2009–10 NAHL season
| 2009–10 NAHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | North American Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | Regular season September 11, 2009 – March 28, 2010 Post-season April 2 – May 9, 2010 |
| Number of games | 58 |
| Number of teams | 19 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Wenatchee Wild |
| Season MVP | Erik Higby (Topeka RoadRunners) |
| Top scorer | Erik Higby (Topeka RoadRunners) |
| Robertson Cup Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Bismarck Bobcats |
| Runners-up | Fairbanks Ice Dogs |
The 2009–10 NAHL season was the 26th season of the North American Hockey League. The regular season ran from September 2009 to April 2010 with a 58-game schedule for each team. The Wenatchee Wild won the regular season championship. The Bismarck Bobcats defeated the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 3 to 0 to capture the Robertson Cup.
Member changes
- In April of 2009, the United States Hockey League announced that they would be expanding by accepting two NAHL teams, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms and USNTDP, for the upcoming season.[1]
- The Texas Tornado sat out the previous season due to renovations at their home rink, the Deja Blue Arena.[2] With the venue now ready to host events once more, it was renamed Dr Pepper Arena and Tornado returned to league play.
- In 2009, the NAHL approved Janesville, Wisconsin as the site for a new expansion franchise.[3] In June, the team revealed their new name as the Janesville Jets.
- Towards the end of June, the Motor City Machine announced that they were changing their logo and name to Motor City Metal Jackets.[4]
Regular season
The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:[5]
Note: x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched regular season title
Standings
Central Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xy – Bismarck Bobcats | 58 | 39 | 11 | 8 | 86 | 195 | 130 |
| x – Owatonna Express | 58 | 32 | 22 | 4 | 68 | 188 | 190 |
| x – Alexandria Blizzard | 58 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 66 | 180 | 166 |
| x – Albert Lea Thunder | 58 | 19 | 34 | 6 | 43 | 153 | 231 |
| North Iowa Outlaws | 58 | 15 | 37 | 6 | 36 | 147 | 234 |
North Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xy – Marquette Rangers | 58 | 35 | 22 | 1 | 71 | 186 | 154 |
| x – Traverse City North Stars | 58 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 71 | 217 | 172 |
| x – Janesville Jets | 58 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 64 | 169 | 172 |
| x – Motor City Metal Jackets | 58 | 25 | 26 | 7 | 57 | 158 | 189 |
| Alpena IceDiggers | 58 | 22 | 34 | 2 | 46 | 169 | 201 |
South Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xy – Topeka RoadRunners | 58 | 44 | 9 | 5 | 93 | 254 | 147 |
| x – St. Louis Bandits | 58 | 44 | 11 | 3 | 91 | 211 | 125 |
| x – Texas Tornado | 58 | 25 | 28 | 5 | 55 | 170 | 204 |
| x – Springfield Jr. Blues | 58 | 21 | 29 | 8 | 50 | 163 | 193 |
| Wichita Falls Wildcats | 58 | 18 | 34 | 6 | 42 | 175 | 251 |
West Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xyz – Wenatchee Wild | 58 | 45 | 10 | 3 | 93 | 219 | 125 |
| x – Alaska Avalanche | 58 | 32 | 19 | 7 | 71 | 198 | 178 |
| x – Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 58 | 32 | 22 | 4 | 68 | 203 | 182 |
| x – Kenai River Brown Bears | 58 | 12 | 40 | 6 | 30 | 144 | 247 |
Statistics
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in regular season points at the completion of all regular season games. [6]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Higby | Topeka RoadRunners | 57 | 27 | 53 | 80 | 68 |
| Michael Juola | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 58 | 22 | 55 | 77 | 70 |
| Jared Rickord | Springfield Jr. Blues | 58 | 28 | 40 | 68 | 14 |
| Andrew Kolb | Marquette Rangers | 58 | 24 | 41 | 65 | 34 |
| Garrett Ladd | Marquette Rangers | 55 | 23 | 40 | 63 | 105 |
| Nardo Nagtzaam | Alexandria Blizzard | 54 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 55 |
| Brian Sheehan | Wichita Falls Wildcats | 58 | 29 | 31 | 60 | 70 |
