2011–12 AWHL season
| 2011–12 AWHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | American West Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September 30, 2011 – March 10, 2012 |
| Number of games | 144[1] |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Total attendance | 94,968[1] |
| Average attendance | 659[1] |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | Missoula Maulers (1st) |
| Lewis & Clark Cup | |
| Champions | Helena Bighorns (1st) |
| Runners-up | Missoula Maulers |
The 2011–12 AWHL season was the 1st season for the newly formed American West Hockey League. The AWHL was formed in the summer of 2011 by teams breaking away from the Northern Pacific Hockey League. The league shares a similar area as the America West Hockey League that merged into the North American Hockey League in 2003. Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Helena all originated in the old AWHL and now appear in the current AWHL.[2]
Regular season
Final Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL1 | OTL2 | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missoula Maulers | 48 | 41 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 253 | 102 | 83 |
| 2 | Helena Bighorns | 48 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 279 | 85 | 79 |
| 3 | Billings Bulls | 48 | 26 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 202 | 187 | 53 |
| 4 | Gillette Wild | 48 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 196 | 218 | 46 |
| 5 | Bozeman Icedogs | 48 | 14 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 207 | 28 |
| 6 | Great Falls Americans | 48 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 359 | 2 |
Playoffs
AWHL Semifinals
Missoula defeated Gillette in six games to advance to the AWHL Championship. Helena defeated Billings in five games to also advance.[4][5]
AWHL Championship
Helena swept Missoula in four games in the AWHL Championship to earn the first American West Hockey League championship.[6]
USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Championship
The Helena Bighorns, Missoula Maulers, and Billings Bulls won the right to represent the AWHL at the 2012 USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Tournament. Each team played 3 games in their pool, with the winners of each pool advancing to the national semifinals.[5][7]
Helena Bighorns
Helena won two games and lost one in pool play and did not advance to the semifinals.[8]
Missoula Maulers
Missoula won two games and lost one in pool play and did not advance to the semifinals.[8][9]
Billings Bulls
Billings won all three games in their pool and advanced to the semifinals. They lost their semifinal game 4-2 to the eventual national champion Atlanta Knights of the EJHL South.[5][8][10]
External links
References
- ^ a b c "AWHL 2011-12 League Attendance". AWHL. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Staff (June 14, 2011). "American West Hockey League Accepted As Newest Addition To USA Hockey Juniors". NBC Montana. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ "AWHL Standings 2011/2012". AWHL. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "AWHL Playoff Bracket". AWHL. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Bulls lose in semifinals at national tournament". Billings Gazette. April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ "Bighorns Sweep the AWHL Championship". AWHL. April 12, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "AWHL Teams Set for Nationals". AWHL. March 25, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b c "AWHL Post Respectful Showing at 2012 National Tourney". AWHL. March 25, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "Maulers come home empty from Nationals". KPAX.com. April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ "Knights Dominate the 2012 Junior A Nationals". atlantajuniorknights.com. April 5, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.