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Abilene Aviators

April 3 -- Ban on beer may have help ground Aviators (Jeff Walker) Three words were never uttered by Abilene Aviators’ fans watching a game at the Taylor County Coliseum the last two seasons: “Hey, beer man!”

April 2 -- If you build it, will they come? (Jeff Walker) Professional franchises are building new arenas at a rapid pace these days as the trend for modern facilities has taken over baseball, basketball, football and hockey.

April 1 -- Idea of local hockey team left on ice (Jeff Walker) LAFAYETTE, La. — The Western Professional Hockey League has confirmed that Abilene will not have a hockey team next season.

1999 Abilene Aviators

Dec. 16 -- Aviators’ season canceled (JEFF WALKER) Fear turned into reality Wednesday when the Western Professional Hockey League announced it was ceasing operations in Abilene and Waco for the 1999-2000 season.

Dec. 16 -- Fans expressing disappointment (SAMUEL SEGRIST) Aviator fans were left with doubts Wednesday about hockey’s future in Abilene, but no one had any doubts on how they felt about losing the team. “I think it pretty much stinks,” said John D. Haynes, a fan of the sport who attended 10 games before the Aviators’ season was canceled.

Dec. 16 -- Blame can be spread around for team’s failure (Jeff Walker) Through no fault of the city or its residents, Abilene has become the laughingstock of the Western Professional Hockey League. Two years of minor league hockey has brought two seasons of headaches to the Key City due to issues that go way beyond hockey pucks and power plays.

Dec. 16 -- Abilene players not happy with WPHL (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators’ players are saying bon voyage and good riddance to the Western Professional Hockey League. The WPHL held a dispersal draft Wednesday after the league ceased operations for the remainder of the season in Abilene, but many of the players are saying they won’t report to another team in the WPHL.

Dec. 15 -- Aviators’ fate to be decided today (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators should find out today if they are finished for the 1999-2000 season. Steve Cherwonak, director of scheduling and media relations for the Western Professional Hockey League, said talks broke down Tuesday with a potential local ownership group and the league is not prepared to run the team for the remainder of the season.

Dec. 14 -- Aviators’ talks continue, turn to equipment (JEFF WALKER) A week ago the Abilene Aviators’ season looked bleak, like a space shuttle headed for a black hole with no idea on a return. However, nearly seven days later, the ship appears headed in a completely different direction as talks continued Monday between a local ownership group and Alan Weiss, director of franchise development for the Western Professional Hockey League.

Dec. 11 -- Potential owners, WPHL to continue weekend meetings (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators are not done yet. Talks between the Western Professional Hockey League and a potential local ownership group took a turn in a positive direction Friday.

Dec. 10 -- Abilene hockey team’s future will be decided today (JEFF WALKER) The fate of the Abilene Aviators will be decided today when Alan Weiss, director of franchise development for the Western Professional Hockey League, meets with a potential local ownership group.

Dec. 7 -- Finances, Ice Bats on minds of Aviators (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators’ players have two problems heading into tonight’s contest with the Austin Ice Bats. On the ice, the Aviators must try to figure out how to turn around a dismal start of the season that finds the team in last place of the Central Division.

Dec. 5 -- Aviators snap losing streak at home (JARED SCHROEDER) The Abilene Aviators let off a little steam Saturday. A 5-3 Abilene victory over the San Angelo Outlaws, which included several fights and 14 penalties in the first two periods, was the result.

Dec. 4 -- Struggling Aviators cut second-best scorer (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators entered Friday night’s contest with Fort Worth last in the Western Professional Hockey League in goals scored with 62 in 23 games.

Dec. 4 -- Aviators lose tough game in shootout FORT WORTH — Pat Mazzoli lost his cool and the Abilene Aviators lost their ninth game in a row, 4-3 in a shootout to the Fort Worth Brahmas.

Dec. 3 -- WPHL takes over Aviators (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators were able to play Tupelo Thursday night because the Western Professional Hockey League reached an agreement with the Taylor County Coliseum, preventing the players, fans and officials from remaining locked out.

Dec. 3 -- Aviators fall after slow start (JEFF WALKER) Abilene and Tupelo found out two hours before the puck was going to drop that there was actually going to be a hockey game.

