New England Knights
The New England Knights are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays out of Raynham IcePlex in Raynham, Massachusetts. The Knights are owned by Lovell Hockey, which also operates boys' and girls' youth teams.
New England Knights | |
---|---|
City | Raynham, Massachusetts |
League | NA3HL |
Home arena | Raynham IcePlex |
Owner(s) | Lovell Hockey |
Head coach | Joe Lovell |
Affiliates | Northeast Generals (NAHL)[1] |
Franchise history | |
2011–2017 | Syracuse Stampede |
2017–2019 | Oswego Stampede |
2019–present | New England Knights |
History
The franchise was formed in 2010 as the Syracuse Stampede, an original franchise in the 2010–11 season of the Continental Junior Hockey League (CJHL). Michael Beavis was announced as the Stampede's first head coach having been an assistant coach with the Syracuse Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League as well as the Oswego Admirals of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.[2]
On October 4, 2010, two weeks before the CJHL's expected start date, the league announced the Stampede and two other teams would not participate during the 2010–11 season, instead being added as expansion teams for a 2011–12 season that never took place.
Instead, the Stampede began play in 2011 in the Mid Atlantic Division of International Junior Hockey League (IJHL) Super Elite League. The team played out of the Cicero Twin Rinks in Cicero, New York.[3] The Stampede went on to a 35–5–2 record winning the conference and advancing to the IJHL National Championship game where they lost in the finals to National Sports Academy.
The Stampede entered the 2012–13 in a new league, the Northern States Hockey League (NSHL).[4] The team finished second in the regular season before winning the playoff championship against the Lake George Fighting Spirit.[5] The Stampede also finished in 3rd place at the United Hockey Union National Tournament in April 2013 losing the semifinal game 1–0 in a shootout.[6]
The team moved to the Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena in Baldwinsville, New York, for the 2013–14 season.
The Stampede and the NSHL were acquired by the Tier II North American Hockey League and were renamed the North American 3 Eastern Hockey League (NA3EHL) during the 2014–15 season after leaving the UHU with hopes to gain USA Hockey sanctioning which they attained prior to the 2015–16 season.
In April 2015, the team relocated to Morrisville State College in Morrisville, New York. Morrisville is a D-3 school in the State University of New York Athletic Conference and the Stampede felt that the exposure its players will receive during the season will be highly beneficial to their goal of playing at the college level.
Prior to the 2016–17 season, the Stampede became part of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) when it absorbed the NA3EHL.
Following the 2016–17 season, the Stampede relocated to Oswego, New York. The team retained the Stampede moniker and became the Oswego Stampede, but changed their logo and team colors.[7] After two seasons in Oswego, the team was sold to Lovell Hockey to become the New England Knights. Lovell Hockey also operates multiple youth teams and have stated the NA3HL team is directly affiliated with the North American Hockey League's Northeast Generals beginning with the 2019–20 season.[8][1]
Season records
Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern States Hockey League | |||||||||||||||||||
2012–13 | 42 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 73 | 193 | 76 | 2nd of 7, NSHL[9] | Won Quarterfinal game vs. New England Stars Won Semifinal game vs. Cape Cod Islanders Won Championship game vs. Lake George Fighting Spirit League Champions | ||||||||||
2013–14 | 40 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 65 | 161 | 92 | 2nd of 9, NSHL | Won Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Cape Cod Islanders Lost Semifinal game, 3–4 vs. Wilkes-Barre Miners[10] | ||||||||||
North American 3 Eastern Hockey League | |||||||||||||||||||
2014–15 | 41 | 10 | 28 | 3 | 23 | 129 | 193 | 5th of 5, Western Div. 9th of 10, NA3EHL | Did not qualify | ||||||||||
2015–16 | 44 | 20 | 23 | 1 | 41 | 118 | 156 | 5th of 6, Western Div. 8th of 13, NA3EHL | Did not qualify | ||||||||||
North American 3 Hockey League | |||||||||||||||||||
2016–17 | 46 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 46 | 172 | 181 | 3rd of 6, Northeast Div. 31st of 48, NA3HL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Jersey Shore Wildcats | ||||||||||
2017–18 | 47 | 15 | 29 | 3 | 33 | 108 | 202 | 4th of 5, Northeast Div. 32nd of 42, NA3HL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Binghamton Jr. Senators | ||||||||||
2018–19 | 47 | 23 | 21 | 3 | 49 | 182 | 179 | 2nd of 4, Northeast Div. 22nd of 36, NA3HL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Skylands Kings Lost Div. Finals, 0–2 vs. Binghamton Jr. Senators | ||||||||||
2019–20 | 47 | 14 | 28 | 5 | 33 | 160 | 211 | 4th of 5, Coastal Div. 27th of 34, NA3HL | Trailed Div. Semifinals, 0–1 vs. Northeast Generals Playoffs cancelled |
References
- "New England Knights Purchase NA3HL team". New England Knights. April 3, 2019.
- http://tribune-democrat.com/localsports/x1910027186/Local-sports-briefs-6-5-2010
- http://ijhl.us/news2.php?news_id=334314
- "NSHL ANNOUNCES 2012-13 SEASON SCHEDULE". NSHL. July 11, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- Staff (April 2, 2013). "The Syracuse Stampede beat the Lake George Fighting Spirit". AAU. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- Wisneski, Erin (April 29, 2013). "Syracuse Stampede takes bronze in national tournament". Eagle News. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- "Stampede announce relocation to Oswego, New York". NA3HL. May 24, 2017.
- "NEW ENGLAND KNIGHTS PURCHASE STAMPEDE". Oswego Stampede. April 4, 2019.
- "Elite Prospects 2012–13 NSHL Standings". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Wilkes-Barre Miners lose NSHL cup final". WC Examiner. March 16, 2014.