MANCHESTER, NH – Dan Belliveau grew up skating against Central High School. The former Nashua High player, now head coach at Merrimack High School, said he saw glimpses Wednesday of the Little Green teams that used to give the rest of the state fits when his Tomahawks faced the Central/West co-op team at Manchester’s West Side Arena.
“You know, back in my day, Central was always a powerhouse, and now it looks like they’ve got some good coaches over there that are doing some of the right things,” said Belliveau. “They really looked good out there against us at times.”
Though that reality wasn’t necessarily reflected in the game’s 9-4 final score, it was a first period that saw eight combined penalties and a 5-1 start by the Tomahawks that was the difference in the game.
Part of the reason for the slow start, said Central/West head coach Eric Fischer, was the reality that Wednesday’s contest was the first of the season that featured his full complement of players.
“With all those early penalties, we got out of order and out of sync, but they picked it up in that second period and kind of brought the intensity up,” said Fischer. “You know, Merrimack was here to play and I think we came out trying to feel things out. But once they started hitting and playing physical, my guys responded really well.”
The Little Green Knights (0-3) came to life in the second period, creating several quality scoring opportunities but lighting the lamp only once when captain Aiden Kelley slipped past Merrimack’s power-play units to score a short-handed goal five minutes into the frame.
Merrimack (3-0) scored two goals in the final five minutes of the period to retake momentum, but Central/West won the third period thanks to a tally by Kelley with 1:23 remaining on the clock.
“They’ve got a couple of kids who can really play well and shoot the puck well and pass the puck well,” said Belliveau. “They put forth 110-percent effort out there, which was great to see.”
Fischer said his goal is to continue to gel as a team and to be competitive the rest of the way. He also hopes to take advantage of the reality that all teams make the playoffs this season, which should afford his players some valuable experience on the state’s biggest stage.
“We’re looking for that first win,” said Fischer. “You know, it’s been a couple seasons now, but we’re getting there, and hopefully as the year goes on we can be more competitive from start to finish.”
The Little Green Knights are scheduled to host 3-2 Bishop Brady Thursday at 4:10 p.m. before traveling to the seacoast to face Hampton-based Winnacunnet (1-2-1) Friday night at 7:15.
“We’re working hard,” said Fischer. “We’ve got a good group of kids, they wear the ‘CW’, and there’s not a West and there’s not a Central, they’re just a great group of kids who support each other.”
Game notes: In addition to Aiden Kelley’s two goals, he assisted on two Matt LaForge tallies as well, while Owen Kelley also contributed to the scoring off a third-period assist from Sam Louis.
