From Club Ice to Varsity Glory:
- Richard {Reggie} Smith
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
The Birth of Cheshire High School Hockey
The history of Cheshire High School hockey is one of perseverance, community support, and a group of determined young athletes who transformed a fledgling club sport into one of Connecticut's most respected high school hockey programs.
Today, Cheshire High School is recognized as the only program in Connecticut to have captured state championships in Divisions I, II, and III. That remarkable tradition traces its roots to the winter of 1974–1975, when Cheshire High School officially fielded its first varsity ice hockey team.
For the players who wore the Rams sweater that inaugural season, there were no championship banners hanging from the rafters—only the opportunity to build something entirely new.
The Club Years
Before ice hockey became an officially sanctioned varsity sport, Cheshire students organized and played as a club team.
The club program was founded and coached by Dean Hodgson, whose dedication and enthusiasm helped establish organized hockey within the community. During the early 1970s, the club gave local players an opportunity to compete while demonstrating that Cheshire possessed the talent and support necessary to sustain a varsity program.
Their efforts laid the groundwork for one of the most significant additions to Cheshire High School athletics.
Dawn of the Cheshire Rink & The 4:30 AM Wake-Up Call
While early accounts suggest the team was nomadic, the opening of the Cheshire Rink around 1969–1970 gave the squad a place to call home—even if the hours were brutal. Team veteran Danny Gallagher remembers the grueling schedule vividly: practice ran Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4:30 AM to 6:30 AM. The routine became a rite of passage: skating hard in the dark, getting pulled over by police who saw the uniform, laughed and sent you on your way as you were heading home for breakfast, and then catching the bus to school. When local ice slots filled up, the team adapted, frequently traveling to Middletown to practice at Wesleyan University.
From the Willow Street Dump to the Canal Tracks
Before the high school varsity days, the foundation of Cheshire hockey was built on frozen mud and neighborhood ponds. Structured youth hockey was rare; instead, the Rams were forged on natural ice.
Local kids from Avon Boulevard spent winters at Kerfoot's Pond or gathered at a DIY rink built right by the railroad tracks along the canal—a favorite spot for players like Rich Nesbit, Bruce Miller, and the Erickson's. For those looking for a rougher skate, there was always the infamous "toxic waste dump" spot on Willow Street, which players joked gave the neighborhood guys an extra competitive edge.
1977: "The Cat" Makes Tournament History
All of that pond-hockey grit culminated in 1977 on the grand stage of the New Haven Coliseum. The Rams found themselves in the state finals against Fairfield Prep, a private school heavily favored due to its ability to draw premier players from all over New England.
Cheshire fought to the wire, narrowly losing 4-3. Despite the loss, Cheshire goaltender Bobby “The Cat” Erickson turned in a legendary performance. In a move that shocked the tournament but solidified his legacy, Erickson was voted the State Tournament MVP—marking the first and only time the honor has been given to a player from the runner-up team. It is a record that still stands today, alongside Erickson’s 1977 First Team All-Housatonic and First Team All-State accolades.
The inaugural varsity Rams compiled an outstanding 14-3-1 record, an impressive accomplishment for a first-year program competing against more established schools.
More importantly, they demonstrated that Cheshire hockey had a promising future.
Building a Tradition
The first varsity team was led by Head Coach Steve Mrowka, whose leadership helped shape the identity of the young program during its formative years.
Mrowka remained behind the bench for five seasons and guided Cheshire to one of its earliest milestones when the Rams captured the 1978 Division I State Championship with a victory over Fairfield Prep.
While many individuals contributed to the growth of hockey in Cheshire during its club years and beyond, available historical records clearly identify Steve Mrowka as the first varsity head coach. Other early contributors deserve recognition for helping establish hockey in Cheshire, but specific coaching assignments during the transition from club to varsity should be based on documented historical records.
The Original Rams
The inaugural varsity roster consisted of local student-athletes whose efforts established the foundation upon which future generations would build.
Among the members of that historic team were:
George A. Smith
Mike Devitt
Rich Nesbitt
Keith Erickson
Larry "The Rock" Richard
Jay Martha
John Drury
Mark Fournier
Dan Gallagher
Ed Harrison
Tom Kramer
Jim Messer
Philip Miller
Bill Stakosch
Bob Upton
Charles Welton
Frank Welton
Michael West
Supporting the players behind the scenes were trainers Joe Kowalski and Pete Shugrue, whose work helped keep the new varsity program operating throughout its inaugural season.
