> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Weekly rewind: Inside the numbers of New Hampshire hockey - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/weekly-rewind-inside-the-numbers-of-new-hampshire-hockey/ - Published: 2010-12-20T06:38:25.000Z - Updated: 2010-12-20T06:38:25.000Z - Description: The two high school hockey games at Conway Arena on Saturday couldn't have had less of an effect on each other, but Alvirne's Division III win over Souhegan and Bishop Guertin's Division I win over Nashua South had plenty in common. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division I, Division II, Division III-IV, Winter Sports, Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, boys basketball, boys hockey, Brookline, girls basketball, Hollis, Milford, Nashua North, Nashua South, Souhegan, weekly rewind, wrestling, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/bgsouthhockey1218-bg18-2.jpg "BGSouthHockey1218 BG18-2") The two high school hockey games at Conway Arena on Saturday couldn't have had less of an effect on each other, but Alvirne's Division III win over Souhegan and Bishop Guertin's Division I win over Nashua South had plenty in common. The winning teams combined to score 11 goals and put almost 100 shots on net. The losing teams scored no goals and combined for just 19 shots. What led to those disparities in both games seems to be a common theme throughout New Hampshire high school hockey, no matter the division or the school. It almost always comes down to numbers. Souhegan has 15 players on the varsity roster, giving the Sabers enough players to run two lines and two defensive pairings with two goaltenders. It's worked in the past, as Souhegan won three Division III titles in a row a few years back and has made the semifinals for six straight years, for the most part, with similar numbers. But Alvirne has 28 players listed on its roster, and by the third period Saturday, with the Broncos leading 5-0, they were rolling four forward lines. "I think we have two solid lines that can play with anybody and then our third line is strong too," Alvirne coach Brian Gould said. "Other teams are lucky if they have a line and a half. They have some good talent. Souhegan has a good line. We started out rolling three lines and then we went to four." To have three, or even four, lines in Division III is unheard of, and usual powerhouse programs like Kennett and Somersworth - and Bedford a season ago - are among the few teams to able to do that. But it's not much different in the top two divisions either. "They only had 16 skaters and we’re running four lines to their two lines and by the end of the game, it’s really sloppy," Bishop Guertin coach Gary Bishop said of Saturday's second game. "For the first two periods, I thought it was a good up-and-down game and then they tired out." South coach Dan Belliveau agreed that it looked like his team just ran out of gas. "I think it’s more a matter of just numbers," he said. "They had a lot of juice in them for the first period. If we had a longer intermission between periods we might have been able to recharge a little bit." This season, there are a large number of new teams in Division III, teams that are made up of more than one school district. A year ago, Belmont-Gilford and Moultonborough-Inter-Lakes were the only two teams that drew from multiple districts. Four more teams now fit in that category, as Monadnock has added Hinsdale and Laconia has added Winnisquam, and two new teams have come together for this season: Pelham-Windham and Pembroke-Campbell. Since both school districts are counted when determining the enrollment size, Pembroke-Campbell, Pelham-Windham, Laconia-Winnisquam and Belmont-Gilford are four of the largest five teams in the division; Alvirne is the second largest. Don't expect South or Souhegan, or any other area team struggling with numbers, to be teaming up with another district on the ice any time soon. ### So far, so good Both Nashua South coach Nate Mazerolle and Nashua North coach Andy Otocka went into Friday night's Division I boys basketball openers a little anxious. Despite second-half rallies by both their opponents, South and North both escaped with a win in their first games of the year. The Panthers led by 14 at halftime at Concord, but saw that lead evaporate in the third quarter and trailed by two going into the fourth. But an 18-0 run by South put the game away and the Panthers left the Capital City [with a 65-53 win](http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/229726/tide-stalls-in-opener?ref=nh-highschoolsports.com). North went down to the wire against Exeter, holding on for [a 53-51 road victory](http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20101218-SPORTS-12180325?ref=nh-highschoolsports.com) over the Blue Hawks. The Titans had a nine-point lead with under five minutes to play, but saw the lead cut down to one with nine seconds left. An offensive foul on Exeter gave North the ball back, and the Titans were able to close out the win. Both teams have their home opener on Tuesday, as South hosts Salem and North hosts Trinity. ### What to watch Perhaps the biggest boys basketball game of the early season takes place Tuesday night in Division II, as Milford hosts Hollis/Brookline at 6:30 p.m. Anyone planning to go should probably arrive not long after the junior varsity game starts at 5 p.m. Also on Tuesday, a pair of 3-0 girls basketball teams meet in Nashua, as Londonderry heads to Bishop Guertin for a 6:30 start. On the ice, Bishop Guertin heads to Manchester to face Trinity Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Anselm's College. Also on Wednesday, Nashua South wrestling heads to Bishop Guertin and Milford and Souhegan meet up in Amherst. Both matches start at 6 p.m.