State of Hockey loses team to South Dakota

The North American Hockey League's board of governors has approved the move of the Alexandria (Minn.) Blizzard to Brookings, S.D., for the 2012-13 season.

The team will still be nicknamed the Blizzard in Brookings and play in the NAHL's Central Division. The Brookings Blizzard will play their home games at the Larson Ice Center, which was built in 2002 and seats 2,000 in its main rink. It also has a second rink.

"Chris and Mitri Canavati have been fantastic and committed owners in our league for over seven years in the Alexandria market," NAHL commissioner Mark Frankenfeld said in an NAHL news release, "and the relocation of the Blizzard NAHL franchise to Brookings allows them the bet opportunity for success with the NAHl financial model.

"The Brookings, South Dakota market fits nicely into our Central Division footprint and is an exciting addition to our league, given our already strong presence i the Dakotas and the community's passion and support for hockey."

Chris Canavati said he would keep the Alexandria team in the North American 3 Hockey League, an 18-team USA Hockey Tier III sanctioned junior league. That league has four other teams in Minnesota and one in northern Iowa.

Doc DelCastillo will remain the NAHL Blizzard's coach. "We'll get up and down the ice and we'll play physical," DelCastillo said. "This is going to be a tough ticket to get."

The NAHL is the oldest and largest junior hockey league in the U.S. with 28 teams in 14 states. More than 140 NAHL players in 2010-11 committed to NCAA schools.

The NAHL, with a record 28 teams this season, set attendance records for most fans with 1,128,098, and average attendance per game, 1,342.

The Austin Bruins in southeast Minnesota were one of the NAHL's success stories. The Bruins shattered their single-game attendance record (1,989) this season with their annual Pink in the Rink game and they increased their average attendance over 25 percent this year to over 1,000 fans per game.

"Being a part of the Austin community is everything to the Bruins and ultimately we feel like it is the community's team, not an individual's," said Craig Patrick, governor/owner of the Bruins. "We made over 100 school visits this season and those kids they talk to and see at the schools then identify with the players and want to see them at the games."

TEAM TOTAL GAMES AVERAGE
Fresno 106,718 30 3,557
Corpus Christi 91,678 30 3,055
Wenatchee 90,855 30 3,028
Odessa 86,413 30 2,880
Amarillo 68,754 30 2,291
Fairbanks 64,044 30 2,134
Topeka 63,876 30 2,129
Wichita Falls 61,150 30 2,038
Texas 55,029 30 1,834
Aberdeen 38,405 30 1,280
Bismarck 35,794 30 1,193
Austin 30,653 30 1,021
Dawson Creek 30,306 30 1,010
Minot 28,861 30 962
Springfield 27,497 30 916
Alexandria 25,995 30 866
Chicago 25,665 30 855
Kenai River 23,492 30 783
Janesville 22,748 30 758
New Mexico 21,655 30 721
Port Huron 21,465 30 715
Michigan 20,077 30 669
Coulee Region 19,786 30 659
Jamestown 19,460 30 648
St. Louis 15,825 30 527
Traverse City 13,224 30 440
Alaska 11,630 30 387
Kalamazoo 7,043 30 234

TOTALS: 1,128,098 840 1,342

* David Backes, a forward for Minnesota State Mankato from 2003-06, is one of three finalists for the Selke Trophy given to the top defensive forward in the NHL. Backes, in his fifth NHL season, had 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points this past season for the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues are playing the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference semifinals.

The other finalists are Patrice Bergeron of Boston and Pavel Datsyuk of Detroit. Backes, of Blaine, played for Spring Lake Park High School.

* WCHA teams were 51-33-8 in non-conference-member teams:

13-1-0 (.929) vs the Atlantic Hockey Association

11-5-4 (.650) vs the ECAC

7-9-3 (.472) vs Hockey East