Captain Crash
Registered User
- Apr 9, 2015
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Big news for the Tier II junior league today as the league announces expansion to Lewiston, ME. The expansion team will play at the 4,000 seat Androscoggin Bank Colisée.
Full press release: NAHL team in Lewiston, Maine approved for the 2019-20 season
In my opinion, this is quite a big pick up for the NAHL. This was a location that was rumored to be linked with the league for a few years, but those rumors really quieted down of late. That said, the new ownership group is likely pretty stable as they've been operating there in Tier 3 with some success.
It also indicates that the league is not backing out of its eastern expansion.
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced that its Board of Governors has approved the membership application for a NAHL team in the state of Maine submitted by ISS Kings Youth Hockey Club, LLC, owned by Darryl Antonacci, MD. The team will be known as the Maine Nordiques and will compete in the East Division beginning in the 2019-20 season and play out of the Androscoggin Bank Colisée located in Lewiston, Maine.
...
"We are thrilled that the growth of the North American Hockey League is continuing in the East,” said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. “Our East Division has thrived and grown because there are a lot of players in the region that want to play the quality hockey the NAHL represents in front of all the NCAA programs in the East. Since the inception of the East Division four years ago, we have seen a rapid increase of players from the northeast playing in the NAHL and achieving an NCAA Division I opportunity. An NAHL team in Maine continues to expand our mission of providing the best junior hockey that is available in the United States and more importantly, players will not have to move far from home to play in the NAHL. With the large number of NCAA teams and scouts in the region, along with NAHL events, it will be a nice addition to the great exposure we already get as a league and likely help us add to the record number of NCAA commitments.”
Full press release: NAHL team in Lewiston, Maine approved for the 2019-20 season
In my opinion, this is quite a big pick up for the NAHL. This was a location that was rumored to be linked with the league for a few years, but those rumors really quieted down of late. That said, the new ownership group is likely pretty stable as they've been operating there in Tier 3 with some success.
It also indicates that the league is not backing out of its eastern expansion.