Dec. 2 -- Abilene returns home after tough road losses (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators could use some home cooking. After spending nearly two weeks and six games (all losses) away from home, the Aviators will look to snap a season-high seven-game losing streak tonight when the Tupelo T-Rex come to the Taylor County Coliseum.

Nov. 30 -- Aviators game officially postponed The Abilene Aviators have announced the official postponement of tonight’s game with the Lubbock Cotton Kings. Tonight’s game has been postponed because of problems with the ice surface at the Taylor County Coliseum. No make-up date for the game has been set yet.

Nov. 28 -- Aviators suffer shootout loss TUPELO, Miss. — The Abilene Aviators continued their slide Saturday dropping a 5-4 decision in a shootout that was tied 4-4 after three periods.

Nov. 27 -- GlacierCats 9, Aviators 2 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - with the dam cracked, the goals poured in for the Arkansas GlacierCats Friday.

Nov. 27 -- Aviators game postponed (JEFF WALKER) Western Professional Hockey League personnel won't make it official until Monday, but all indications are that Tuesday's game between the Abilene Aviators and Lubbock Cotton Kings will be postponed.

Nov. 26 -- Abilene hopes to end five-game losing streak (JEFF WALKER) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Abilene Aviators will look to stop a five-game losing streak when they complete their current two-week road trip this weekend in Arkansas and Tupelo, Miss..

Nov. 21 -- Brahmas stampede Aviators FORT WORTH - Goaltender Al Rooney, waived by the Aviators just nine days previous to Saturday's contest, was nearly perfect in net for his new team, leading the Brahmas to a 4-1 win in front of nearly 5,000 fans.

Nov. 20 -- Aviators can’t generate any heat in Austin AUSTIN — The Abilene Aviators continued to struggle on the road, falling to the Austin Ice Bats in front of 4,863 fans Friday night, 4-2.

Nov. 19 -- Aviators hope to end their road woes tonight (JEFF WALKER) AUSTIN — The Abilene Aviators have played the most games in the Central Division but have the lowest point total.

Nov. 18 -- For sale yet again (Jeff Walker) For the sake of the hockey fans, casual and avid alike, the talk of the Aviators has once again shifted off the ice.

Nov. 17 -- Wizards 7, Aviators 4 - Aviators can’t match Wizards’ offense WACO — The Abilene Aviators started their six-game road trip playing a game they didn’t want to play. The Aviators found themselves in a shootout with the Waco Wizards, who used a two-goal second period to propel them to a 7-4 victory over Abilene Tuesday night.

Nov. 16 -- Aviators hit the road after homestand (JEFF WALKER) After finishing their longest homestand of the season with a 3-2 loss Saturday to Central Texas, the Abilene Aviators will try to get back on the winning track tonight when they begin a six-game road trip in Waco.

Nov. 14 -- Penalties doom Abilene (TROY SHOCKLEY) The Aviators played through it for most of the game, but in the end, penalties decided Saturday’s contest at Taylor County Coliseum against the Central Texas Stampede.

Nov. 13 -- Abilene survives miscues, wins shootout, 5-4 SAN ANGELO - After another lapse in the final minutes of the third period, the Abilene Aviators watched a two-goal lead disappear Friday night before downing San Angelo in a shootout, 5-4.

Nov. 12 -- Aviators’ win streak ends (JEFF WALKER) One of the larger crowds of the season witnessed one of the bigger disappointments of the young season.

Nov. 10 -- Aviators 2, Stampede 0 (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators now have a winning streak. The Aviators played their style of hockey and registered a 2-0 shutout over Central Texas Tuesday night in front of 1,882 fans at the Taylor County Coliseum for their second straight victory.

Nov. 9 -- Aviators hope win builds momentum (JEFF WALKER) If the Abilene Aviators are going to turn things around now is the perfect time.

Nov. 8 -- Aviators 4, Ice Rays 3 (OT) - Aviators work OT to Ice Rays (JEFF WALKER) After wandering through the desert of low self-esteem through 12 games, the Abilene Aviators might have found their oasis Sunday afternoon.

