Evansville IceMen Move Up to IHL for 2010-2011 Season
June 22, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Evansville IceMen News Release
The Evansville IceMen are proud to announce that they will move up and compete in the "Double-A" International Hockey League for the 2010-2011 season. IceMen Owner Ron Geary has purchased the rights to the former Muskegon Lumberjacks IHL franchise, and will transfer it to Evansville under the IceMen name for the upcoming season. The announcement was made during the IHL's Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
The IceMen will play their first IHL season at Swonder Ice Arena, with the hopes of securing a lease for the new Downtown Evansville Arena for subsequent seasons. The Lumberjacks franchise brings with it 50 years of Muskegon pro hockey history, and the team won the Huber Trophy this past season after posting the IHL's best regular-season record. The team's owners had no plans to continue playing in the IHL, having established a new "Junior-A" team with the Lumberjacks name in the United States Hockey League.
"The chance to bring a storied team like Muskegon, with its 50-year pro hockey history, to Evansville was an opportunity that we could not pass up," Geary said. "I'm excited to bring this higher level of hockey to Evansville and our IceMen fans," he told The Evansville Courier & Press.
"This is great news for hockey fans in Evansville," stated Dennis Hextall, IHL Commissioner. "Bringing the Muskegon history to Evansville creates instant credibility for the IceMen organization. This will not be an expansion team."
The IceMen organization already had a signed franchise agreement with the IHL, although the original plan was to move up starting with the 2011-2012 season as a true expansion team. Instead, Geary will take the IceMen to the next level a year sooner than initially expected, with the Lumberjacks' remaining player contract rights in hand.
The IHL recently announced that it will collaborate with the 13-team Central Hockey League to form an 18-team "super league" for at least the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. With the addition of the All-American Hockey League Davidson Cup Champion IceMen, the combined CHL-IHL will have 3 reigning professional championship teams competing under its banner during the 2010-2011 season. The Fort Wayne Komets won the IHL's 2010 Turner Cup title, while the Rapid City Rush took home the CHL's Ray Miron President's Cup in 2010.
Below are the 18 teams expected to play in the combined CHL-IHL during the 2010-2011 season:
Allen Americans (CHL) [Allen, TX (Dallas area)]
Arizona Sundogs (CHL) [Prescott Valley, AZ]
Bloomington PrairieThunder (IHL) [Bloomington, IL]
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL) [Bossier City, LA (Shreveport area)]
Colorado Eagles (CHL) [Loveland, CO (Fort Collins area)]
Dayton Gems (IHL) [Dayton, OH]
Evansville IceMen (IHL) [Evansville, IN]
Fort Wayne Komets (IHL) [Fort Wayne, IN]
Laredo Bucks (CHL) [Laredo, TX]
Mississippi RiverKings (CHL) [Southaven, MS (Memphis area)]
Missouri Mavericks (CHL) [Independence, MO (Kansas City area)]
Odessa Jackalopes (CHL) [Odessa, TX]
Quad City Mallards (IHL) [Moline, IL]
Rapid City Rush (CHL) [Rapid City, SD]
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL) [Hidalgo, TX]
Texas Brahmas (CHL) [North Richland Hills, TX (Fort Worth area)]
Tulsa Oilers (CHL) [Tulsa, OK]
Wichita Thunder (CHL) [Wichita, KS]
The upcoming season is slated to begin October 15. Conference alignment and the league schedule are among the many topics still being discussed at the IHL Annual Meeting, and more information will be announced in the coming weeks.
The IceMen organization is reviewing candidates for both the General Manager and Head Coach positions. Jack Collins, who manned the bench for the IceMen during last season's AAHL championship run, is among the candidates under consideration.
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International Hockey League 2 Stories from June 22, 2010
- Evansville IceMen Move Up to IHL for 2010-2011 Season - Evansville IceMen
- Evansville Moves up to IHL - IHL 2
- Another championship team, a top goaltender and Michigan pro hockey featured on Puska on Pucks - OSC Original by Denis Puska
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