New Hampshire

Warhawks run out of magic, fall to Saints in D-II state final, 4-2 – Manchester Ink Link

Published

12 months ago

March 16, 2025

Warhawks run out of magic, fall to Saints in D-II state final, 4-2 – Manchester Ink Link

MANCHESTER, NH — St. Thomas Aquinas built a 3-0 third-period lead, then held off a furious rally by MHBDS to claim the Division II State Championship, 4-2, Saturday at SNHU Arena.

Senior Captain Jackson Estes had a goal and an assist to lead the third-seeded Saints to their first title since 2022.

“I feel like maybe it took us a little while to get our feet undnerves,” said MHBDS Head Coach Dan Belliveau. “So, we got down, but then we came out and I thought we gave a good effort.”

With players from Merrimack, Hollis-Brookline and the Derryfield School, FIFTH-seeded MHBDS finished its first season as a co-op team at 13-6-2.

“This team is a great bunch of kids and for them to be able to pull it together from three different schools,” said Belliveau. “You’ve got to build some chemistry and these kids have been playing with different kids the last three years.”

Warhawks’ senior goalie James Brew turned aside 25 shots and kept his team in the game, while the offense struggled to find its footing.

Already up 2-0 entering the third period, St. Thomas Aquinas extended its lead on a goal from AJ Kozlowski with 7:02 left in the game. With Jack Kelly bearing down hard on the right side, Brew was able to make a kick save. But Kozlowski was left alone on the weak side, pounced on the rebound and knocked it into the open net.

To its credit, MHBDS didn’t fold, it fought back.

Less than a minute later, senior Jackson Woods put the Warhawks on the board, scoring off a nice feed from freshman Collin Hamlin.

That goal seemed to inject a bit of energy into the Warhawks, who’d been skating on heavy legs early in the third period.

That energy boost led to a power play. Kozlowski went to the box for holding, after he hauled down Jackson Hatfield on a rush down the right side.

It took the Warhawks just 17 seconds to convert on the man advantage. Sophomore Alex May got the goal, set up by a slick feed from senior Alex Gertz, cutting the STA lead to 3-2 lead with 3:28 remaining.

With momentum fully on their side, the Warhawks pressed the attack, looking for the opening to tie the game.

With just over a minute remaining, Belliveau pulled Brew for an extra attacker. MHBDS buzzed the STA net but were frustrated time and again by Saints’ goalie Zach Pattow (26 saves).

With under 40 seconds left to play, the Warhawks had the Saints pinned. From deep in his own end, STA’s Finn Perry flipped the puck out to clear the zone. But the puck kept skittering along the ice, right into the Warhawks empty net for an insurance goal.

STA drew first blood, 9:32 into the game, on a goal by Jack Estes. It remained 1-0 until late in the second period, as the MHBDS defense, led by seniors Caleb May and Blake Beaulieau, did a tremendous job limiting the shots and quality scoring bids faced by Brew.

”We faced the two best offenses in the state, St. Thomas and Spaulding, and we just them down. Our game is all about defense,” said Belliveau.

STA was able to extend its lead late in the second period thanks to a questionable penalty call. With 2:49 left in the period, Alex May was sent off for tripping, though contact looked minimal and it appeared the STA player may have embellished for the sake of the referees.

The Saints took advantage of the extra man when Aiden Tibbets scored off the rebound of a shot by Jackson Estes, to make it 2-0.

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New Hampshire

New Hampshire employment law in 2026 – NH Business Review

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

New Hampshire employment law in 2026 – NH Business Review

What employers are getting wrong, and how to fix it before it becomes a claim

New Hampshire’s employment law landscape heading into 2026 may not be dramatically different from last year, but the real risks lie in implementation missteps. From the initial setting of wages, to calculating and distributing wages, employers will likely find a specific statute and/or labor regulation governing the transaction. Failure to follow these detailed wage and hour laws can result in significant back wages and other penalties being imposed by the state or federal Department of Labor following an audit. Fortunately, however, this area of employment law is relatively easy to master, once you are familiar with the basics.

Notice compliance

One of the most common pitfalls for employers in New Hampshire is misunderstanding the wage and hour notice requirements under RSA 275 and the related New Hampshire Department of Labor Administrative Rules.

