Your Sophomore year of ORHS varsity hockey had highs and lows and was a great learning experience. With 10 seniors onboard, Oyster River was one of the top teams all season, ranked #2 behind a talented St. Thomas squad. Your coach favored the first two lines, so they consistently got the vast majority of playing time. Sophomore and Freshman players only got the green light if and when a sizable lead had been built up. Otherwise, very infrequent action.

This strategy backfired on occasions when there just wasn’t any gas left in the tanks of first and second line players. The other issue I saw (or felt) as an observer (you know far better), was a growing sense of over-confidence among the veteran players. On many occasions, the first two lines didn’t hustle and play hard through all three periods. The vibe seemed to be “we’re awesome, we’ve got this,” vs. earning every single minute and never giving up, taking it game by game vs. looking ahead to face #1 St. Thomas in the State Championship.

On March 5, in the Quarterfinal round at the Whit, ORHS met #7 Merrimack, handily beating them 4-0. An optimistic start!

Next up was a March 9 semifinal round meeting vs. Portsmouth-Newmarket. The game was held in Concord at Everett Arena, site of many prior disappointments in ORHS varsity hockey history (ditto in your younger years). Your Dad said the place has legitimate bad voodoo, and he’s right. Unfortunately, this proved to be true once again, as the Clipper-Mules defeated ORHS 5-4, crushing expectations of a state championship. St. Thomas ended up winning the big prize 7-1 after defeating the Clipper-Mules.

It was a disappointing ending to a very promising season but you saw and learned a lot, improving your confidence along the way. I know you’ll always remember the lessons! Next season will be a whole new vibe – it’ll be your Junior year and you’ll move up to the lead position. When your team advances to the playoffs in your final two years, remember to take it one game at a time, keeping expectations in line, playing with determination and relentlessness every game. Proud of you Cam and can’t wait for the 2022-2-23 season!

Big game last night at UNH’s Whittemore Center rink with your #2 Oyster River Bobcats battling #1 St. Thomas. The winner would claim the regular season title and draw a bye in the upcoming NH Division 2 playoff tournament beginning March 4.

Our favorite player, OR Junior forward #8 Cam Beaupre and his talented teammates have steadily bonded and come together as a unified machine in a challenging rebuilding year following the loss of nine graduating seniors this past June. Amazing considering there are only three seniors!

The matchup was everything people were expecting except for the final ORHS outcome. With the Saints leading 3-2 and the clock winding down in the third period, Beyer’s second goal of the game was his biggest with 3:52 left in regulation. OR then followed with a goal (Beyer) that sent the game to overtime. Exciting, the Whit was all abuzz. Unfortunately, with 3:24 to play in overtime, STA found the back of the net and the Saints pulled out the 4-3 win. Dang!

St, Thomas Aquinas (13-4-1), the defending Division II state champions, will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament, while Oyster River (12-6) will be No. 2. A fantastic regular season for Oyster River, hold your heads up high!