Telegraph photo by TOM KING Bishop Guertin's Julie McLaughlin, right,would be a likely candidate for the initial NH Girls High School Hockey Invitational, which has been moved from June 20 to Aug. 8.

NASHUA – Delayed, but not derailed.

The ice hasn’t melted yet on Nashua businessman Jon Goode’s dream of an All-Star game for high school girls hockey players. It’s still alive despite the issues created by the current pandemic.

Goode announced his creation, the first annual New Hampshire Girls High School Hockey Invitational, orginally slated for June 20, has been moved to Saturday, Aug. 8. It will still be at Hooksett’s Tri-Town Arena.

Goode said he had an inkling a few weeks ago that he might have to move the event.

“We were talking about it about three weeks ago, and we’ve had a backup date ready for about the last month,” he said.

“We’re not giving up. We want to make it happen. We’ve had such postive impact from everyone; we didn’t want to throw in the towel, put our hands up in the air and say we’d do it next year.”

Origninally, there were going to be two games – a freshman/sophomore game, followed by juniors-seniors. But now there will just be one for all grades. And graduated seniors are also eligible.

“We decided to only have one game this year to give us the best chance to make the Invitational happen,” Goode said. “We were nervous about the crossover, people coming in, people going out; we just didn’t know.”

Players who are eligible to be selected are players who play high school, juniors or prep school hockey who are from New Hampshire. Players can play for an out-of-state school or program, but have to be from New Hampshire.

Conversely, if a player plays for a private high school in New Hamphshire – such as a Bishop Guertin or a Trinity, for example – but are not from the state, they are not eligible to compete.

The rosters will be announced after June 1 with the extra time and merging of the two games, as they were originally set to be announced earlier this month. The two teams will be named after four New Hampshire women who have played on gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic Teams: Katie King and Kali Flanagan (of Hudson) for one team, Tricia Dunn and Tara Mounsey for the other.

Unfortunately with the one game, players who may have competed orginally won’t be able to with just two different rosters instead of four. “Unfortunately there are going to be cuts made, which makes it harder,” Goode said.

There is a financial issue that has changed. Players invited will be asked for an $85 registration fee to help offset the costs of the game. Goode said that orginally there was going to be charged admission, but not knowing if there will be any capacity constraints, Goode said he decided to make admission free.

But he is willing to help out with that registration fee if it could prevent selected players from participating.

“We do realize for some families the coronavirus has hit them negatively financially in many different ways,” Goode said, “so if any girl is selected and the $85 is a problem, they can contact us privately.

“The main goal of this game is to create memories and recognintion for the very best girl hockey players from New Hampshire, while raising money and awareness for girls youth hockey in New Hampshire.”

Goode said he wanted to reschedule the game for a date that wouldn’t go too deep into August as graduating seniors would need to go off to college, if campuses are opened up.

“We are doing our best to manage the situation and provide a great experience for the girls,” Goode said. “We will do everything we can to make this happen for the girls but also in the safest way possible.”

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