My brother Curt Smith was on the team. I was also a huge support to the team as a manager and rink employee. Did stats and the clock for the inaugural year.
One unforgettable milestone belonged to Larry "The Rock" Richard, who scored the first varsity goal in Cheshire High School hockey history, forever securing his place in the program's story.
A Legacy Fifty Years in the Making
In recent years, members of the inaugural varsity team reunited during Cheshire High School Hockey's 50th Anniversary celebration.
The event honored the athletes whose commitment established a tradition that has continued for half a century.
Over the decades, countless players have represented Cheshire High School, including future NHL Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, who attended Cheshire High School before transferring to Avon Old Farms. The success enjoyed by later generations was made possible by the determination of the original varsity players who proved that hockey could thrive in Cheshire.
From those early days of borrowed ice time to state championship seasons, the program has become one of the town's proudest athletic traditions.
Thank you to Dick Naramore who is a prominent contributor and Board member for the Cheshire High School ice hockey program in Cheshire, Connecticut for this additional historical information.
The Ice Empires of Cheshire: A History of Ram Hockey
Every great sports dynasty starts with a few neighbors, a wild idea, and a lot of bumper stickers. In Cheshire, the roots of the rink trace back to a casual backyard crossover on Williamsburg Drive and a couple of high school kids looking for a game.
From its humble club-team origins to decades of CIAC dominance, here is the official historical record of Cheshire Hockey.
The Genesis: The Cheshire Hockey Club (1970–1971)
The spark was ignited when the Hodgson family moved from the Boston area to Williamsburg Drive, plugging themselves in right next door to the Seigels. John Seigel and his brother Billy were in high school and desperate to get a hockey program off the ground. They knocked on neighbor Dean Hodgson’s door for help, and the machinery started turning.
John recruited the players, Dean printed up Cheshire Hockey Club bumper stickers to raise funds, and Dean's son, Chris, hit the pavement with a crew of local kids to sell them.
Dean recruited Richard “Turkey” Weiss to coach, and together they launched the very first Club Team for the 1970–1971 season, skating out of Wesleyan's rink.
The Original 1970-71 Club Roster
Coaches: Richard “Turkey” Weise & Dean Hodgson
Managers: Dave Williams & Chris Hodgson
The Team: Tim Lamb, Frank Salvatore, Red Wilson, Joe Grenus, Bruce Miller, John Siegal, Brian Carberry, John Kishwara, Paul Bowman, Bob Cook, Dave Godie, Bob Salvatore, Jim Delong, Kurt Eckles.
The Varsity Era: Coach by Coach, Era by Era
The Steve Mrowka Years (1974–1979)
The Benchmark of Excellence
Total Record: 78-21-3 (5 Straight Winning Seasons)
The Blueprint: Mrowka took the reigns for the inaugural varsity season in 1974-1975. He took the Rams to the Division 2 Finals in ’76-’77, and then forced a graduation to Division 1, hitting the D1 finals in his last two seasons.
Glory Moment: The 1977–1978 D1 Championship, defeating state powerhouse Fairfield Prep in a 6-5 thriller.
Note: Steve took a year off after '79 but returned to give back as an assistant coach for three more seasons.
The Tony Catapano Transition (1979–1981)
Total Record: 15-23-1 (39 games)
Catapano took the coaching reigns for a two-season stretch, keeping the program steady during a transitional era for the school.
The Jack Guetens Era (1981–1986)
Star Power & Semi-Final Runs
Total Record: 63-34-2 (99 games, 5 winning seasons)
The Blueprint: Assisted by a powerhouse staff of Steve Mrowka, Jack Leetch, and Jim Stoddard, Guetens kept Cheshire firmly in the state conversation.
Glory Moment: The 1983–1984 squad—famously featuring a young future NHL Hall of Famer named Brian Leetch—blazed a trail to the D1 Semifinals before falling to Darien.
The Bill Reynolds Term (1986–1990)
Total Record: 38-40-1 (79 games)
Coached for four seasons alongside assistant Herb Fay, maintaining a fierce schedule in the highly competitive state landscape.
