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Scorpions to see Northern lights in 2003-04 season

June 9, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
New Mexico Scorpions News Release


ALBUQUERQUE – The Central Hockey League announced late last week at the league's annual spring conference in Phoenix, Ariz. that the New Mexico Scorpions have been placed in the Northwest Division for the upcoming 2003-04 season. The Scorpions will be joined by the expansion Colorado Eagles, based out of Windsor, Colo. in the Fort Collins-Greeley-Loveland area, as well as the Oklahoma City Blazers, Tulsa (Okla.) Oilers and Wichita (Kan.) Thunder.

"We are excited about our move to the Northwest Division and the Northern Conference," said Scorpions President/Chief Executive Officer W.D. "Doug" Frank. "We look forward to starting a new rivalry with the Colorado Eagles as well as intensifying rivalries with teams like Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Wichita, with whom we had some heated battles last season. With the CHL's unbalanced schedule, our fans will still get to see plenty of familiar faces like Amarillo, Lubbock and Odessa as well.

In other news from the meetings, the Scorpions were one of three finalists for CHL Franchise of the Year, ultimately awarded to the expansion Laredo Bucks.

The Scorpions did not have a player taken in the 2003 CHL Expansion Draft used to stock Colorado and the other new team for next season, the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees out of Hidalgo, Texas.

The playoff format will remain the same for the 2003-04 season, with eight teams including four from each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The CHL also added "tag-up offside" which allows a team to clear the offensive zone and immediately reenter it to pursue the puck as well as automatic icing, in which case the whistle will be blown as soon as the puck crosses the goal line in an icing situation.

The Scorpions and the City of Albuquerque will be hosting the 2004 CHL All-Star Game at Tingley Coliseum in January. The date and time for the event will be announced later this summer. Season tickets for the 2003-2004 season start as low as $320, as prices remain the same for the upcoming season. For more information, call the Scorpions office at (505) 881-PUCK (7825).



Central Hockey League Stories from June 9, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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