NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The leadership of the pro hockey team hoping to hit the ice this winter will break the ice with Berkshire County fans on Wednesday evening at the Freight Yard Pub. 

 

The Berkshire Battalion of the Federal Hockey League will hold a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Team officials will be on hand to answer questions and take suggestions from fans. 

 

The FHL announced earlier this month that it plans to make the league-owned team the sixth franchise in the 5-year-old, unaffiliated league. The plan is to play a 56-game schedule with home games at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink. 

 

On Tuesday afternoon, rink manager Darin Lane said the FHL is awaiting final approval from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which manages the North Adams rink and 40 others like it across the commonwealth. 

 

"We're positive it should be OK," Lane said. "[DCR] sent us what they expect, and we sent all the documentation back in. We don't see any roadblocks.

 

"Until we get the final word, we're just waiting. In all fairness to [DCR], they're pretty busy."