Alan Greenwood

Ice time has always been a precious commodity for amateur hockey teams. Ask the parent of any youth hockey player and they’ll tell you about the joys of stumbling out of bed at 3 a.m. to get their mini-mites to the rink for a 4 a.m.

practice.

Occasionally, the big kids have had the same issue.

MARCH 11, 1967 – “Nashua’s Royals tangle with their arch rivals, the Manchester Tam O’Shanters, in the finals of the Granite State Hockey League next Wednesday night at the John F. Kennedy Coliseum in Manchester.

“The Royals, crowned champions of the league when it folded more than a week ago, have not skated as a unit in more than two weeks. … Coach Ron Peter of the Royals expressed concern over the fact his club may enter the best-of-five series a bit on the stale side.

“Peters said he offered to play any team, anywhere, just for the ice time. He said he told officials of the Merrimack Valley Chiefs that he’d give them entire gate, the concession profits and anything else they wanted just so his team could get in some valuable work.”

Ultimately, there were no playoffs. The league managed to return for one more season, but went defunct for good in 1968.

MARCH 12, 1977- “The Collins Center Crusaders suffered their first loss of the season in the finals of the Independent Basketball League Tournament last night losing to Newmarket Junior High 44-36.

“The Collins team had run to a 35-0 record counting regular-season and tournament games. Kenny Roberts scored nine points for the Crusaders while Bill Rioux notched eight and Derek Drohan had five.”

MARCH 13, 1987 – “Please, give the Nashua High School boys basketball team some credit. The Purple Panthers have never been one to put good looks ahead of personality.

“… For two years in a row, Nashua has fallen in love with the Class L semifinals – not because they look pretty on the court, but because they won, this time 51-45 over over Londonderry in overtime Wednesday night.

“… ‘Coach Noucas told us at halftime that in every tournament you’re going to have to survive a bad game,’ said 6-foot-6 Nashua forward Jeff Kreick, who hit the go-ahead basket in overtime with 1:05 to go.”

MARCH 14, 1992 – “Tim Dionne scored a game-high 12 points and led a balanced scoring attack as the Knicks advanced to the Nashua Boys Biddy League playoff semifinals Friday night with a 49-21 victory over the Cavaliers at Fairgrounds Junior High School.

“… Brian Madsen scored 12 points and Jeff Conrow added 10 as the Owls defeated the Warriors 49-42 Friday night.”

MARCH 15, 2017 – “A local soccer success story is officially returning close to home to continue her career. Milford’s Morgan Andrews, who capped off a successful collegiate career this past fall with a national championship at the University of Southern California, signed with the Boston Breakers professional women’s soccer team after being drafted by the club earlier this year.

” ‘I am absolutely ecstatic about signing for the Boston Breakers. Boston is the ultimate sports town, and I can’t wait to be a part of the community that makes it great,’ she said.”

MARCH 16, 1972 – “The Milford Spartans moved into the Class L boys basketball tournament finals with an 80-66 victory over the Nashua High Panthers last night at UNH’s Lundholm Gym Milford will face number-one seeded and tourney favorite Manchester Central.

“Milford capitalized on its great height advantage and inspired play to defeat the Panthers, whose only bright spot was the tremendous performance put on by Nashua’s one and only Pete Dufour. The NHS loss was basically attributed to its inability to rebound and control Milford’s big men, Jon Raymond and Todd Cannaday, who both turned in super performances.”

MARCH 17, 1982 – “A few years ago, a Nashua High athlete named Frank Anderson suggested a headline to a Telegraph writer after the Panthers captured the state baseball title by beating Keene.

” ‘How about deja vu and now it’s two.’ We beat Keene for the football and now the baseball title.

“Had Anderson been in the Central High locker room after last night’s 37-35 Nashua High victory in the Class L semifinals, he would not doubt have smiled at Little Green coach Stan Spirou’s parting shot. ‘It was like deja vu,’ he said.

Spirou was referring to his recollections of a lanky junior Peter Allen, who hammered a nail into the Central coffin back on Jan. 29 with a game-winning three-point play with six seconds left.

“Last night, Allen was the only player on either team in double figures, scoring 16 points.”

Contact Alan Greenwood at 594-1245 or agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com.