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MANCHESTER – The game didn’t start on time and neither did the Oyster River/Portsmouth girls hockey team.
The girls championship game was delayed almost two hours because the Division I boy final wasn’t decided until early in the fourth overtime.
And before they knew it the top-seeded ClipperCats were facing a three-goal deficit and a serious uphill climb less than 9 minutes into their final against nemesis Hanover. The slow start doomed Oyster River/Portsmouth and propelled the third-seeded Bears to a 6-1 win Saturday night at SNHU Arena for their 14th state title.
“I don’t know if it affected us or not,” Oyster River coach Jamie Long said of the delay. “How are we ever going to know, but I don’t think it helped. They had to sit around too, so what am I going to say.”
More: Oyster River girls basketball team falls to No. 2 Milford in Division II championship game
Oyster River/Portsmouth (18-3) trailed 3-0 after one period and 5-1 at the end of two. Senior forward Mallory Desantis scored Oyster River/Portsmouth’s only goal unassisted late in the second period.
“They put us behind the 8-ball quick,” Long said. “They’ve always had a lot of depth and we’ve never been able to match their depth.”
More: St. Thomas Aquinas boys hockey beats Merrimack/Hollis-Brookline/Derryfield in championship
Nora Bradley scored twice for Hanover (16-4), teammate Hannah Gardner had a goal and two assists and Casey Wilkinson had one goal and an assist. The Bears also got goals from Rachel Rockmore and Julia Lawe.
Hanover’s three-goal flurry prompted the shell-shocked ClipperCats to call a timeout to regroup.
“There’s no such thing as a three-point play in hockey so settle down, relax and just play it out,” Long said of the message to his team. “Settle down the best you can.”
“They’re expected to win,” said senior captain Kira Jakobs. “We have nothing to lose. Go out and play your hearts out. The game’s not over at 3-0.”
Oyster River/Portsmouth held the Bears scoreless for the remainder of the period and the first six minutes of the second when Hanover struck for two more goals just 1:25 apart to go up 5-0 and all but settle the issue.
“We win or lose as a team,” Jakobs said. “We really thought we had this one today. We kept our energy high. It’s an unfortunate loss.”
Hanover outshot Oyster River-Portsmouth, 23-16. Oyster River/Portsmouth goalie Sage Bussiere made 17 saves and Hanover’s Eleanor Edson finished with 15 including a beauty on a breakaway by Sienna Metcalf.
“That’s the only team in the state that matches our speed, and we had to try to match theirs,” Long said. “They’re very disciplined. They’re very disciplined and they handle the puck. They’re not weak along the wall. They have the best goaltender in the state in my opinion and she showed it today.”
Oyster River/Portsmouth was making its third straight final appearance and fifth overall, the first two as Oyster River and the last three as a co-op. It was the fourth time they faced Hanover for the title.
“All the other teams in our league we can make mistakes, and our skill level will nullify it,” Long said. “Not this team. If you make a mistake, they make you pay, and they made us pay.”
Oyster River/Portsmouth’s only losses this season came against the Bears while all four of Hanover’s regular-season setbacks were against out-of-state competition. Oyster River/Portsmouth dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bears in last year’s championship game and lost 3-2 to Bishop Guertin in the 2023 final.
“They move the puck well,” Hanover coach John Dodds said of Oyster River/Portsmouth. “They hustle. They never gave up. We knew what we were getting into, and I think we did a pretty good job of matching their speed and moving the puck. It’s really hard when you’re chasing a score. It’s a different game when you get the first goal.”
Entering this year’s tournament the stingy ClippersCats had allowed just one goal over their last five regular-season games with four shutouts and surrendered only three goals in two playoff games.
“Our girls did not stop playing,” Long said of Saturday night's contest. “I judge a team how they play when they’re losing, not when they’re winning. They played like they wanted to win the game still. The girls have a lot of pride.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Oyster River Portsmouth girls hockey falls to Hanover in championship
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The girls championship game was delayed almost two hours because the Division I boy final wasn’t decided until early in the fourth overtime.
