Last spring, the Storm hockey team was on the brink of death. After another winless season and severely low roster numbers, the Guilderland Central School District, closing a $1.8 million gap, cut varsity hockey out of its budget.

But hockey players and their supporters from Guilderland, Mohonasen, and Scotia-Glenville decided to move forward as an independent entity while also getting close to $6,000 in funding from Mohonasen, booster club president John Phillips said. The Storm hired an experienced coach, Jim Archibald, and interest grew as more and more players started signing up for the 2014-15 season.

Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville has 21 players on its roster and seems to be much more competitive than in recent years. The rebuilding process has taken form.

The transition has been like night and day, said Archibald, of Scotia, who was asked to coach the Storm last July; he had coached in the Schenectady Youth Hockey Association for more than 20 years.

“It’s all positive,” he said. “We’re not just surviving, we’re doing well. It’s a 180-degree turnaround, a total attitude change, and there’s no place to talk about what happened last year. Everyone sees a whole team — excitement comes from that.”

Faced with a “big time” budget deficit, said Guilderland Athletic Director Regan Johnson, the school district saves over $10,000 from not funding hockey. Despite having no financial obligations, Johnson still oversees the team with the two other athletic directors — from Mohonasen (Matthew Stein) and Scotia-Glenville (Jamian P. Rockhill); school districts are responsible for their student-athletes.

“It was a realistic decision at the time given the limited amount of participants,” Johnson said of hockey being cut. “I wasn’t happy about it then, and it still doesn’t feel good, but I understand the position. It looked like they weren’t going to have a team.”

Scott Stuart, the chairman of Section 2 Hockey, and also the chairman for the state, said that he went ahead with the scheduling for the 2014-15 season last spring under the impression that Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville wouldn’t have a team. Since the Storm formed after the schedules were complete, it is independent from the other 10 Section 2 teams, which means that it is not eligible for the postseason.

“It’s great that they came back, and they got as many games as they could to get back into the fold,” Stuart said of the Storm; six of its 12 games this season are against Section 2 opponents. “They’ll be a viable entity next year. They needed a year to adjust to their new scenario.”

The Storm has 10 players from Guilderland, eight from Mohonasen, and three from Scotia. The team used to struggle to get talent from around the area — those players were busy playing for junior teams — but Phillips said that players agreed to skate for the Storm this year because of Archibald, who has a lot of connections. Phillips also mentioned that one of the current player’s fathers used to play for Archibald and his assistant, Bruce Pomakoy.

“We have some decent, up-and-coming players,” said Phillips, who owns six Phillips Hardware stores; his son, Connor, plays for the Storm. “It’s funny, we couldn’t fill the bench; now, we have kids sitting behind the bench. We’ve been cracking up about it.”

^{_{Jim Archibald saved the Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville hockey team from extinction by becoming its new coach last July and promoting interest in the team after school funding was dropped last spring. Here, Archibald coaches the Storm during a 5-to-0 loss against Christian Brothers Academy on Dec. 5. Archibald, who lives in Scotia, coached in the Schenectady Youth Hockey Association for more than 20 years. The Enterprise — Michael Koff}}

“Over the years, players drifted away, but now they’re coming back,” Archibald said. “There’s a core group, and more will come out. It’s the love of the game — two kids came, then two more, and then four more. They realized it was going to be more than eight kids and a goalie. It’s like cancer breeding cancer, but in a good way; excitement breeds excitement.”

Stuart told The Enterprise that every high school hockey team loses potential players to junior elite teams. “Some people think that the junior level is better, and they do play more games, but there’s something to say about playing for your school,” he said. “High school sports are all about school pride.”

In the case of the Storm, some players are splitting their time between high school hockey and junior hockey. Guilderland’s Trevor Long, Jake Pasquini, and Cory Shearing play in the Adirondack Youth Hockey Association, and the Bennett brothers, Kyle and Troy, of Mohonasen, play for Troy Albany Youth Hockey.

Wherever a player chooses to play, it’s a personal choice, Stuart says. “Playing for two teams at once is a real challenge, but that’s great if it works out,” he added. “By the time it gets to the high school level, it’s a heavy investment for the parents and the kids; it’s ambitious. If you’re a good player, colleges will find you no matter what league you play in or where.”

The Storm’s budget is tight, Phillips said. Every year, he makes sure to have $7,000 to $8,000 invested into the next season. He said it costs from $25,000 to $30,000 annually to run the team, and, since the team is playing fewer games this season, cost for ice time — the biggest expense — will be lower this year.

Phillips, who is also the president of the Guilderland Little League, said that the Storm gets most of its funding from advertisement books. For example, the team gets sponsorship from Vent Fitness, Imperial Pools, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Price Chopper, hockey shops, and pizza places.

“You do everything you can,” said Phillips of raising funds. “Cookie dough, car washes, anything. There are multiple roles of fundraising and long-term planning meetings. All the parents rally together.”

It’s hard to say how much money is raised from personal advertising, Phillips said. “It’s tough going out there, but we do have a fan base,” he added. “You look at your goals and what you have to work with, and then you develop a campaign. The support from Guilderland businesses has been phenomenal.”

Since the Storm has done a good job with building itself back up, Phillips said that there might be a possibility of some financial support from the Guilderland Central School District in its 2015-16 budget.

Guilderland had its own hockey team until the 2010-11 season when it merged with Mohonasen. Scotia-Glenville joined on for 2013-14 after cutting ties with Burnt Hills, which merged with Ballston Spa.

“It’s headed in the right direction,” said Johnson, Guilderland’s athletic director. “We’re hoping to get back to where we were.”

^{_{In line: The Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville hockey team lost to Christian Brothers Academy, 5 to 0, on Dec. 5, and here the Storm’s Chase Chase tries to stop CBA’s Owen Greene from getting to the puck at bottom right. Peter Galica had two goals for CBA and Jared Vandeloo had 18 saves in the shutout. Daniel Cooper had 44 saves for Guild/Mohon/S-G. The Enterprise — Michael Koff}}