Nov. 7 -- Crisp passing leads Buzzards by Aviators (JEFF WALKER) The El Paso Buzzards are quickly reestablishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Western Professional Hockey League.

Nov. 6 -- System appears to work for Aviators (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators appear to have a system in place that is complementary of its talent. Now, the team must master the system, and it won’t be easy.

Nov. 4 -- Aviators hope defense can reverse fortunes (JEFF WALKER) After struggling offensively through the first 10 games of the season, the Abilene Aviators are hoping to make a switch tonight when the team hosts the defending Western Professional Hockey League Champions at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Nov. 3 -- Odessa 5, Abilene 1 - Aviators’ offensive problems continue (JEFF WALKER) From a statistical perspective, the few fans at the Taylor County Coliseum Tuesday night could have left with 1:36 remaining in the second period.

Nov. 2 -- Aviators looking to become consistent (JEFF WALKER) Abilene will be looking for consistency and Odessa will be looking for revenge when the two teams meet tonight at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Oct. 31 -- New players help Aviators beat Bats (JEFF WALKER) Like the Tin Man, the Abilene Aviators found their heart Saturday night and they didn’t need a trip to Oz to find it.

Oct. 30 -- Players searching for the heart to win (JEFF WALKER) Their pride or their bodies? Which hurts worse for the Abilene Aviators?

Oct. 28 -- Daniel Archambault likes playing alongside Francois with Aviators (JEFF WALKER) Imagine moving to a new city and not knowing a soul. Who better to have as a tour guide than your own flesh and blood? That’s the scenario that brought Daniel Archambault to Abilene to play hockey for the Aviators with brother, Francois.

Oct. 24 -- Abilene wins first game ODESSA - Not this time. The Abilene Aviators notched their first win of the season by doing something it hadn't done in five previous contests - finish strong.

Oct. 23 -- Aviators want road woes to end ODESSA — The road has not been kind to the Abilene Aviators thus far and thankfully for them, they will return home for a long stretch following tonight’s encounter with the Odessa Jackalopes.

Oct. 20 -- Aviators statistics don’t look pretty (JEFF WALKER) CORPUS CHRISTI — The Abilene Aviators have managed to lose in nearly every way imaginable through the first three games of the season. The Aviators have held a lead and lost it; fell behind and stayed behind; and fell behind, rallied, but fell apart late.

Oct. 17 -- Rally falls short as Aviators lose SAN ANGELO - If Abilene head coach Marty Dallman was ready to make changes following Friday night's contest, he can't be much happier after Saturday night's action.

Oct. 16 -- After another loss, Aviators set to make changes (JARED SCHROEDER) Francois Archambault cracked his stick in frustration as he skated to the bench - and that was just in the first period.

Oct. 14 -- Aviators have new look as they return for second season (JEFF WALKER) New team, new owners, new season. The Abilene Aviators open the 1999-2000 campaign tonight against the Fort Worth Brahmas at the Taylor County Coliseum. The Brahmas, for those who don’t remember, are the team that eliminated Abilene from the postseason last June.

Oct. 14 -- New division isn’t only change in schedule (Jeff Walker) The release of the 1999-2000 schedule for the Western Professional Hockey League has brought some interesting changes for Abilene Aviators fans. Most notably, the league will not have any Russian teams compete against teams from the WPHL.

Oct. 12 -- Aviators are anxious to play in front of home crowd (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators are just three days from starting their second season and all involved say the show is ready to begin. “We’re going to have indoor fireworks for opening night,” owner Glenda Slaughter said at the “Meet the Aviators Night” Monday. “Today, I helped put the banners up and looked at the ice and everything seems to be falling into place.”

Oct. 10 -- Aviators fall to Cotton Kings The Lubbock Cotton Kings came out in a physical posture and picked up a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Abilene Aviators at the Municipal Coliseum.

Oct. 4 -- Aviators fall to Jackalopes A third-period surge was not enough Sunday night for the Abilene Aviators, as they fell to Odessa in the first exhibition game of the WPHL season, 3-2.

Sept. 29 -- Former hockey team owners fined by WPHL (JEFF WALKER) The Western Professional Hockey League has finally released an official ruling on the salary cap violation of the Abilene Aviators from last season.