And before they knew it the top-seeded ClipperCats were facing a three-goal deficit and a serious uphill climb less than 9 minutes into their final against nemesis Hanover. The slow start doomed Oyster River/Portsmouth and propelled the third-seeded Bears to a 6-1 win Saturday night at SNHU Arena for their 14th state title.
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“I don’t know if it affected us or not,” Oyster River coach Jamie Long said of the delay. “How are we ever going to know, but I don’t think it helped. They had to sit around too, so what am I going to say.”
More: Oyster River girls basketball team falls to No. 2 Milford in Division II championship game
Oyster River/Portsmouth (18-3) trailed 3-0 after one period and 5-1 at the end of two. Senior forward Mallory Desantis scored Oyster River/Portsmouth’s only goal unassisted late in the second period.
“They put us behind the 8-ball quick,” Long said. “They’ve always had a lot of depth and we’ve never been able to match their depth.”
More: St. Thomas Aquinas boys hockey beats Merrimack/Hollis-Brookline/Derryfield in championship
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Nora Bradley scored twice for Hanover (16-4), teammate Hannah Gardner had a goal and two assists and Casey Wilkinson had one goal and an assist. The Bears also got goals from Rachel Rockmore and Julia Lawe.
Hanover’s three-goal flurry prompted the shell-shocked ClipperCats to call a timeout to regroup.
“There’s no such thing as a three-point play in hockey so settle down, relax and just play it out,” Long said of the message to his team. “Settle down the best you can.”
“They’re expected to win,” said senior captain Kira Jakobs. “We have nothing to lose. Go out and play your hearts out. The game’s not over at 3-0.”
Oyster River/Portsmouth held the Bears scoreless for the remainder of the period and the first six minutes of the second when Hanover struck for two more goals just 1:25 apart to go up 5-0 and all but settle the issue.
“We win or lose as a team,” Jakobs said. “We really thought we had this one today. We kept our energy high. It’s an unfortunate loss.”
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Hanover outshot Oyster River-Portsmouth, 23-16. Oyster River/Portsmouth goalie Sage Bussiere made 17 saves and Hanover’s Eleanor Edson finished with 15 including a beauty on a breakaway by Sienna Metcalf.
“That’s the only team in the state that matches our speed, and we had to try to match theirs,” Long said. “They’re very disciplined. They’re very disciplined and they handle the puck. They’re not weak along the wall. They have the best goaltender in the state in my opinion and she showed it today.”
Oyster River/Portsmouth was making its third straight final appearance and fifth overall, the first two as Oyster River and the last three as a co-op. It was the fourth time they faced Hanover for the title.
“All the other teams in our league we can make mistakes, and our skill level will nullify it,” Long said. “Not this team. If you make a mistake, they make you pay, and they made us pay.”
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Oyster River/Portsmouth’s only losses this season came against the Bears while all four of Hanover’s regular-season setbacks were against out-of-state competition. Oyster River/Portsmouth dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bears in last year’s championship game and lost 3-2 to Bishop Guertin in the 2023 final.
“They move the puck well,” Hanover coach John Dodds said of Oyster River/Portsmouth. “They hustle. They never gave up. We knew what we were getting into, and I think we did a pretty good job of matching their speed and moving the puck. It’s really hard when you’re chasing a score. It’s a different game when you get the first goal.”
Entering this year’s tournament the stingy ClippersCats had allowed just one goal over their last five regular-season games with four shutouts and surrendered only three goals in two playoff games.
“Our girls did not stop playing,” Long said of Saturday night's contest. “I judge a team how they play when they’re losing, not when they’re winning. They played like they wanted to win the game still. The girls have a lot of pride.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Oyster River Portsmouth girls hockey falls to Hanover in championship
Continue reading...
