Louisiana IceGators
Louisiana IceGators | |
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City | Lafayette, Louisiana |
League | Southern Professional Hockey League |
Founded | 2009 |
Home arena | "The Frozen Swamp" Cajundome |
Colors | Green, Gold, Black, White |
Owner(s) | Chuck Anselmo Jr. & Chuck Anselmo III |
General manager | Louis Dumont |
Head coach | Drew Omicioli |
Captain | Shawn McNeil |
Media | Lafayette Daily Advertiser, KATC, KLFY |
Franchise history | |
1995-2005 | Louisiana IceGators (ECHL) |
2009-Current | Louisiana Icegators (SPHL) |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 0 |
The Louisiana IceGators are a team of the Southern Professional Hockey League who began play in the 2009-10 season. Like the original IceGators which played from 1995 until folding in 2005, they are based out of Lafayette, Louisiana. The IceGators were brought back and owned by local businessman Danny Smith, and their head coach was Ron Handy, a member of the original IceGators team that hit the ice in 1995-96.[1] In August 2010, a deal was struck and Smith sold the team to two local businessmen, E.C. "Chuck" Anselmo, Jr. and E.C. "Chuck" Anselmo, III.
History
For their first season as members of the SPHL, home games were played at the Blackham Coliseum rather than the Cajundome, the original home of the ECHL 'Gators'. For the 2010-11 season, however, the team's home ice returned to the Cajundome known as the frozen swamp.[2]
On October 26, 2009, Ron Handy stepped down as head coach after a 0-3-0 start. He was replaced by General Manager Brent Sapergia on an interim basis. Sapergia was banned by the league after being disqualified from two games in a row. In Pensacola, Sapergia threw a water bottle onto the ice, then a water cooler, then a pair of medical kits. Sapergia finished the tirade by emptying Louisiana's supply of hockey sticks into play and giving a farewell gesture to the fans as he left the arena.[3] Former Huntsville Havoc player and coach John Gibson was later named Head Coach, while Handy began to focus on community relations and off ice operations.[4]
On October 18, 2010 the IceGators affiliated with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League for the 2010/2011 season.[5]
At the end of the 2012-2013, Riley Gill was selected as the Sher-Wood Goaltender of the Year. "Gill led the league in wins (25-tied) and shootout wins (four) and set a new SPHL record with five shutouts. His 2.43 goals against average ranked second, while his .918 save percentage was tied for third-best. Gill’s strong play helped Louisiana to a 20-point improvement from last season, as the IceGators finished tied with Fayetteville for most points (73)." [6]
In the 2010-2011 season, the Icegators brought a familiar face back to the Frozen Swamp. They signed forward Shawn McNeil. Shawn McNeil played for the ECHL Icegators from 1999-2003. As of the 2013-2014 season, Shawn McNeil was leading scorer in the SPHL. He played 56 games in which he achieved 18 goals and 49 assists at the age of 35. On April 3, 2014, Shawn was named Easton Most Valuable Player of the SPHL. "McNeil led all players in points (67) and assists (49) and tied SPHL season-highs with an 18-game point streak and an eight-game assist streak. One of four IceGators to play all 56 games, McNeil was a team-best +18 as he led Louisiana to a second-place finish in the regular season." [7]
Team Record
Southern Professional Hockey League
Season | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009-10 | 56 | 23 | 31 | 2 | 48 | 175 | 223 | 1650 | 7th (Out of Playoffs) |
2010-11 | 56 | 16 | 40 | 0 | 32 | 170 | 231 | 1111 | 8th (Out of Playoffs) |
2011-12 | 56 | 24 | 27 | 5 | 53 | 177 | 202 | 943 | 7th (Out in Quarterfinals) |
2012-13 | 56 | 34 | 17 | 5 | 73 | 172 | 167 | 1145 | 2nd (Out in Semifinals) |
2013-14 | 56 | 35 | 18 | 3 | 73 | 198 | 175 | 1094 | 2nd (Out in Quarterfinals) |
Attendance
Year | Total | Games | Average | League Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009–10 | 54,779 | 28 | 1,956 | 3,041 |
2010–11 | 50,971 | 28 | 1,820 | 2,762 |
2011-12 | 56,514 | 28 | 2,018 | 2,796 |
2012-13 | 64,080 | 28 | 2,288 | 2,804 |
2013-14 | 66,438 | 28 | 2,372 | 3,000 |
Team Information
2013-2014 Roster
# | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Hometown | Seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Burton (R), Tanner | D | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | January 12, 1988 | Echo Bay, Ontario | 1 |
4 | Byczynski, Clark | D | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 120 lb (54 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Brendenbury, Saskatchewan | 3 |
