Here’s a few tids and bits while keeping our fingers crossed that the rest of July doesn’t turn into one big monsoon:

Give Nashua Silver Knights general manager Cam Cook his props for the idea of having the team play a July 4 morning game, and now it’s been a two-year success after this past Tuesday morning’s game at Holman.

This year’s weather wasn’t nearly as beautiful as last year’s, yet the fans came out and made the event more than worthwhile for the second straight year. This year the city allowed the game to go nine innings (last year they kept it at seven), and without it Holman would have been empty on the 4th since the fireworks and other festivities had been moved to Wednesday. The Silver Knights seem to play their best when it’s an event with a good crowd, and the two July 4 games they haven’t disappointed. Cook made the suggestion at a meeting with city officials about other things in February of 2022, and it should be an annual event.

—- Speaking of annual events, here’s hoping arguably the city’s top two local golfers, Brandon Gillis and James Pleat, can meet in this week’s NHGA State Am Golf Championship. The pair squared off in the finals in 2021 up at North Conway with Pleat taking his second straight title and then again in 2022 at Rye’s Abenaqui, this time in the round of 16 with Gillis winning en route to his first Am championship. Either way, should be a fun event just up the road in Bedford at Manchester Country Club.

—- Wondering about the opening night of high school football? It will be here before you know it. Circle Friday night Sept. 1 on your calendar as Nashua North will be hosting Merrimack at Stellos Stadium while Bishop Guertin travels to defending Divsion I champ Bedford to open the coaching era of Anthony Nalen. Nashua South, meanwhile, will be at Goffstown with their new lighted and field turfed facility, while Alvirne is at Manchester Central on Saturday.

In Division II, Hollis Brookline hosts Hanover on that Friday while Souhegan hosts Hillsboro-Hopkinton. Milford plays Saturday afternoon at John Stark, while Division III defending champ Campbell is at Epping-Newmarket that afternoon as well.

Football game officials are urging a few schools to play Thursday nights if they can, and for opening weekend, Pinkerton has obliged, hosting Windham on Aug. 31 to open up while Exeter is hosting Timberlane that night. Word was, believe it or not, if some schools didn’t move a game or two off of Fridays there wouldn’t be enough game officials to go around. Yikes.

—- OK, FCBL, how come the Worcester Bravehearts, less than an hour away, come to Holman Stadium six times this summer? It seemed just over a week ago every time you looked up Nashua was hosting the Sea Unicorns. The doubleheader will be made up at Worcester on July 27 (two sevens), so Nashua will be the home team at Fitton Field for the second game. Either way, next year, Less Norwich, more Worcester for the imaginary Creedon Cup.

—- It looks like Rivier University is about to name Franklin Pierce head coach Shaun Millerick, according to D-IIIHockeyNews.com, as its new men’s hockey coach, replacing the fired Matt Keating. Millerick has been FPU’s head coach since 2016. But we’re still trying to wrap our heads around Keating’s ouster. The school certainly won’t come forward with any plausible explanation for legal and personnel reasons, and athletic director Jonathan Harper praised Keating when announcing the move, noting that there wasn’t one incident that led to it. But even Keating maintains he doesn’t know why, as he says he got the same response we did, that, to paraphrase, the school’s main focus is the student-athlete experience.

Keating was on vacation in Florida and originally was told by Harper that he’d meet with him when he returned. Then Harper contacted him again saying that they had to do it over Zoom. That was probably to get things in order before July 1, but it also says that perhaps it came from higher up. If it’s student-athlete experience, was it a player revolt? Harper even told The Telegraph the team captains were surprised when he met with them, but no hockey coach is going to be universally loved, and the intense Keating likely had his detractors. Everyone does. But in this case, somebody wanted him out, and he is, after just two seasons.

Meanwhile, Keating’s assistant, Matt Osgood, is said to be taking a similar spot at Southern New Hampshire University. He was considering, depending on whoever gets the head job, returning to Riv if the school would be open to it, but opted not to in support of Keating.

On the flip side, kudos to Riv and Harper for wanting all of their coaches to be full time. It’s the only way to go. It’s definitely a new Rivier University, that’s for sure.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.