The 2014–15 Federal Hockey League season was the fifth season of the

Federal Hockey League The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. D ...

. The

Watertown Wolves The Watertown Wolves are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Watertown, New York, and play home games at the Watertown Municipal Arena. The team was on hiatus during the 2015–16 season while ...

won the season championship in their first year under new ownership.

Regular season

The FHL awarded a new franchise to play in Southwest Pennsylvania to begin play in the 2014–15 season, named the Southwest Pennsylvania Magic (shortened to SWPA Magic). The Magic were to play at the Rostraver Ice Garden in

Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania Belle Vernon is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It is situated along the Monongahela River abutting two other counties, Westmoreland to the north and Washington across the river. As of the 2020 census Belle Vernon had a population of ...

bringing the league to five teams and a return to Pennsylvania after the folding of the

Williamsport Outlaws The Williamsport Outlaws were a professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League. The team played the 2011-2012 season in Wayne, New Jersey as the New Jersey Outlaws. Following winning the FHL championship in 2012, the Outlaws announced ...

in the 2012–13 season. In an interview, commissioner Don Kirnan stated he hoped to see as many as seven to eight teams in the FHL by the next season. However, after playing one game in which they lost 10-2 to the

Berkshire Battalion The Berkshire Battalion were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League that played during the 2014–15 season. Based in North Adams, Massachusetts, the Battalion played at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memoria ...

, the Magic's membership in the league was revoked due to financial problems. They were replaced, under new ownership, by the Steel City Warriors, continuing to play out of Belle Vernon. On July 14, 2014, the FHL announced another new franchise to begin play in

Berlin, New Hampshire Berlin ( ) is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coös County in northern New Hampshire, United States. It is the northernmost city in New Hampshire. The population was 9,425 at the 2020 census, down from 10,051 at the 2010 census. It ...

, to be called the

Berlin River Drivers The Berlin River Drivers were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Berlin, New Hampshire, the River Drivers played their home games at the Notre Dame Arena. History On ...

. However on September 8, 2014, the league announced that the league would expand instead into

North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the ...

, with the

, citing the market to be a better fit. During the previous season, a group of local investors worked to purchase the

Watertown Privateers The Watertown Wolves are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Watertown, New York, and play home games at the Watertown Municipal Arena. The team was on hiatus during the 2015–16 season while ...

, owned by Don Kirnan. On May 14, 2014, news circulated that the owners group, named Top Shelf Hockey, LLC and led by local businessman Stanley Tibbles, had acquired Kirnan's franchise rights and started a new team named the

. On October 30, 2014, it was announced that a neutral site game would take place on January 31, 2015, in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

McMorran Place McMorran Arena is an entertainment complex in Port Huron, Michigan consisting of a 4,800-seat multi-purpose arena and a theater. It was designed by Alden B. Dow and built in 1960 for $3.5 million (equivalent to $ million today). The exterior o ...

, with an eye towards future expansion into Port Huron. The Danville Dashers defeated the

Danbury Whalers The Danbury Whalers were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League that began play in the 2010–11 season. Based in Danbury, Connecticut, the Whalers played at the Danbury Ice Arena, located in CityCenter Danbury. ...

4 to 1 in the Port Huron game. The attendance at the game was 1,709. The

Port Huron Prowlers The Port Huron Prowlers are a minor professional ice hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Port Huron, Michigan, the Prowlers play their home games at the McMorran Arena. History Th ...

were announced to begin the following

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

. The Watertown Wolves captured first place by the end of regular season and were followed by the

Dayton Demonz The Dayton Demonz were a professional ice hockey team based in Dayton, Ohio, in the Federal Hockey League. After the Dayton Gems of the Central Hockey League ceased operations, the Demonz were created as an expansion team in the FHL. The team play ...

in second place. The Wolves won the FHL Championship in the playoffs over the

Danville Dashers The Danville Dashers were a semi-professional ice hockey team that played in Danville, Illinois, United States, at the David S. Palmer Arena. Originally, the Dashers played in the Continental Hockey League (1972–1986), Continental Hockey Leagu ...

in a five-game series.

Standings

: Advanced to playoffs :* midseason replacement : folded midseason

Playoffs

References

External links

Federal Hockey League website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2014-15 FHL season FHL Federal Prospects Hockey League seasons