| Mark Pustin | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 53 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 29 |
| Jason Fabian | Bismarck Bobcats | 57 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 81 |
| Kyle Clay | Alexandria Blizzard | 58 | 21 | 36 | 57 | 46 |
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | OTL | SOL | GA | SO | SV | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Jaeger | Wenatchee Wild | 29 | 1604:35 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 3 | 631 | .928 | 1.83 |
| Lukas Hafner | Marquette Rangers | 21 | 1071:53 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 3 | 558 | .938 | 2.07 |
| Tyler Bruggeman | St. Louis Bandits | 36 | 2136:22 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 75 | 2 | 936 | .926 | 2.11 |
| Ryan Faragher | Bismarck Bobcats | 38 | 2125:58 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 77 | 4 | 897 | .921 | 2.17 |
| Evan Karambelas | Topeka RoadRunners | 27 | 1622:45 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 62 | 2 | 504 | .890 | 2.29 |
Robertson Cup playoffs
Five teams qualified for the Round Robin semifinal, the host (Wenatchee) and the four division champions. If Wenatchee won the west division final, the runner-up would receive the final qualifying spot. For the round robin semifinal, ties were broken first by head-to-head matchup and then by goal differential.
| Division Semifinals (Best-of-5) | Division Finals (Best-of-5) | Semifinal (Round Robin) | Championship (Best-of-1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Bismarck Bobcats | 4 | 8 | 4 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Albert Lea Thunder | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Bismarck Bobcats | 9 | 5 | 3 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Alexandria Blizzard | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Owatonna Express | 7* | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Alexandria Blizzard | 6 | 3 | 6 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Marquette Rangers | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Motor City Machine | 5 | 2 | 4*** | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Motor City Machine | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Traverse City North Stars | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Traverse City North Stars | 7 | 4 | 2 | - | - | C1 | Bismarck Bobcats | - | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Janesville Jets | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | N2 | Traverse City North Stars | 1 | - | 1 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Bismarck Bobcats | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | St. Louis Bandits | 3 | 4 | - | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Topeka RoadRunners | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | - | W1 | Wenatchee Wild | 2 | 4 | 5* | - | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | W3 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | - | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Topeka RoadRunners | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | St. Louis Bandits | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | St. Louis Bandits | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3*** | 3* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Texas Tornado | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Wenatchee Wild | 5 | 5 | 3 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Kenai River Brown Bears | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Wenatchee Wild | 6 | 6 | 7 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Alaska Avalanche | 1 | 4 | 2 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 2* | 6 | 4 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Division Semifinals
Central Division
(C1) Bismarck Bobcats vs. (C4) Alexandria Blizzard
| April 2 | Bismarck Bobcats | 4 – 2 | Albert Lea Thunder | V.F.W. Sports Center | ||||
| 10:27 - pp - Sean McKenzie (1) | First period | Anthony Iaquinto (1) - 2:50 Niko Kapetanovic (1) - 13:38 | ||||||