Sept. 28 -- Camp opens new era in Abilene hockey (JEFF WALKER) Abilene Aviators, Part Deaux, began Monday when the team loaded the bus and embarked for Odessa, where training camp begins today at 11:30 a.m.

Sept. 21 -- Abilene signs three players (AL PICKETT) The Abilene Aviators have signed three more players. Aviators head coach Marty Dallman announced the signings Monday of three players — defenseman Shane Doyle, defenseman-forward Dave Bodnarek and defenseman Emery Lykins. The Aviators, who open training camp a week from today, now have 16 players under contract.

Sept. 15 -- Aviators to get players from Maple Leafs (JEFF WALKER) The Abilene Aviators are stepping up in the hockey world. Head coach Marty Dallman said he has reached an agreement for a “soft” affiliation with the St. John’s Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League.

Sept. 10 -- Aviators’ GM resigns (AL PICKETT) Mike Doyle, who was just introduced July 24 as the new general manager of the Abilene Aviators, resigned Thursday, just a month before the team is scheduled to begin its second season in the Western Professional Hockey League.

Sept. 1 -- Aviators won’t charge for parking: Abilene Aviators fans will notice a big difference this season before even entering the Taylor County Coliseum.

Aug. 25 -- Aviators’ new goalie loves fans, winning: Abilene Aviators fans will be getting accustomed to the name Patrick Mazzoli in the near future. But more importantly, they will fall in love with his attitude.

Aug. 21 -- Top scorer returns for another season: The Abilene Aviators have their top scorer signed, their backup goaltender in place and they may be adding one of the top scoring forwards in the Western Professional Hockey League in the near future.

Aug. 5 -- Familiar faces are returning to the Aviators: The Abilene Aviators are beginning to look a little familiar.

Aug. 2 -- Aviators face some tough road trips: The Abilene Aviators’ second season will feature some grueling road trips, but only after beginning their 70-game season with a substantial homestand.

July 29 -- WPHL probing Aviators about possible violation: Now that the ownership situation has been resolved with the Abilene Aviators, one of the next items on the docket for the Western Professional Hockey League is dealing with some old business.

July 24 -- New coach is familiar to local fans: With the sale of the Abilene Aviators completed, the talk surrounding the team can now turn to on-ice issues.

July 24 -- New GM faces challenge of making team profitable (Al Pickett): Well, hopefully it is finally over.

July 20 -- Deal may be finished on Friday: This week? Maybe. Attorney Dick Harris and the former owners of the Abilene Aviators have given Glenda and Dr. John Slaughter another extension, this time until the end of this week to complete the deal to buy the hockey team.

July 18 -- Time to resolve Aviators' ownership (Jeff Walker): To say the Abilene Aviators situation is a joke is harsh. But in reality, it is also the harsh truth.

July 17 -- Team's future still in limbo: Another day, another delay. Glenda and Dr. John Slaughter received an extension to close the deal that would give them the Abilene Aviators' hockey team.

July 16 -- Team’s sale not final yet: It’s hard to characterize the Abilene Aviators’ story as a novel you can’t put down or a book that never has a final chapter.

July 15 -- Aviators' deal delayed once again: The deal to bring hockey back to Abilene has been put on hold for one more day. Alan Weiss, director of franchise development for the Western.

July 10 -- Aviators' deal should be done on Wednesday: The Abilene Aviators are expected to become a reality once again on Wednesday.

July 2 -- Call Aviators’ saga ‘Soap Opera on Ice’ (Al Pickett): Ever played the Rumor Game? You know how it works. You tell a story to someone, who tells it to someone else, who tells it to someone else, etc. Eventually the story gets all the way around the room and back to you in an entirely different version than how it began.

July 1 -- Attorney Tom Choate: Expo Center not opposed to hockey: Tom Choate admitted he was "surprised" by the story in Wednesday's Abilene Reporter-News.

June 30 -- Aviators' owners claim $5,500 may stymie deal: The proverbial final hurdle for a new Abilene Aviators' ownership group may prove to be just a little too high.

June 29 -- Lease is only thing holding up Aviators: The Abilene Aviators’ ownership group has cleared the final hurdle but there is still one issue to settle before reaching the finish line.

