2016–17 FHL season
The 2016–17 Federal Hockey League season is the seventh season of the Federal Hockey League. The regular season lasts from October 28, 2016 to April 2, 2017, with an unbalanced 56-game schedule between the seven teams.
League changes
The Watertown Wolves completed renovations to their ice rink and signed a new one-year lease agreement with the city of Watertown in order to return after one season off.[1]
In May 2016, the league expanded to St. Clair Shores, Michigan (Metro Detroit), with the new St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints, playing out of the St. Clair Shores Civic Arena.[2][3]
On July 13, 2016, the "Dayton Pro Hockey" team, formerly known as the Dayton Demolition before removing references of the Demolition name in March 2016, announced it would be going dormant for the 2016–17 season. Owner Joe Pace, Sr. claimed that Hara Arena was unable to sign leases to tenants and he did not believe he could put together a team without a proper lead up time and secured arena. He also stated he would look to keep the team in Dayton in 2017 even if Hara Arena is still not available.[4] Hara Arena would end up closing permanently in August 2016.
In June 2016, Brewster Bulldogs owner, Bruce Bennett mentioned to the The News-Times that he would solely focus on his Danbury Titans team and would no longer be involved with the Bulldogs.[5] Without finding new ownership, Bennett decided to suspend Bulldogs operations on July 14, 2016.[6]
On September 14, the city of Cornwall, Ontario, approved a team called the Cornwall Nationals to begin play for the 2016–17 season out of the Ed Lumley Arena.[7] On September 16, the FHL approved of the addition to the league for the upcoming season.[8] The new team replaces the recently folded Cornwall River Kings and is led by Mitch Gagne and Rodney Rivette.
Standings
As of November 27, 2016[9]
| Team | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danville Dashers | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 26 | 30 | .769 |
| Cornwall Nationals | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 35 | 17 | .630 |
| St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 26 | 13 | .542 |
| Port Huron Prowlers | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 28 | 14 | .467 |
| Danbury Titans | 12 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 39 | 15 | .417 |
| Watertown Wolves | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 44 | 11 | .333 |
| Berlin River Drivers | 11 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 47 | 11 | .333 |
- Advance to playoffs
References
- ↑ "Wolves, city ink new contract for Watertown arena". Watertown Daily Times. May 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Pro Hockey coming to St. Clair Shores' Civic Arena". scsfightingsaints.com. St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints. May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- ↑ Brudenell, Mike (May 18, 2016). "New St. Clair Shores hockey team named ... Fighting Saints". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Dayton Pro Hockey goes Dormant for 2016-17 season, planning return for 2017-18". FHL. July 13, 2016.
- ↑ "Danbury Titans renew lease with Danbury Ice Arena". The News-Times. June 21, 2016.
- ↑ "Brewster Bulldogs Pro Hockey Suspends 2016-17 Season". OurSports Central. July 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Cornwall city hall inks deal with FHL Nationals". Standard-Freeholder. September 14, 2016.
- ↑ "FHL Formally Approves Expansion to Cornwall, Ontario for 2016-17". OurSports Central. September 16, 2016.
- ↑ "League Standings". FHL. Retrieved September 21, 2016.