WORCESTER—The New Year of hockey here starts with old memories.
Fresh off a memorable 6-5 victory in Adirondack to close out 2024, the Railers are featuring IceCats weekend Friday and Saturday nights at the DCU Center. The event has become a highlight of the regular season with large, enthusiastic crowds celebrating the city’s first and undeniably most popular pro hockey team.
The Railers welcome the Reading Royals to battle on their home ice both nights. Friday is a 7:05 p.m. puck drop, and Saturday’s game begins at 6:05 p.m.
Friday 1-3-25 | Santander Arena, Reading, PA | Game Day – 10:00am – Morning skate – 7:05pm: Puck Drop vs. Reading Royals – IceCats Night presented by Southbridge Credit Union Saturday 1-4-25 | DCU Center, Worcester, MA | Game Day – 10:00am – Morning skate – 6:05pm: Puck Drop vs. Reading Royals – IceCats Night presented by Southbridge Credit Union
One reason the IceCats are so fondly remembered is because they were the first. That is just reality. Their popularity was more than being first, though. They were colorful in a hockey era where color was encouraged.
Their coaches were colorful. Jimmy Roberts told stories of his years in the NHL, a league of train rides that included only the best 100 or so players in the world. Roberts gave this writer his all-time favorite hockey quote, responding to a request that the team delay its flight from Newfoundland and wait for a blizzard to subside.
“Boys, you can’t be afraid to die. We’re flying,” he said.
Greg Gilbert lived in Westboro and loved the area so much he applied for the Railers coaching job when it was advertised last summer. In the cold winter of 1996-97, Gilbert loaded players and hockey nets into pickup trucks and drove down to Webster for a two-hour game of pond hockey on the lake.
Terry Virtue, still on top of the city’s popularity poll although Anthony Repaci is making a run at him, once apprehended a shoplifter trying to exit the team store when it was on Main Street. Kevin Sawyer rolled his fingers into fists that flattened opposition noses, often after using those same fingers as a gifted pianist.
Scratch induced mascot mania to add to all the color.
“The IceCats played an important role in establishing the vibrant hockey culture we enjoy today in Central Massachusetts,” Railers Chief Operating Officer Mike Myers said. “It’s exciting to celebrate their legacy and give fans a chance to relive those memories as we honor the 30th anniversary of their inaugural season.”
The weekend is presented by Southbridge Credit Union. The Railers will wear jerseys inspired by the IceCats’ 2001-02 design and fans will have the chance to bid on their favorite players’ game-worn jerseys both online and in-person after the weekend’s matches
Scratch will be in the building with younger brother Pounce, who first appeared during the IceCat’s tenth season in 2003-04. Saturday night, the Railers will be giving away Scratch bobbleheads to the first 1,500 fans through the doors, while supplies last.
Former IceCats sniper Shawn Heaphy is expected to be on hand. So is Peter Ricciardi, who was the team’s executive vice-president and public face of the team in the early years. Owners and executives scheduled to appear include Tim Doyle, Paul Demoga, Ed Krayer, Lou DePaoli, Ben Ricciardi, Blake Ricciardi, Dave Fields, Rich Krezwick and Tim Murray.
The Railers are hoping to start their New Hockey Year with a couple of wins. They have not won three in a row yet this season but in recent weeks have evolved from one of the ECHL’s worst offensive teams to one of its best.
Tuesday’s triumph was historic in a couple of ways. It marked the 200th victory in franchise history and was just the second time ever that a Railers team rallied to win after being down by three goals. They trailed, 4-1, a little more than two minutes into the second period.
This season’s team is a bit reminiscent of IceCats teams in terms of how physical it is. Tuesday’s game was seven seconds old when Kolby Johnson dropped the gloves. Worcester already has 21 majors this season. It had 20 all of last year, 13 the year before, and just 20 in 2021-22.
The IceCats had 963 major penalties in their 11 seasons in town.
The 2025 Railers will have to find a way to compensate for the unexpected departure of goaltender John Muse, who retired to take a job coaching the Chinese National Team. Muse was on the roster for 365 days and nearly became the first Worcester goaltender to score a goal one minute before his career ended.
During his time in Worcester, Muse was 20-18-2 with a 2.78 goals against average and .910 saves percentage. The Railers use six other goaltenders in that same time frame. They combined to go 13-23-2 with a 3.50 goals against average and .890 saves percentage.
Repaci currently leads the ECHL in scoring with 40 points. No Worcester player — IceCats, Sharks, Railers — has ever lead the league in scoring. The city high is 84 points by Eric Boguniecki, wearing that 2001-02 IceCats jersey. He was the AHL Most Valuable Player that season.
No Worcester player has ever scored 40 goals, either. Repaci has a chance at that. The city high is 38, done by both Boguniecki and Justin Papineau in 2001-02.
The Railers’ record for the calendar year of 2024 was 31-38-6, their worst calendar year ever. They are hoping that, starting with IceCats weekend, 2025 is a major improvement.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
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