URC ice melts out from under Cheney's new hockey team

Cheney's new hockey team, the Ice Hawks, made their home debut last Friday night.

It was a preseason game that ended in disappointing fashion in a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Tri-City Outlaws. You didn't hear much if anything about it because the game was played in Coeur d'Alene.

It's a curious road the Ice Hawks have traveled since it was announced May 22 that, "Cheney Becomes Eigth Team in NPHL." Perhaps the typo in the headline was a precursor to the troubles this Tier III junior team in the Northern Pacific Hockey League has had in trying to establish a base here.

Normally when one plans to travel to a distant city they arrange for accommodations in advance, just to make sure there's room at the inn.

But this hockey team that was excited to establish roots in Cheney and play games at the Eastern Washington University Recreation Center rink may have not done all of their homework - and they were not just dealing with a hotel, but rather the hefty bureaucracy of a state university.

The Nor-Pac, as the league is often referred to, begins its 14th season of being a place for promising junior players age 16-20 to begin their journey to an NCAA college career and education.

Players from a team like the Ice Hawks would hope to climb the ladder to higher levels of play in the USA Hockey hierarchy of leagues, the Tier II North American League or Tier I United States League - and then on to dozens of universities and colleges.

Ice Hawks' general manager and co-owner Brian Moon outlined the history of the franchise, and was later candid about putting the cart before the horse with the franchise.

"It all started back in November (2013), the league came to me to try to put a team together," Moon said.

It was going to be run as a league-owned team until they found an owner, he said.

"They had some talks with the university," Moon said. "To make a long story short we thought it was a little further along on the ice discussion."

URC manager David Early said any outside team would be slotted into scheduling after EWU needs were met. With a men's team that plays in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League, plus other EWU men's and women's teams requiring ice - primarily on weekends - there was not much left for the Ice Hawks.

Steve Stevens, Pacific District Referee in Chief and Nor-Pac Director of Officials contends the deal for the URC ice with the team was set and then the team, "Had to start over to find ice to fill in the dates Eastern pulled back," he wrote in an email. This happened, he said, after "jerseys were purchased, sponsors were in place."

"It's really a situation that we didn't want to put ourselves into if we had known," Moon said. "We're kind of deep into it so we're making a go of it."

So for now, outside of two dates - Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18 for games with Eugene - Cheney's team will hang its skates at the Frontier Ice Arena between Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene.

The motives were all great for Moon and his organization.

"I think what the league was looking for in Cheney was its own little small town and give them something of their own," Moon said. "The facility is obviously a nice facility."

Moon had submitted a list of dates that the league had given them but those aren't going to work so he needs to adjust the 40-game schedule.

Not only were there scheduling issues, but also restrictions on how the team could market itself.

"We could really help bring people into the building," Moon said. "The restaurant would make money."

The Ice Hawks are scheduled to open regular season play Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18-19 versus the Fort Vancouver Vipers - in Coeur d'Alene.

"To be honest it's almost making sense financially to move to Coeur d'Alene," Moon said.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].