For the first time since 2009, the Gardner hockey team will play a postseason game Wednesday night.
The 33rd-seeded Wildcats will visit No. 32 Greenfield in the MIAA Division 4 preliminary round, with puck drop set for 6 p.m. at Collins-Moylan Arena.
Gardner head coach Scott Freniere said the return to the postseason has been a long time coming for his program. The club went 0-20 in Freniere’s first season three years ago, improved to 1-19 the next year, and won a game and tied one a year ago. This season has been quite a leap, as Gardner posted a 9-6-3 record, falling in the Central Mass. Class C title game last week.
“We were in a really tough situation for a long time,” Freniere admitted. “But there’s a lot of history with this program. It’s the 50th anniversary of the team, they were a dominant program in the ’80s, ‘90s and early 2000s. They won a state title in 1994. So we were at rock bottom a few years ago but we’ve got a lot of kids in here now who are committed to making this place successful again.”
Greenfield (12-6-2), meanwhile, has been on a successful run that culminated in the program’s first-ever state championship two years ago. The Green Wave won another Western Mass. title last week, beating Chicopee, and now they get to host a preliminary state tournament game thanks to a power ranking edge over Gardner of just 0.18 points.
“We’re very happy and proud to host a state playoff game,” said Greenfield coach Adam Bouchard. “I am a fan of the new state tournament model. It really breaks down to having a true champion for a state tournament. That being said, it’s not going to be an easy road for any team in the field.”
As for the play on the ice, the two teams share just one common opponent — Chicopee High School. The Wildcats dropped a 3-0 decision back in December, while Greenfield won the nail-biter last week.
“I expect a pretty competitive game,” Freniere said. “They’re well organized, have a strong keeper (Josh Bordeaux). We’ve faced some tough teams this year so I think we’ll be well prepared.”
Gardner senior Eric Amblo (11 goals) is a forward to watch on Wednesday, while freshman Jayden Patel has scored 10 goals on the year. Freniere said the Wildcats have seven seniors but also a sizable pack of underclassmen who play key roles. Sophomore goalie Mark Quinn is the backbone, and Freniere said he thinks the netminder is one of, if not the best keepers in Central Mass.
“That’s our greatest strength,” he said of Quinn. “I think we’ve only allowed 35 goals this year, and he’s experienced back there even though he’s a sophomore because he’s been with us since he was an eighth grader.”
The two programs last met during the 2018-19 season, when Greenfield captured a pair of victories via 11-1 and 8-1 margins. Bouchard knows those scores have no bearing over Wednesday’s game, however.
“We’re really excited to rekindle a good, friendly rivalry,” Bouchard said. “We know this is a completely different Gardner team than we last saw.”
And while Greenfield has a largely different roster than the last time it played in state tournament games two years ago, there is still a core of seniors who saw regular shifts during that historic run in 2020.
“The one great thing that we take pride in is being ready for when these opportunities come,” Bouchard said. “We have great leaders who have been there before on that state championship run, and they know what it takes to push through.”