June 27 -- Aviators a faceoff away from return to Abilene: The Abilene Aviators' ownership group has one more hurdle to climb.

June 11 -- Aviators violated WPHL salary cap: The Abilene Reporter-News has learned that the Abilene Aviators violated the salary cap last season and will await punishment from the Western Professional Hockey League.

June 9 -- Aviators inch closer to new ownership: The Professional Hockey Group of West Texas, Inc., is getting closer to reaching an agreement with the Western Professional Hockey League and the Abilene Professional Hockey Group has submitted a plan of sale to the bankruptcy court, but nothing is official with either group.

June 9 -- New alignment may put an end to Aviators' old rivalries: Imagine if the Washington Redskins were moved to the AFC East, away from the Dallas Cowboys. Or, what if the New York Yankees were put in the National League East, away from the Boston Red Sox.

June 1 -- Hockey appears certain to continue in Abilene: One thing appears to be certain, there will be hockey in Abilene this season. While the Western Professional Hockey League has not received any documentation yet, it looks as though the league has bridged the gap that once separated it from Glenda Slaughter, Dr. John Slaughter and the four owners of the Abilene Aviators, Dave Rounds, Dean Beeman, Jimmy Tindol and Danny Pradon.

May 22 -- WPHL is ready for legal action against Aviators: The Western Professional Hockey League is done waiting on the Abilene Aviators.

May 20 -- Expo Center among those left waiting by Abilene ownership saga: Add Taylor County Expo Center officials to the list of interested parties waiting to see how the situation with the Abilene Aviators turns out in the coming weeks.

May 19 -- Deadline nearing for Aviators to play this year: Western Professional Hockey League officials are asking the same question many Abilenians have had on their minds for months: Will there be hockey in Abilene next year?

May 15 -- Successful Aviators' coach gets the ax: Jeff Triano, who led the Abilene Aviators to a first place finish in the Western Division of the Western Professional Hockey League, was named head coach of the WPHL All-Star Game and guided his team to a Mayor's Cup title in its inaugural season, was fired Wednesday by the owners.

May 13 -- Aviators’ future is still in limbo after meeting: The future of the Abilene Aviators remains in limbo after the former ownership group met with some of its creditors in front of a United States trustee Wednesday morning.

May 7 -- GM-less Aviators set 40 dates for next year: The Abilene Aviators received some good news and bad news this week off the ice. The former owners — Danny Pradon, Dave Rounds, Jimmy Tindol and Dean Beeman — accepted the terms of the lease agreement with the Taylor County Expo Center and reserved 40 playing dates for next season.

Apr. 28 -- Aviators’ May to coach new WPHL team: LUBBOCK — The newest franchise in the Western Professional Hockey League has nabbed another player from the Abilene Aviators. The Lubbock Cotton Kings announced today that former Aviator Alan May will be the first head coach in team history.

Apr. 13 -- WPHL president to visit Abilene: The process of bringing new ownership to Abilene will begin this week when Western Professional Hockey League President Rick Kozuback makes a visit to talk with the current and prospective owners of the Aviators.

Apr. 8 -- Martino is named New Mexico coach: The Abilene Aviators’ last time on the ice this season came during Game 3 of the quarterfinal round of the Western Professional Hockey League playoffs against Fort Worth.

Mar. 31 -- Brahmas end Aviators’ season: PLANO — The rink, with a sellout crowd of 819 fans on hand, looked much like where some of these players started.Unfortuantely for some of the Abilene Aviators’ veterans, it may be where their careers end.

Mar. 30 -- Aviators are determined to turn series tide: PLANO — Abilene Aviators’ left wing Alan May probably summarized the team’s mindset best heading into its do-or-die game with the Fort Worth Brahmas tonight at the Icebound Rink in Plano.

Mar. 28 -- Brahmas 3, Aviators 2 (OT) --Aviators lose heartbreaker: The Abilene Aviators were 27 seconds away from securing a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five playoff series with Fort Worth, but a late goal by the Brahmas forced overtime, where Ryan Black scored the game-winning goal at the 7:55 mark, giving Fort Worth a 3-2 victory in front of 3,331 stunned fans at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Mar. 27 -- Intensity hits new level for Aviators: Abilene Aviators head coach Jeff Triano was business-as-usual at the team's Friday morning practice but there was something different.

