MANCHESTER – It was the game’s first shift and Braiden Moriarty had to do some quick thinking.
He could either head for the bench and a line change or stay out there and see what developed. The sophomore forward chose the latter and it couldn’t have worked out better.
Moriarty took a short centering feed from Cam Beaupre and flipped a backhander into the net on the first shot just 47 seconds into the Division II championship game Saturday afternoon at Southern New Hampshire University Arena.
“I was supposed to change,” Moriarty said. “I was supposed to get off, but I decided to jump in the rush. I saw an opening in a gap. I just figured, you know what, I’ll try to make something happen out of this for the team. Cam usually on those types of plays will hit me right away and I can usually bury them.”
As it turned out that’s all the Oyster River High School boys hockey team needed in an eventual 3-0 victory over Spaulding as the Bobcats captured the program’s first state title in their seventh attempt.
“That was huge,” Oyster River head coach Peter Harwood. “All the players, and I’d say myself too, you don’t know what to expect in the first period. Everybody’s playing with nerves. They hear everybody say we haven’t won yet when we’re here. To see somebody come out and score in the first (47) seconds … we needed that.”
Defense shines again for Bobcats in title run
Oyster River once again employed a revamped defense that yielded few Grade A scoring opportunities.
“Coming here and executing what we planned to do, it couldn’t have been better,” said senior defenseman and co-captain Cayden Giordani. “One of the reasons we made it so far is that we’re able to get up quick and hold that lead with our strong defense.”
The second-seeded Bobcats (16-3-2) ended the season on an 11-game win streak in which they allowed only 11 goals and never more than two in any game along with four shutouts.
Oyster River gave up only two goals in three playoff games including back-to-back shutouts in the semifinal and final, outscoring Alvirne-Milford and Spaulding by a combined 7-0.
Goal in opening minute ‘wakes up’ Spaulding
“Them getting that first goal I think wasn’t actually the worst thing,” said Spaulding coach Jamie Ferullo. “I don’t think it was too deflating for us. It wasn’t ideal but I think it woke us up a little bit.”
The No. 8 Red Raiders, who entered the…
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