Bates College | Legends on Ice 2007

And still they come. Four years after the group of aging hockey players first made the trek back up Main Street, by Luigi’s, past The Goose and beyond the dormitories where so much personal history was made in the era of Whip Inflation Now, the national malaise and Ronald Reagan, they came back.

The numbers weren’t as great as in games I, II, and III, but for the hard-core hockey addicts looking to relive the glory of beating the University of Maine or surviving the drive up the Maine Turnpike, it was better that way: More ice time.

There was no national anthem and no fans were turned away at the turnstiles as in past years, but the players weren’t there for the fans, they were there for the sound of the puck whacking off the boards, the opportunity to humiliate the opposing goalie and the chance to catch up with some of the best friends any of them ever had.

For all the hype, the outcome was never in doubt, White 7, Garnet 3.

White got off to a quick start with four goals in the first two minutes.

The first came at about the 20 second mark off a Jim Bronson blast from the point that, somehow, snuck by public defender Dave Beneman who had set up his practice between the pipes in the north end of Underhill Arena. A few seconds later another Bronson blast from that same left point is tipped by Mark Price into the net with the help of Chris Callahan’s skate. Just after that Price poked in a puck sitting in the goal crease and that was followed by another push across the line by Willy Ring.

Beneman promised an appeal to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

“Both of these claimed goals remain under protest. Had Brad (Weeden), a ‘true and trained’ referee, been present, there would surely have been whistles in both occasions as the puck was no longer in play,” Beneman wrote in his brief. “As to Dr. Price there remains the issue of invading the crease, a second reason that should not be a goal. Additionally, Willy can’t just sit by the goal and “knock” in the puck and think that merits any credit. Then there is the kicked in puck which Willy has tried to categorize as “the second, which was tipped by Mark Price and then off Chris Callahan skate”. Rule: “An attacking player cannot kick the puck into the net.”

In his reply brief, Callahan showed he won’t go down easy.

“’Kick’ is a crime of intent. I didn’t even see it hit my skate. I did, however, chuckle when I saw it go in,” he wrote.

A three judge panel of the court rejected Beneman’s request for emergency relief. He is now appealing for a hearing before the full court. It is a case that is certain to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014.

Despite the early appearances of a slaughter, Garnet, which had all the players over 60, didn’t give up. Three times Phil Cronin dazzled the crowd and Illinois goaltender Al Butt to light the goal lamp on the campus side of the arena.

“I know Phil Cronin played an outstanding game for the Garnet team, and I believe he scored at least two of our 3 goals! Correct me if I am wrong,” said Pat Murphy, of Portland, Ore., who, once again, was given the Wings of Hockey Award for crossing the continent for two hours of old man hockey.

Cronin himself, humble as always, confirmed the recollection.

“Murph is extremely accurate in his recall,” Cronin said at the post game news conference in Chase Hall.

“I don’t remember who scored on me, but the first goal was kind of a breakaway, though my defenseman had caught up to him by time he got shot off which bounced in off my right leg pad,” Butt said. “This probably happened shortly before that photo was taken. I believe the first half ended 4-2. I thought the second red goal was kicked in, but Tad (Pennoyer) later said it bounced in off of him as he was covering the player I thought had kicked it in.” The third goal was a nice pass from behind the goal line to a red player alone on the other side of the net.

Through the rest of the game White managed to put the final three. Llars Llorente scored after missing half a dozen.

Despite the scoreboard the final score remains under protest.

“I need to inform all that from my perspective (a defenseman for the Garnet), the true score was 5-4, in favor of the Maroon,” said hockey coach emeritus Richard Williamson.

“Dave has already explained that two goals, at least, should not have counted: 5-3 the score now reads,” Williamson said at the same news conference. “Then, Al grabbed one from inside the goal line with his blocker glove and shoved it under his right pad: I saw this clearly from my right defense position, as I was gliding in for a rebound: 5-4 the score now should read.”

And it didn’t end there.

“Then, Nick was coming down the ice with the puck and ran right into me: charging, Ryan should have whistled, just like in basketball, but Nick somehow re-found the puck after banging into me and put it into the net: 4-4, the score now reads,” Williamson said.

“Finally, just before the collision occurred in center ice during the sudden-death overtime, or maybe just after, but before the whistle stopping play, Bill Lowe, my faculty colleague, hit the right upper corner while Al was coming out of the net to check on the collision. I think that I may have been the only one to see that shot, but it went in: 5-4, the Garnet wins in sudden death and will await the rematch with impatience.”

The Game of the Century IV did mark the first time in four occasions that an ambulance crew had to visit the ice with their stretcher. Bob Houlihan, one of the true legends of Bates Hockey history, went down after a head-down collision at center ice. He was attended to by about a half dozen resident physicians who ended up telling the EMTs what to do. The good news there is Houlihan arrived at the post-game banquet to a standing ovation with nothing more than a sore shoulder. It is, after all, hockey.

- Wilson Ring ’79