Way to go Cam!!!!
Congrats on your team’s historic Division 2 State Championship win this afternoon at Manchester’s SNHU Arena, 3-0 over #8 seeded Spaulding.
Who would have dreamed when you started playing organized hockey in 2011 that 14 years later you’d be a starting five Oyster River High School Senior standout collecting the first state hockey championship in school history.
Unbelievable
A storybook ending to your hockey career; no one could have scripted a better conclusion. So happy you were able to experience a rare feat few high school athletes taste in any sport.
What a season. An 11-game winning game winning streak and a final record of 16-3-2. OR gave up only two goals in three playoff games, including back to back shutouts in the semifinal and final, outscoring your opponents by a combined 7-0.
OR was the hottest and winning-est among all 13 in your division. Your team bonded, became one and were relentless. Despite going into the playoffs as the #2 team, your team’s “job isn’t done yet” mentality kept everyone focused, expectations in line. You had learned the lessons of your sophomore year when nine seniors got ahead of themselves and lost their focus.
Amazing watching you get the game winning assists in both the Semifinals (vs. Alvirne, 3-0) and again in the Finals today.
Only forty-seven seconds into today’s game you broke away from your defender, making a brilliant, uncontested left wing rush along the boards all the way into your offensive zone, spotted Braiden in the slot, and made a pinpoint pass at exactly the right moment who flipped a backhander into the net on the first shot of the game. Score? 1-0.
Thinking about how it played out is goosebump time: our grandson personally orchestrated what turned out to be the game winning goal, THE most historic goal in ORHS history.
The last goal of your hockey career ended up being in the semifinals, a classic Camden-in-the-crease, determined-to-score beauty.
Proud of you #8!
You’re a super smart player, one of the leaders in making things happen on both ends of the ice, thanks to your game knowledge and unselfish play. Your defense was stellar, you scored a lot of goals, consistently inspired teammates, always knew exactly where to be on the ice and consistently found the open man with on-the-tape passes. Grammy and I are most proud of how you always carried yourself with class, respecting all, a true leader by example.
I keep thinking about the dream ending for ORHS. After four unsuccessful tries making it to the state finals- losing in the semifinal round each time – and after two other final appearance misses by earlier ORHS teams, you guys became THE team that busted the jinxes and finally reached the top. Decades of trying! Historic.
Watching all of you explode with happiness, throw your gear in the air after the win, pile onto Cole Harwood in goal and hoist the trophy was so f’n fantastic. Ditto seeing you guys arrive in the motorcade, faces beaming out the windows, celebrating in the parking lot, stuffing pizza in your mouths two-fisted with parents, grandparents, fans and players all beaming.
No more hockey is going to be tough for a lot of people, including Grammy and I. We may end up so desperate to see you play next season that we fly out to Colorado or Utah (or wherever you go to college) to watch you do your thing on the Club sport team, Zombie-like:
Must… see… Camden…play…hockey… again…find… airplane…fast
Thanks for the memories Cam, they’ll always be with us.
