AAHL brings Wisconsin, Ohio into family

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The first half of the month of August was a productive one for the All American Hockey League as not one but two teams were secured for play this coming season. Add in the announcement of a head coach for the newest expansion team and things are taking shape for year three to begin in just over two months. The first of the announcements came on August 2 when the AAHL Board of Governors approved the membership application for the reformed Madison Ice Muskies. The Ice Muskies had been a part of the 2009-2010 AAHL schedule but were forced to cease operations. A new ownership group headed by former Madison head coach and present AAHL Commissioner Rod Davidson submitted a new application that was accepted. Davidson said the team will return to the 3,500-seat Hartmeyer Ice Arena in Madison for its home games. “I am excited about the upcoming hockey season in the beautiful city of Madison and are fortunate to have established a great working relationship with all [of] the people of Hartmeyer Arena,” Davidson said. “We look forward to the challenge of bringing pro hockey in Madison to its rightful glory. Our goal is to produce a competitive team and one that Madison will be proud to support.” AAHL League Administrator Ryan Harrison said that the league was very excited to once again bring the Madison market into the fold. “The addition of Madison really brings a great hockey hotbed like Wisconsin into our league again,” he said. “Not only does the addition of Madison strengthen our footprint to the west, it brings more opportunities for players in a region that year after year develops some of the brightest young collegiate and professional prospects.” On August 12, just ten days after the Madison news, came word that the AAHL had secured a franchise in the state of Ohio, welcoming the Queen City Storm to the family. Based in Sharonville, just outside of Cincinnati, the Storm’s ownership group is headed by Nick Poe, president of Dayton Hockey Shop. The team will play its home games at the 1,200-seat Sports Plus Arena in nearby Evendale. Sports Plus is a state-of-the-art family-friendly sports, dining and entertainment facility. It houses two ice rinks, an arcade, a pro shop and café. “Our organization is delighted to be coming to Sharonville with a level of hockey that’s both entertaining and intense,” Poe said. “The Sharonville market allows us to develop a strong competitive team within the Ohio border. We are very excited to be a part of the Sharonville community and look forward to a great 2010-2011 season.” Commissioner Davidson said that the addition of the Storm is exciting for both the short-term and long-term health of the league. “The Cincinnati area has been a minor league hockey hotbed beginning in the 1950’s and we are really excited to be a part of that. We feel that a great sports town like the area of Cincinnati will be a great place to succeed not only on the ice but also off the ice with great community support,” he said. “Geographically, Sharonville is an ideal market as we continue to build our eastern footprint. The team’s presence will give the AAHL a base with which to build on in Ohio for the future.” Poe wasted little time in starting to build his staff. He quickly chose 2010 AAHL Davidson Cup champion winning coach Jack Collins to be the Storm’s first bench boss. Collins, a native of Dayton, Ohio, was the head man for the Evansville Icemen a year ago as they steamrolled to the AAHL title over the West Michigan Blizzard in five games. Collins’ team posted a 20-23-3 record, good for third place in the regular season, despite losing seven players who were called up to the IHL, CHL and ECHL. The Icemen dispatched of the Battle Creek Revolution in four games in the first round of the playoffs before thrashing the Blizzard to win the cup. His services were not retained when the Icemen left the AAHL for the new CHL/IHL “super league” that opens play this fall. “In our inaugural season in the All American Hockey League, we felt we needed a coach with a knack for winning to make our team a championship contending team,” Poe said. Prior to his time in Evansville, Collins was an assistant coach for the ECHL Dayton Bombers during the 2008-2009 season. The Bombers finished with a 32-33-4-3 record, just out of playoff contention. Before that, he had been an off-ice coach for Dayton for ten years. Collins said he was both happy and excited to be coming back to Ohio to coach again. “When I learned there was a team coming to the Cincinnati area, I was excited to not only get back into the league but to also coach in my home state again,” he said. “I can’t wait to get started and really get things off the ground with the new team.” Contact Comment@prohockeynews.com