Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1273865
3 U S A H O C K E Y N E W S , P E O P L E & P R O G R A M S O F F THE D R AW PHOTOS COURTESY OF El Paso Rhinos; New Mexico Ice Wolves Everything's Bigger In Texas, Including The NAHL's Presence TEX FLEX k THE FANS HAVE SPOKEN and the New Mexico Ice Wolves team jersey has emerged victorious in the North American Hockey League's first Tournament of Jerseys. The tournament began in April with jerseys from all 26 NAHL teams competing first in divisional matchups. After defeating the Amarillo Bulls and Kenai River Brown Bears in early round voting, the Ice Wolves edged the other NAHL expansion team, the Maine Nordiques, in the finals by capturing 57.8 percent of the votes on Twitter. "The Tournament of Jerseys championship was a fun distraction for all of the families on lockdown and we want to thank everyone who voted including our amazing fans, our community and everyone in the hockey world and beyond who supported us all season and in this fun online tournament," said Stan Hubbard owner of the NM Ice Wolves. In addition to capturing the Tournament of Jerseys, the Ice Wolves were named the NAHL's Organization of the Year at the conclusion of its inaugural season. NM Ice Wolves Capture NAHL Jersey Crown PMS 142 PMS 4655 PMS 4645 Black PMS 4635 PMS 702 ® The El Paso Rhinos will become the sixth team in Texas when the NAHL starts up its 2021-22 season. T he North American Hockey League wilil expand its footprint in Texas with the addition of the El Paso Rhinos starting with the 2021-22 season. The Rhinos, who will play in the South Division, will become the sixth team from Texas to skate in one of the pre-eminent devel- opment leagues under the USA Hockey umbrella. The Rhinos will also have a team in the NA3HL beginning in the 2020-21 season. Founded in 2001 as a youth hockey team, the El Paso Rhinos played its first junior hock- ey game in 2006. Over the past four seasons, 90 percent of the Rhinos home games at the El Paso County Events Center have sold out, including 37 straight games between 2017 and 2019. "We are excited to add a new team like El Paso to the NAHL footprint. We believe they have all the pieces in place for success, which includes great commu- nity support and involvement," said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. P New Mexico Ice Wolves' jerseys are available in the team's online shop. AUGUST 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 5