BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Westfield, MA – It’s hockey season and the 104th Fighter Wing has a team! In fact, the Wing’s hockey tradition dates back to 1977, when the 104th Fighter Group began recruiting players to compete in the Pioneer Valley Over 25 (PVO25) League. TSgt. John DeVecchi and Capt. Dick Hoyt, 104th Fighter Group members, served as the original coordinators.
“Joining the hockey squad in the PVO25 league would provide great exercise,” DeVecchi said in an AirScoop article published in August–September 1977.
By 1978, the team was officially established as the Air National Guard Minuteman Hockey Team. They were also commonly known by nicknames such as the “ANG Puck Chasers” and the “Guard Puckmen.” The 1977–1978 season ended on a high note, with the team capturing the C Division Championship.
In November 1978, the team participated in the first annual “Armed Forces Night” at the Eastern States Coliseum in West Springfield, Massachusetts, hosted by the Springfield Indians hockey team, now known as the Springfield Thunderbirds. Prior to the Indians taking the ice, the Guard team faced the Dunlap Florist team. “Armed Forces Night,” now known as Military Appreciation Night, continues to be held annually.
During the 1978 season, the PVO25 league played against teams such as Riverdale Auto Body, Springfield Bulk Mail Center, Italian Fraternal Club, Moore’s Delivery, Banas Package Store, Snoopy’s Snipers, and the West Springfield Indians.
By the end of the 1978–1979 season, the team had completed 26 games and competed in the PVO25 “B” American Division.
The 104th Tactical Fighter Group 40th Anniversary Yearbook features a group photo of 12 team members, captioned “Air Guard champion hockey team (over 30). For many years a very successful program that played havoc with all comers in their league.”
Today, the team is known as the Barnestormers. The roster includes approximately 30-40 players who rotate through games. While most players practice independently or with other teams, they regularly come together to compete in local games for charity.
One of the biggest rivals for the Barnestormers are the “Flying Yankees” from the 103rd Airlift Wing Air National Guard base in Windsor, CT. Their games are known as “Battle of the Bases”. Previously the two teams competed in 2023 and 2025. They are playing again February 28, 2026.
The 104th Fighter Wing Barnestormers hockey team continues a proud hockey tradition that spans nearly five decades.