MANCHESTER – The Crimson Tide will wonder about this one.
They’ll wonder how a three-goal deficit turned into seven, how 21 shots didn’t turn into anything, how a run to the state final built on disciplined defense, aggressive scoring and a crisp power play came to such an uncharacteristic end in a 7-0 loss to Bedford in the Division I state championship.
Perhaps the time spent packing their gear in a silent locker room was enough to reflect as the Bedford room across the hall bellowed in raucous cheers.
Perhaps Concord Coach Dunc Walsh found time to do the same as he wandered quietly through the bowels of SNHU Arena while his team readied to depart.
Walsh has seen more than most in today’s high school hockey landscape with 27 years behind the Tide bench. But the disappointment of a season’s end doesn’t wane, particularly at this stage.
That’s why it was hard for Walsh to reflect on his team’s impressive 17-4 season minutes after watching Bedford (19-1-1) accept its second state title in as many years.
“It was a great season. It’s just a sour taste in our mouth right now the way this ended,” Walsh said. “I though the potential was there that (Bedford) could handle us pretty good, but I didn’t think they would. I thought we’d play better and we just made mistakes.”
The mistakes were few but costly. Jay Roberto (three goals, two assists) assisted on Griffin Gagne’s goal for a 1-0 lead 3:17 into the game and then added two goals himself 23 seconds apart shortly after. Roberto scored on two juicy rebounds that quickly exposed a lapse in Concord’s defense.
“(Those) two were just shots, rebounds and we didn’t pick up guys in front of the net,” Walsh said. “We can’t do that against them.”
Three goals can seem like just a handful in a bundle of seven, but Bedford Coach Marty Myers said they were critical to delivering the Bulldogs to another championship.
“We wanted to get the puck to the net, we didn’t get as much in shots as we wanted,” Myers said. “First period, (Concord was) pretty aggressive offensively and we were fortunate that we got those three that we got. It certainly helped the momentum of the game.”
Walsh called a timeout after Roberto’s second goal to reset and send a message that the game was far from its end.
“There’s so much game left, try to chip away,” he said. “It’s 3-0 six minutes into the game. There’s tons of game left, just chip away at it.”
Concord didn’t allow another goal in the first and ended the period with a significant shot advantage, 13-5. But three goals on the Bulldogs’ first four shots was a deep hole to emerge from.
“A game like this, it sucks even more because I honestly feel like we controlled the play, and they only had 15 shots and we just couldn’t find the back of the net,” senior co-captain Alex Marceau said.
Marceau’s evaluation rings true. The Tide did control the puck for most of the first period as well as the second, despite allowing two more points to be added on Bedford’s side of the scoreboard.
But while Concord couldn’t convert on offense, even with their well rehearsed power play attack, Bedford turned several narrow opportunities into a wide deficit the Tide could not span.
“The opportunities we did have we just couldn’t capitalize on,” Marceau said. “A couple empty-netters that we missed, tap-ins that we missed, a couple shots from the slot that we either mishandled or missed the net. Every little bounce was going their way. Give them credit, they capitalized on their chances.”
Colin Voloshin offended the Tide’s power play with a shorthanded goal 2:26 into the second period. Gagne struck again less than two minutes later to make it 5-0, and Roberto completed a hat trick on a power-play goal with 3:31 left in the second period.
“The shorthanded goal really put a dagger in us and then the fifth goal and … we’re not going to get six against them,” Walsh said.
Concord goaltender Spencer Burgess, who allowed a single goal through the Tide’s first two playoff games, was replaced by Griffin Gilbert in the third period. Gilbert allowed one goal in the third, scored by Bedford’s Jacob Rioux.
Concord entered the season motivated by the lingering disappointment of last year’s loss in the quarterfinals. For the younger players who will don Crimson sweaters again in November, maybe this game will motivate them in the same way, perhaps even more.
For the seniors who removed their Tide-decaled helmets for a final time, they’ll focus on the way their last season unfolded, not the way it ended.
“It’s a great team,” Marceau said. “I’ve never played with better kids than the ones in there. Things didn’t go our way, but when you look back on the season it was a hell of an effort, a hell of a ride and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.”