director of Hockey for that organization. He also wore the hats of coach, official and game scheduler during his tenure, helping make the game accessible to scores of youth across the region.

Around the Boards – March 2023

In this month’s issue we will touch on the following: Our 2023 Supporter Campaign; Hall of Fame Museum – Videos; Golf Classic and the Concord Eastern Olympics.

SUPPORTER CAMPAIGN:

Through March 23, 2023 here are the results of our 96 overall supporters and our 35 current Hall of Fame Supporters. Many thanks to all of you for your support and we hope many others of you will join or rejoin in the coming weeks. CLICK HERE to read the complete article on the Supporters Campaign from January 1. Thanks go out in advance, to all of you joining in February. You can mail a check or pay online.

HALL OF FAME:

Within our Hall of Fame you may view a wonderful history of our Induction Ceremonies dating back to 2004 as well as footage of the Concord Coachmen and the 1932 Winter Olympic games in Lake Placid. CLICK HERE to check out the videos on our Legends Museum Video Clips page.

GOLF CLASSIC:

Save the date reminders went out to all the golfers from our successful 2022 Golf Classic. Next week we will mail the Golf Classic brochure to all of last year’s golfers. Don’t have your chance to play be eliminated due to tardiness – and we do anticipate a sellout once again. See you in July on the 14th at Stonebridge Country Club. This year we a opening re-registration at 8:45 with our NEW START TIME of 10:00 am. CLICK HERE to open and print entry form. The first 132 are guarantied to play.

Concord Eastern Olympics Logo

CONCORD EASTERN OLYMPICS:

At this fall’s twenty-first Induction Ceremony the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey will also honor the great history of the Concord Eastern Olympics who played in the late sixties through the 1973-74 season. When it was formally announced at last fall’s induction ceremony in attendance were the following players from that team. Bill Seabury, Chuck Kyle, Roger Letourneau, Bruce Parker, Burns Hovey and Steve Murphy and many others will be there this fall. CLICK HERE to view the Eastern Olympics All-Time Scoring individual records which were meticulously prepared and archived by Charlie Dave each and every game.

Capital Sports of Concord are making up some Eastern Olympics hats of which a few lucky people will randomly win at the ceremony. So please plan on coming to help us recognize our new inductees and honor the Concord Eastern Olympics.