Salem Hall of Fame: Chase Feole was the ultimate winner

SALEM — Chase Feole is short but not small.

During his Salem High playing days, he was listed at 5-8, 180 pounds although he says 5-7, 170 was more accurate. In baseball, he hit five homers as a senior, a feat few in the area have equalled. One of them was a shot way, way out of Holman Stadium.

“It had to be 375 feet easy,” he said. “I just turned on a fastball and hit it in the trees. I hit the sweet spot.”

For feats like that on the diamond and on the ice (he was Eagle-Tribune hockey MVP in 2004) he’s being inducted into the Salem High Hall of Fame on Oct. 4 at Atkinson Country Club.

“(Hockey coach) Mark McGinn will introduce me,” said the 34-year-old Feole. “My parents (Ralph and Lisa Feole) will be there. My girlfriend, Megan Berg, her parents, my older brother (Dean) will be there.”

Dad pushed for Central or St. John’s Prep, where Dean was a hockey goalie, but Chase’s dream was always to play for McGinn.

For his favorite memory, he said “definitely winning the state hockey title.”

The late Scott Lemay scored in overtime to beat Memorial 3-2.

“I was so tired, I didn’t even see it. We had gone with just two lines in the third period and overtime,” explained Feole, a three-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star who scored 59 career goals with 66 assists.

Baseball juggernaut

In baseball, those terrific Blue Devil teams were never shorthanded. He played alongside greats like Terry Doyle, Jeff Castillo and Tom Sweeney.

They won it all in 2003 (Feole was an Eagle-Tribune All-Star) and were Class L runners-up in 2004.

He was a two-sport man. Not playing football he calls “one of my biggest regrets.”

Feole prided himself as a winner. Salem was the first local school (New Hampshire or Mass.) ever to win a state hockey title. The 2003 baseball title was Salem’s second and last championship in a state tourney which was founded in 1948. The only other was the 1962 Woodbury Class M title team.

Then he helped Stonehill College to its first NE-10 hockey title. It wasn’t easy as he was actually cut his freshman year.

“That definitely was tough,” he admits. “I felt I deserved to be on the team. I had seniors saying, ‘Come out next year, you shouldn’t have been cut.’ It was just one of those things. I was pretty bummed out. I was spoiled coming from Coach McGinn.”

He doubled down on his efforts and made it the next year. The blue-collar forward finished with 13 career goals and 17 assists.

Brutal stretch

Being cut was nothing compared to what the family went through beginning Sept. 2, 2015. His sister, Chelsey, then just 26, suffered a rare spinal stroke that nearly killed her. She was just a few years removed from being a two-time field hockey All-American at Boston College.

“It was very challenging,” said Chase, who grew up in Windham and now calls Atkinson home. “We had just opened the new restaurant (Ralphie’s Cafe Italiano in Salem).”

After 37 years in the former Ralphie’s in Salem, the family had bought the new restaurant. Chase couldn’t let it fail as Mom and Dad basically lived in the hospital during their daughter’s long and near-miraculous recovery.

“I think I worked all but two days in August and September ... 15-hour days,” recalled Chase, who is the restaurant’s general manager.

“I’m stressed at work and my parents aren’t there. And I’m super stressed over my sister. My parents put everything into the restaurant. It was definitely the most challenging time of my life and my family’s.”

These days the hours are much more manageable (four 13-hour shifts a week) and Chase still tries to hang out with his old Salem buddies like Joe Ouellette, Paul Trudel, Eric Boucher, Andrew Limbeck and Chuck Stefanelli.

He’s working hard to keep the weight south of 200 pounds by playing softball (he still wows ‘em with his power) and his beloved hockey.

“I can’t hang up the skates now! I need that competition,” he said.

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Follow Michael Muldoon on Twitter at @MullyET.