(NOTE: This is Part 6 in a series about the history of the Greenfield outdoor hockey team, which ran from 1926-1942)
In order for the Greenfield High School outdoor hockey program to get back on track after a season off the ice, money would have to start pouring in to be able to fund the 1937-38 season. Costs had always been an issue for hockey at GHS, particularly for transportation as the team was traveling out of state for several games per winter.
Remember, this was the 1930s, and student-athletes weren’t simply hopping in a Travel Kuz motor coach.
The Student Activities Society at the school came through just in time for the 1937-38 season. The organization donated $100 to help fund the season, the equivalent of almost $2,000 by today’s standards. The money would go toward new equipment as well. There would be no Western Mass. league, as travel costs had postponed that aspect of competition. Instead, the team would focus on playing “area teams,” and letters were sent to perspective schools in hopes of scheduling matchups.
Some 35 candidates reported for tryouts that winter, and senior Pete Slahetka was tasked with captain duties as the lone member of his class on the squad. There were 16 juniors trying out, which would hopefully give new head coach Charles Swift something to work with for future seasons.
The team’s schedule was set to begin on Jan. 11, 1938 with three straight road games to open. The squad kicked things off with an impressive 2-1 victory at Stockbridge in Greenfield’s return to the ice for the first time in two years. Slahetka scored both goals for the Greenies.
One week later against Brattleboro, the captain again found the back of the net twice, and Joe Kuchieski buried the game-winner to lift Greenfield to a 3-2 victory.
The first loss came against Stockbridge in a rematch, as Slahetka missed the game due to illness and Greenfield fell, 4-3. It was the start of three straight losses, with the Greenies falling to Athol (3-1) and Bellows Falls (3-1) to put them at 2-3 on the season.
Two games in February closed out the 1937-38 campaign, as Kuchieski scored twice in a 4-2 victory over Williston, before Bellows Falls closed the season with a 2-1 victory. Kuchieski again had the lone goal for Greenfield, and he finishes with six goals on the season to lead the team. Slahetka is right behind with five markers, helping the team to a respectable 3-4 record in its return to play.
New head coach Phillip D. Adams welcomed 18 sign-ups to Highland Park for the start on practice on Dec. 3, 1938. Angelo Moschen, Harold Forbes, George Stebbins and Bill Babbits are expected to lead the front line, with Alex Oweisick and Ed Forrestal pacing the back end. Frank Volpe will serve as manager with Walt Kuchieski the assistant.
There’s a renewed sense of anticipation after a steady return to glory the previous season. That goes away a bit thanks to old friend Mother Nature, as Greenfield tries five times to play its opener but ice conditions at Highland Park prevent that from happening. Games against Williston, Stockbridge, Brattleboro and Deerfield Academy are all postponed, and the game with Pittsfield is eventually canceled.
The season finally gets underway on Jan. 16, 1939, as the Stockbridge Aggies score three minutes into overtime to secure a 2-1 victory. Moschen scored the lone Greenfield goal, with Ed Wilkins playing well between the pipes.
It takes just two days to get into the win column however, as Greenfield rebounds to blast Deerfield Academy’s JV team, 7-1. Moschen sets the table with two goals and two assists as the Prepsters play shorthanded due to illness.
Moschen again aids the cause in a 3-2 overtime win over Athol a week later, scoring twice — including the game-winning strike in OT. Roy Peterson handles the goaltending duties in this one.
After a 4-1 loss to Brattleboro a few days later, Greenfield gets hot to finish out the winter campaign. The club picks up a 2-2 tie with Stockbridge, but closes with wins over Bellows Falls (2-1), Athol (2-1) and Bellows Falls again (2-0) to finish with an impressive 5-2-1 mark.
The final sliver of the 1930s begins with, what else, poor ice conditions at Highland Park. The town says there needs to be 10 inches of ice before hockey boards can be set, and when the team meets for the first time on Dec. 7, the hockey rink is barely wet. Winter Carnival will have to wait until later in January.
The lack of a definitive coach has slowed the start of the season as well. Faculty member Robert Bonner has agreed to act as team advisor, while former coach Art Watt will also aid in the blackboard instruction leading up to the season. There are 21 candidates out for the team.
The season officially kicks off on Jan. 13, 1940, as Athol blanks the Greenies 2-0 in a blizzard during a game played at Lake Ellis in Athol. The hosts scored twice before the snowstorm made conditions nearly impossible.
It would be a sign of things to come that season. Greenfield finishes 2-5-2 in a nine-game schedule, scoring wins over the DA JV team (2-0) and Murdock/Winchendon (6-4). The year comes to a halt with a 4-2 loss to Westfield on Feb. 5.
It’s again a troubling time for hockey in Franklin County. The school does not sponsor a team for the 1940-41 season, setting up the inevitable end of the outdoor program with one final campaign in 1941-42.
Check back for Part 7: “The program comes to an end” in Wednesday’s Recorder.