5 | Lyon, Tyler | D | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | April 2, 1985 | Foxboro, Ontario | 3 |
6 | Duplantis, Josh | RW | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | August 2, 1987 | Houma, Louisiana | 3 |
7 | Shawn McNeil | C | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Pembroke, Ontario | 4 |
8 | Lavender, Jared | D | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Cleveland Heights, Ohio | 1 |
9 | Grant, Jeff | C | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | January 10, 1985 | Burlington, Massachusetts | 1 |
13 | Cramer, Ron | LW | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | New Wilmington, Pennsylvania | 1 |
15 | Robertson, Matt | LW | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | July 2, 1988 | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan | 2 |
19 | Peppler (R), Bret | RW | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | August 12, 1984 | Rhein, Saskatchewan | 1 |
20 | Brown, Greg | D | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | September 3, 1988 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | 2 |
22 | Wilson, Chris | RW | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan | 1 |
26 | Braid, Jordan | C | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 201 lb (91 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 1 |
27 | Barr, Tyler | RW | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | June 12, 1988 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | 2 |
30 | Smiley, Kiefer | G | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Duncan, British Columbia | 1 |
39 | Boyer, Jeremy | C | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | October 12, 1990 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 2 |
45 | Stuart, Adam | RW | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | December 8, 1989 | Calgary, Alberta | 1 |
53 | Zenzola (R), Matt | G | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | Maynard, Massachusetts | 1 |
72 | Stretch (R), Mitchell | D | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | January 3, 1990 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 1 |
74 | Byczynski, Kirk | D | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | October 12, 1989 | Brendenbury, Saskatchewan | 2 |
Staff | Name |
Head Coach | Omicioli, Drew |
Trainer | Libby, Cole |
Equipment Manager | Ray, Chad |
Mascot | Gaston |
Captains
- 2009/2010-Paul McBrien
- 2010/2011-Shawn McNeil
- 2011/2012-Shawn McNeil
- 2012/2013-Shawn McNeil
- 2013/2014-Shawn McNeil
Coaching History
- 2009/10-Ron Handy (0-3-0)
- 2009/10-Brent Sapergia (2-2-0)
- 2009/10-John Gibson (3-8-0)
- 2009/10-David MacIsaac (18-18-2)
- 2010/11-Chris Valicevic(0-3-0)
- 2010/14-Kevin Kaminski (102-84-13)[11]
- 2014/Present-Drew Omicioli [12]
General Manager
- Brent Sapergia 2009/2011
- Louis Dumont 2011/Current
SPHL Awards
2013-2014
- Shawn McNeil - 2013-2014 All-SPHL First Team/2013-2014 Easton Most Valuable Player
- Kirk Byczynski- 2013-2014 All-SPHL Second Team
2012-2013
- Riley Gill - 2012-13 SPHL Goalie of the Year Award Winner/All-SPHL First Team
- Matt Robertson - 2012-13 All-SPHL First Team
- Kirk Byczynski - 2012-13 All-SPHL Second Team/All-SPHL Rookie Team
2011-2012
- Brayden Metz - 2011-12 All-SPHL Rookie Team
- Jason Hill - 2011-12 All-SPHL Second Team
2010-2011
- Beau McLaughlin -2010-11 All-SPHL Second Team
References
- ^ Foote, Kevin (May 15, 2009). "IceGators to skate again; join the discussion". Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Retrieved May 15, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Burgess, Richard (August 17, 2010). "IceGators to chill at the 'Dome'". The Advocate. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ "IceFlyers Open at Home With Win". Pensacola News Journal.
- ^ "IceGators announced that Brent Sapergia would temporarily replace Ron Handy as head coach". IceGator's Official Website.
- ^ IceGators Announce NHL Affiliation
- ^ "Louisiana's Riley Gill Named Sher-Wood Goaltender of the Year". SPHL News.
- ^ "Louisiana's Shawn McNeil Named Easton Most Valuable Player". SPHL News.
- ^ Hockey DB|Louisiana IceGators Statistics and History
- ^ Pointstreak Sites | SPHL Southern Professional Hockey League | Fayetteville, League Attendance
- ^ Pointstreak Sites | SPHL Southern Professional Hockey League | Fayetteville, Louisiana Icegators
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]