The Herb Fay Dynasty (1990–2001)
The Eleven-Year Iron Man
Total Record: 132-96-5 (233 games)
The Blueprint: Fay took the wheel for over a decade, assisted by John Nolan and Jeff Owens. Under his watch, Cheshire reached the D2 Finals twice: a tough loss to Stamford Catholic in ’90-’91, and a heartbreaking overtime loss to Glastonbury in ’98-’99.
Glory Moment: Redemption in the 1998–1999 season, where they captured the SCC Championship by skating past Branford.
The Owens & McPhee Era (2001–2005)
Jeff Owens (2001–2002): Coached for a single season assisted by Will McPhee, going 9-10-1 over 20 games.
Will McPhee (2002–2005): Took over the top spot for the next 3 seasons, assisted by Frank Illnicki, compiling a 23-38-1 record over 62 games.
The Jim Riccitelli Renaissance (2005–2011)
The Hardware Heavyweight
Total Record: 96-43-6 (145 games)
The Blueprint: Assisted by Pete Simoni, Riccitelli’s six seasons were an absolute masterclass in tournament runs. They were a regular fixture in the postseason, logging a D2 Semis loss and two D2 Quarters losses along the way.
Glory Moments:
2005–2006: Riccitelli’s debut season resulted in a Division 3 Championship over Newington.
2008–2009: Captured the Division 2 Championship over Enfield, alongside the SCC D2 Title.
2009–2010: Back-to-back SCC D2 Champions.
2010–2011: Secured yet another Division 2 State Championship, defeating rival Guilford.
The Karl Sundquist Stretch (2011–2015)
Total Record: 37-47-3 (87 games)
Sundquist, assisted by Anthony Guisto, managed the bench for four seasons. In their very first year (2011-2012), they fought their way to the D1 Semifinals before falling to Notre Dame of West Haven. They wrapped up the tenure with back-to-back D2 Quarterfinal appearances in ’13-’14 and ’14-’15.
The Anthony “Juice” Guisto Era (2015–2026)
Modern Dominance
Total Record (Through 2025–2026): 146-83-9 (238 games)
The Blueprint: “Juice” Guisto took over in the fall of 2015 and turned Cheshire into a perennial postseason lock, leading the Rams to the D2 state tournament an incredible 9 times.
Glory Moment: The unforgettable 2023–2024 season, where the Rams climbed to the mountaintop to capture the Division 2 State Championship with a spectacular victory over East Haven.
Historical Note: From the first puck drop at Wesleyan in 1970 to the modern-day battle cries in the CIAC tournaments, Cheshire hockey remains a testament to the community's enduring love for the coolest game on earth.
A Tribute to George A. Smith (1956–2026)
Among the pioneers of Cheshire High School's first varsity hockey team was George A. Smith, whose passing on June 23, 2026, marked the loss of one of the program's original trailblazers.
Beyond hockey, George devoted much of his life to serving the community he loved.
A lifelong Cheshire resident, he retired from the Town of Cheshire Public Works Department in 2023 after two decades of dedicated service. Friends and family knew him as someone who embraced life with enthusiasm—whether competing in the Cheshire Softball League, serving on the pit crew of the "Absolute Pleasure" alcohol funny car, camping and snowmobiling with his family in Washington, New Hampshire, or riding his Harley-Davidson trike with his beloved wife, Diane, and lifelong friends.
Following his diagnosis with leukemia in 2024, George faced his illness with courage and determination. When he passed away in June 2026, the overwhelming support shown by family, friends, coworkers, fellow motorcyclists, and the Cheshire community reflected the profound respect he had earned throughout his lifetime.
For the Cheshire hockey family, George will always be remembered as one of the original Rams.
Every player who wears the Cheshire jersey today follows a path first carved by George Smith and his teammates during that inaugural varsity season of 1974–1975.
Their accomplishments cannot be measured solely by wins and losses.
They built a program.
They established a tradition.
And they left a legacy that continues every time the Rams take the ice.
The author gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the Cheshire High School Hockey alumni community, historical records, anniversary publications, and the family of George A. Smith in preserving the history of the program's formative years.
Historical Note
The history of local organizations often relies on newspaper archives, yearbooks, official records, photographs, and the memories of participants. If readers have additional photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, or firsthand recollections that can further document this story, the Cheshire CT Phoenix News welcomes their contributions to help preserve Cheshire's history for future generations.
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