9 minute read
Visit McCall | Winter 2022-2023
For the Love of the Game
FIERCE RIVALRIES AND FAMILY LEGACIES ARE ALREADY IN PLAY AS FULL CONTACT HOCKEY RETURNS TO MCCALL
It’s the news that McCall area hockey fans have been waiting for since 2018: Full contact adult hockey is returning to McCall this winter in the form of the rebooted McCall Mountaineers.
Starting in late October, the Mountaineers will play a 16-game season in a new league fashioned after the old “Black Diamond” league that boasted classic mountain town teams like the Sun Valley Suns and Jackson Hole Moose. The schedule will have the team traveling to destinations like Bozeman, Reno, and Sun Valley. Most importantly, they’ll be playing ten home games at McCall’s own Manchester Ice and Event Center.
While the original Mountaineer’s team put on a great show for hockey fans and netted a USA Hockey 30+ National Championship back in 2004, this next-gen Mountaineer team sports has a more modern, youthful hockey vibe.
For the most part, the 2004 roster was packed with veterans who had played out the peak years of their pro careers, then came back to the Idaho squad to play for the love of the game. Back then, players succeeded on hard work and grit.
Now, the game is more about speed and technique, and this new squad is full of talented young players who are fit, skilled, and hungry. Many of the new team’s standouts are collegiate players—the rising stars of Idaho youth hockey. Several of them, including Cam Gallagher and Dom Dumas, have played together in Boise or Coeur D’Alene programs since they were 6 or 7 years old.
“We all know how each other plays, who’s good at what, we get toknow each other,” says Gallagher. “The chemistry is definitely there.”
“Every summer we’re all back in Idaho training, pushing each other toget better, so we have a lot of history,” adds Dumas.
With so many Mountaineers playing collegiate hockey, and one team member playing professionally in Germany, not every star player on the roster will be at every home game. Fortunately, a tenacious group of McCall locals is more than ready to fill the gaps.
Local players Steve Hughes, Brent Bergeron, Chase Cooney, Tyler Franco, and goalie Phil Reid hold their own on the ice and have quickly meshed with the younger group. The players bonded during an intense exhibition game in Reno last spring. They brought home a victory— and a new rivalry.
“Last spring, we showed up to Reno and they’d posted this article on their website saying that we were just this group of misfits from the comfy confines of Idaho,” says Gallagher. “They were just talking it up saying it was going to be an easy win for the Reno Ice Raiders. It was hilarious because we were like, “These guys have no idea what’s coming for them.”
The exhibition team showed up in peak shape, just off their game while these guys aren’t – so – at least in Reno they tried to college seasons. The Reno Ice Raiders came out hard, but take our heads off,” says Dumas. the Mountaineers silenced the smack talk by besting Reno 5-3 in the first game, then 9-1 in the second.
"We're playing against guys who played when it was all grit, and for us, we're used to playing the more speed and skilled game while these guys aren't – so – at least in Reno they tried to take our heads off," says Dumas.
The game gave the team a sense of what they could expect from their competition, and from each other. When it comes to the “We’re playing against guys who played when it was all grit, local assets on the team, Dumas says, “They fit right in with us, and for us, they’re obviously a little more reserved, but it’s awesome. After you play with someone and get to know them, you’ll have their back any day.”
Childhood training and shared battle scars aren’t the only thing that connects this team to each other and the community. Cam and Dom are second-generation Mountaineers, the sons of two of the original players, Brett Gallagher and Rob Dumas.
“I remember going to Winter Carnival, following my dad around,” recalls Dumas. “Then we’d be in the corner over there, playing mini sticks while our dads were on the ice.”
Cam plays for Boise State so his dad, Brett, comes to all his games. Dom plays for UMass-Dartmouth. His dad, Rob, live streams his games on HockeyTV. So far, he hasn’t missed a single one.
“I think my dad coached me until I was 15 or 16 years old. Even now, after games, he’ll call me and say, ‘Well, what do you think?’ and we’ll talk about it. Both of our dads are not really our coaches anymore, but in many ways, they always will be,” says Dumas.
Dom’s dad, Rob, agrees. Rob still helps his son with conditioning training during the off-season and they check in with each other after every game.
“We both get excited,” says the elder Dumas. “We both celebrate the victories and go though the hard stuff since that’s what sports is all about.”
Rob coached most of the boys when they played youth hockey in Boise and says it’s been fun to watch them grow up and compete. Coming together to play on the Mountaineers is like a family reunion among two generations.
“I think the boys just love it. They all grew up together—it’s just a chance to get on the same team again like back when they were kids.”
While the passion for the game hasn’t changed with the shift in generations, the game itself has evolved substantially.
“When they played it wasn’t as much speed and skill as it is now,” says the younger Dumas. “It was more hard work and grit and there were a lot more fights.”
“During my era, there were two or three tough guys on every team,” says Dom’s dad. “If you weren’t paying attention, someone was going to hurt you. There was more of an intimidation factor. That’s looked down on now. Cheap shots are discouraged, and the penalties can really change the outcome of the game.”
Several of the other original Mountaineers echoed those observations. Troy Edwards and Scott Davis helped rink manager John Barth put together the original Mountaineers team in the early 00s when the Manchester Ice and Event Center was brand new. They were playing senior level hockey at the time, and they saw the potential to create a McCall team based on what other ski towns like Sun Valley and Jackson Hole had going at the time.
Davis remembers the first game they played in McCall. “It was packed, it was sold out, beers were flowing, there was good energy. We were playing against Sun Valley and it was a pretty spirited game. There were a couple fights and the fans went crazy.”
20 years ago, they didn’t realize that what they were starting, that they would plant the seeds to grow a legitimate hockey culture here in McCall.
“People are a lot more hockey knowledgeable now. People used to go to a game to get a beer and occasionally watch. Now, people are watching and understand the nuances of the game. The McCall fan now has a way higher hockey IQ and is really going to appreciate this group of players because they’re going to recognize quickly that there’s some pretty damn good players here,” says Davis.
“It’s been long enough now that the McCall community is developing players. Parents are coaching and they’re way more hockey savvy— it’s nice to see a whole generation that have grown up with hockey and are going places with it,” adds Edwards. “They’ll appreciate the new team.”
Edwards and Davis are both nostalgic about the early years of the program, and excited to see their teammates’ kids grow up and succeed.
“I remember very vividly, Dom could hardly walk and he had this little stick, and he’d be stick handling around the rink while we were playing,” says Davis. “I can still see it. Now, he could light us up really well. It’s awesome.”
While the ‘older’ generation players all carry legitimate pro hockey pedigrees, there’s no lack of respect for the skill—and especially the speed—of this next generation.
“He’s a forward, I was a defenseman, so there’s that difference,” says Rob of Dom. “He’s a little taller, a little leaner, but he’s strong. He can fly. He’s a very smooth skater, he makes it look effortless. For it to come full circle, I think it’s phenomenal. I take great pride in it as a dad.”
Now, it’s Dom and Cam’s turn to shine on the ice (along with other standouts like CJ Walker and Auggie Kuzera), and while they both play competitive college hockey, they have a special place in their hearts for this community, this rink, and this team.
“McCall’s just a great town, they love hockey. If you’re here for a weekend and you can come catch a game after skiing, it’s just a great cherry on top,” says Gallagher.
“It’s awesome,” says Dom. “It’s a chance to get back to what we love most about the game and be what our dads were to us when we were little kids – it’ll be something special.”
And one more thing:
“Get ready,” Dom adds with a sly smile. “We have a really good team here.”