Mar. 25 -- Aviator roster choices may be key: As the regular season was winding down, Abilene Aviators head coach Jeff Triano faced a complex decision. It wasn’t how to stop a seemingly unstoppable Shreveport team; it wasn’t how to keep his team mentally prepared against Lake Charles; and it wasn’t how to close the season on a positive note in Corpus Christi.

Mar. 21 -- Aviators secure 2nd playoff spot: LAKE CHARLES, La. — The short-handed Abilene Aviators will head into their regular-season finale with a little bit of momentum on their side.

Mar. 20 -- Aviators in battle for 2nd spot in overall standings: LAKE CHARLES — The Abilene Aviators have been forced to stop looking ahead and quickly look behind as the regular season enters its final weekend of the season.

Mar. 19 -- Mudbugs 7, Aviators 3--Third period blitz dooms the Aviators: SHREVEPORT, La. — The Shreveport Mudbugs hit Abilene with a third-period blitz, paving the way to a 7-3 rout of the Aviators in a Western Professional Hockey League showdown of the top two teams in the league.

Mar. 18 -- WPHL’s top teams will face off tonight: SHREVEPORT, La. — When the Abilene Aviators begin their final swing on the current eight-game road trip, they will run into the hottest team in the Western Professional Hockey League. They will also run into the team that took the Governor’s Cup away from them.

Mar. 18 -- Former Aviator earns WPHL honor: Former Abilene Aviator Eric Brule has been named the Western Professional Hockey League’s Most Outstanding Defensive player for the 1998-99 regular season.

Mar. 18 -- Bonanza Cutting--Motes, Welch come up with winning efforts: “I’m so nervous, if we get rain, I’ll have a heart attack for sure.” William H. Green III was excited. He fidgeted in the stands while Greg Welch showed 5-year-old Haidas Jan to the 5- and 6-year-old Non-Pro Championship of the Bonanza Cutting event running through Sunday at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Mar. 14 -- Amarillo rattles Aviators: AMARILLO - One night after clinching the West Division crown in the Western Professional Hockey League, the Abilene Aviators continued their emotional play - for about 16 seconds.

Mar. 13 -- Aviators clinch division: ODESSA - The Abilene Aviators proved that clinching a crown brings more desire than fighting for a playoff spot.

Mar. 12 -- Aviators can clinch West, but playoff pairings still unsettled: ODESSA — There is a perfectly good reason why no one has mentioned playoffs yet in the Western Professional Hockey League.

Mar. 9 -- Aviators 3, Scorpions 2 (SO)--Flyers take second-straight dramatic win: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Abilene Aviators had to go into another shootout to do it, but posted a 3-2 victory over the New Mexico Scorpions Monday night in a Western Professional Hockey League contest at Tingley Coliseum.

Mar. 8 -- Aviators to take on Scorpions as trip continues: ALBUQUERQUE — The Abilene Aviators got off to a positive start on their current eight-game road trip with a 2-1 shootout victory over the El Paso Buzzards. The Aviators will look to climb back to the .500 mark on the road when they take on the New Mexico Scorpions tonight.

Mar. 5 -- Aviators edge Buzzards in shootout: EL PASO — Terho Koskola scored the winning goal in a shootout and teammate Tony Martino then came up with a save as the Abilene Aviators downed El Paso 2-1 Thursday night in a Western Professional Hockey League contest at the El Paso County Coliseum.

Mar. 4 -- Home ice will be decided on road: EL PASO — Embarrassment was the buzzword surrounding the Abilene Aviators’ locker room following their 5-4 shootout loss to last-place Tupelo Tuesday night in the regular-season finale at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Mar. 1 -- Aviators snare Jackalopes, 4-3: Abilene Aviators center Charles Poulin gave the Odessa Jackalopes a taste of what he's been experiencing the last month - migraine headaches. Poulin tallied a hat trick as the Aviators snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Jacks Sunday in front of 3,329 fans at the Taylor County Coliseum.