At the time of hire, employers must notify employees in writing of their rate of pay and the day and place of payment. This notice is traditionally delivered to employees by way of an offer letter or some sort of “New Hire Rate of Pay” form. (A sample form is available from the New Hampshire Department of Labor website.) What surprises most employers, however, is that Lab. 803.03(f)(6) also requires employers to request and obtain their employees’ signatures on this written notification of wages, and employers must keep a copy of the signed written notification of wages on file. Further, employers must notify employees in writing during the course of employment of any changes to wages or day of pay prior to such changes taking effect, and the employer must obtain the employee’s signature on this subsequent notification as well. (See RSA 275:49; Lab. 803.03.)

Employers are further required to notify employees in writing, or through a posted notice maintained in a place accessible to employees, of:

• employment practices and policies with regard to vacation pay, sick leave and other fringe benefits.

• deductions made from the employee’s payroll check, for each period such deductions are made.

• information regarding the deductions allowed from wage payments under state law. (RSA 275:49; Lab. 803.03.)

Policies regarding vacation and sick leave should inform employees whether or not the employer will “cash out” unused time at year end or at the end of employment, and if so, under what terms. Again, if any changes are made to vacation pay, sick leave and other fringe benefits during the course of employment (all of which are considered “wages” under New Hampshire law), employers must request and obtain their employees’ signatures on the written notification of the change, and must keep a copy of the signed form on file. (Lab. 803.03.) Importantly, notification by way of pay stub alone is not sufficient, and, these requirements apply to both increases and decreases in pay.

Two-hour minimum (reporting pay)

Another frequently overlooked obligation is New Hampshire’s two-hour minimum reporting pay requirement. Under RSA 275:43-a, non-exempt employees who report to work but are sent home early must generally be paid for at least two hours. Weather-related closures, client cancellations or operational slowdown days can trigger this rule. Employers should also note that the New Hampshire Department of Labor currently applies this law to remote-based employees. Consequently, employees who “report to work” at an employer’s request from a home office may likewise have a right to two hours of pay, depending on the circumstances.

Salaried vs. hourly employees

Misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime remains a significant source of compliance exposure. The position’s job duties — not the titles or label such as “salaried” — determine whether an employee qualifies for an overtime exemption.

Employers, particularly in nonprofits, health care and small businesses, unintentionally misapply exempt classifications to roles such as administrative staff, office managers, executive assistants, program coordinators or hybrid jobs that involve significant non-exempt tasks. Over time, as organizational needs evolve and employees take on broader responsibilities, job duties can drift outside of an exemption’s scope.

Best practice is to periodically review job descriptions and actual job duties to ensure continued compliance with exemption criteria, particularly following any significant restructuring or job redesigns.

Peg O’Brien is chair of McLane Middleton’s Employment Law Practice Group. She can be reached at margaret.o’brien@mclane.com.

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New Hampshire

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

Published

22 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

Local News

“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” said the family of the victim.

A new photo has been released of the victim in a nearly 30-year-long unsolved murder case, in the hope of finding any new potential witnesses in the cold case, New Hampshire officials said.

“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” the family of Rosalie Miller said in a press release. “We miss her and want to give her peace.”

Miller was last seen on December 8, 1996 at her apartment in Manchester. At the time of her disappearance, Miller had plans on meeting friends in the Auburn, New Hampshire area, officials said.

Her body was found on January 20, 1997 in a partially wooded spot on a residential lot along the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn, officials said in the release.

The autopsy report declared Miller’s death a homicide by asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation, N.H. officials wrote.

As part of a new effort to garner public help with the case, an “uncirculated” photo of Miller, 36, is being distributed “in hopes it may jog the memory of someone who saw or spoke with her in the winter of 1996,” Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall announced on behalf of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit in a joint press release.

Investigators are especially hoping to talk to anyone who was in contact with Miller in December of 1996 or anyone “who may have seen her in the vicinity of the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn during that time,” officials said in the release.

The newly released photo of Rosalie Miller, 36, who was strangled to death nearly 30 years ago. – Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall

“We are releasing this new photograph today because we believe someone out there has information, perhaps a detail they thought was insignificant at the time, that could be the key to solving this case and bringing justice for Rosalie and those who loved her,” Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Chief said in the release.

The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit encourages anyone with any amount of information to contact the group at [email protected] or (603) 271-2663.