| 1:34 - pp - Tim Serratore (1) | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| 7:44 - Dominic Panetta (1) 13:07 - Trent Johnson (1) |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jake Williams (24 saves / 26 shots) | Goalie stats | Joe Rogers (34 saves / 38 shots) | ||||||
| April 3 | Bismarck Bobcats | 8 – 2 | Albert Lea Thunder | V.F.W. Sports Center | ||||
| April 9 | Albert Lea Thunder | 1 – 6 | Bismarck Bobcats | Albert Lea City Arena | ||||
| Bismarck wins series 3 – 0 | |
(C2) Owatonna Express vs. (C3) Alexandria Blizzard
| April 2 | Owatonna Express | 7 – 6 | OT | Alexandria Blizzard | Shattuck St. Mary's Ice Arena | |||
| April 3 | Owatonna Express | 2 – 3 | Alexandria Blizzard | Shattuck St. Mary's Ice Arena | ||||
| April 9 | Alexandria Blizzard | 6 – 2 | Owatonna Express | Runestone Community Center | ||||
| April 10 | Alexandria Blizzard | 5 – 2 | Owatonna Express | Runestone Community Center | ||||
| Alexandria wins series 3 – 1 | |
North Division
(N1) Marquette Rangers vs. (N4) Motor City Machine
| April 2 | Marquette Rangers | 2 – 5 | Motor City Machine | Lakeview Arena | ||||
| April 3 | Marquette Rangers | 1 – 2 | Motor City Machine | Lakeview Arena | ||||
| April 8 | Motor City Machine | 4 – 3 | 3OT | Marquette Rangers | Yack Arena | |||
| Motor City wins series 3 – 0 | |
(N2) Traverse City North Stars vs. (N3) Janesville Jets
| April 2 | Traverse City North Stars | 7 –1 | Janesville Jets | Molon Rink | ||||
| April 3 | Traverse City North Stars | 4 – 0 | Janesville Jets | Molon Rink | ||||
| April 9 | Janesville Jets | 0 – 2 | Traverse City North Stars | Janesville Ice Arena | ||||
| Traverse City wins series 3 – 0 | |
South Division
(S1) Topeka RoadRunners vs. (S4) Springfield Jr. Blues
| April 2 | Topeka RoadRunners | 1 – 4 | Springfield Jr. Blues | Kansas Expocentre | ||||
| April 3 | Topeka RoadRunners | 7– 2 | Springfield Jr. Blues | Kansas Expocentre | ||||
| April 9 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 8 – 1 | Topeka RoadRunners | Nelson Center | ||||
| April 10 | Springfield Jr. Blues | 4 – 3 | Topeka RoadRunners | Nelson Center | ||||
| Topeka wins series 3 – 1 | |
(S2) St. Louis Bandits vs. (S3) Texas Tornado
| April 2 | St. Louis Bandits | 2 – 3 | Texas Tornado | Hardee's Iceplex | ||||
| April 3 | St. Louis Bandits | 1 – 3 | Texas Tornado | Hardee's Iceplex | ||||
| April 7 | Texas Tornado | 0 – 1 | St. Louis Bandits | Deja Blue Arena | ||||
| April 8 | Texas Tornado | 2 – 3 | 3OT | St. Louis Bandits | Deja Blue Arena | |||
| April 10 | St. Louis Bandits | 4 – 3 | OT | Texas Tornado | Hardee's Iceplex | |||
| St. Louis wins series 3 – 2 | |
West Division
(W1) Wenatchee Wild vs. (W4) Kenai River Brown Bears
| April 2 | Wenatchee Wild | 5 – 2 | Kenai River Brown Bears | Town Toyota Center | ||||
| April 3 | Wenatchee Wild | 5 – 2 | Kenai River Brown Bears | Town Toyota Center | ||||
| April 4 | Wenatchee Wild | 3 – 1 | Kenai River Brown Bears | Town Toyota Center | ||||
| Wenatchee wins series 3 – 0 | |
(W2) Alaska Avalanche vs. (W3) Fairbanks Ice Dogs
| April 2 | Alaska Avalanche | 1 – 2 | OT | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Aaron McGill (1) - 16:19 | ||||||
| 19:19 - Zach Smith (1) | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | Matt Millis (1) - pp - 0:43 | ||||||
| Landon Peterson (25 saves / 27 shots) | Goalie stats | Joe Phillippi (29 saves / 30 shots) | ||||||
| April 3 | Alaska Avalanche | 4 – 6 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center | ||||
| April 9 | Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 4 – 2 | Alaska Avalanche | Big Dipper Ice Arena | ||||
| Fairbanks wins series 3 – 0 | |
References
- ^ "USHL adds two teams for 2009-2010". Arena Digest. April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Dr Pepper Arena reopens in June". Dallas Business Journal. April 30, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ "Jets touch down in Janesville". NAHL. June 5, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Motor City changes nickname, logo". NAHL. June 25, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "NAHL Standings". North American Hockey League. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ "NAHL Stats". North American Hockey League. Retrieved May 26, 2025.