Excitement is already growing among the Oyster River High School (ORHS) boys’ hockey team as they look ahead to the Heuchling and Swift Memorial Classic, a four day winter tournament that will help define a very different season after heavy graduation and transfer losses. Rather than just a holiday tradition, this year’s event at UNH’s Whittemore Center will be an early test of how a retooled roster responds to tougher competition along with new team roles.
The tournament is now in its 13th year and is named for former ORHS players Todd Heuchling and Brian Swift, and runs from December 27th through December 30th. Coach Peter Harwood, in his 9th year of coaching the program, mentioned how continuing the memorial each winter is an important way for the team to honor its history while competing at a high level.
Harwood said that the team will treat the games like regular season contests, even though they do not count against the standings for the regular state season. The team every year wants to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament and as Harwood noted, “Any tournament where you’re playing for something helps when the playoffs come.” This prepares players for the pressure of the state playoffs later in the year.
Last winter the Bobcats won the tournament, a result that many players described as a turning point in their confidence and chemistry. ““[Last year’s tournament] really showed us the true power that we have as a team and that if we play together, play our game, we can go far in the actual playoff tournament,” Nolan Swiesz (‘26) recalled.
This season the Bobcats head into the same event with a different challenge of trying to replace what Harwood called, “One of the best teams we’ve had in my recent memory.” After graduating 9 or 10 seniors and losing additional players to prep schools there are many holes to fill and making this year’s tournament an early measure of how quickly new leaders can emerge.
Harwood pointed to returning players who have taken big steps forward including players that have switched positions like Grady Gault (’27) who he said, “has flourished in that role and continues to get better.” He also mentioned players like Maddox March (’26) and Dom DeRosa (’26) who are playing with lots of confidence and who he said, “Made an enormous difference in our games.” However he pointed out the biggest question mark lies in goal, where Jackson Pearson (’27) and Harrison Klein (’29) who are both new to the varsity program will share responsibility as they adjust to higher level of play.
Players see the Whittemore Center games as a chance for those newer teammates to gain varsity experience under real pressure. “It’s a good time for Harwood to really see what lines are working,” Swiesz said, noting that the tournament typically comes after only a few regular season games. This helps the coaching staff evaluate combinations earlier in the season without their regular season record on the line.
Amos Winans (’27) emphasized how the event accelerates player development. “It helps us develop earlier on in the season… It’ll show the newer kids too because they’ll get to play a lot which gets them experience at the varsity level,” he said. “Facing better teams is better for us,” he added,
The challenge posed by out of state teams makes the tournament especially compelling. The tournament attracts teams from Rhode Island and Massachusetts making the competition greater. Nico Bellabona (’26) described the high level of play. “[Martha’s Vineyard] is always a good matchup and lets us play against Massachusetts hockey, so they’re really good.” Harwood agreed with Bellabona, mentioning, “We look at it as we’re inviting teams that are as good as any team we see throughout the year.”
Other players also described the event as more intense than a typical nonleague game and comparing it to a mid-season championship setting. Swiesz said it reminded him of the NBA in season tournament. Bellabona also discussed the team’s goals going into every tournament regardless of the competition is to win it, but he acknowledged that with so many roster changes earning a few wins against high caliber teams would be a significant step for this year’s group.
Even as the level of play rises, the tournament still carries a holiday feel that players say makes it one of the most anticipated stretches of the season. “I think just like the whole entire vibe is Christmas,” said Gault. He made sure to mention the balance between having fun over break and taking games seriously.
For many players on the team the Classic doubles as a season preview for the ORHS community to come and watch. Swiesz called it, “A good time for anyone to come watch.” So, make sure to stop by during your winter break to the Whittemore Center on the 27th at 5:00pm to watch ORHS hockey play their first tournament game as it begins a shifting season.
-Xander Ahn
Visuals courtesy of Dylan Dulac
Mouth of the River 
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