The Marquette Iron Rangers were a

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

team that played in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

from 1964-1976 and were five-time champions (three league and two playoffs). The team played the majority of their home games at the

Palestra The Palestra, often called the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the Penn Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 235 South ...

. The Marquette Iron Rangers made ice hockey history when they signed the female goalie phenomenon

Karen Koch Karen Koch ronounced "Cook"(born 1951) is an American former ice hockey goaltender. She played for the Marquette Iron Rangers in the United States Hockey League during the 1969–70 season.Leonard "Oakie" Brumm "First Female Hockey Player Made ...

to a professional contract in 1969. By doing so, Koch became the first woman to play professional hockey in North America, if not the world. The 1973–1974 team featured the Carlson Brothers. Jack Carlson went on to play in the NHL and WHA, while his brothers

Steve Carlson Steven Edward Carlson (born August 26, 1955) is an American former NHL professional ice hockey forward and a former minor league hockey coach. Biography Carlson was born in Virginia, Minnesota. He appeared in the movie ''Slap Shot'' as one of ...

and Jeff Carlson became famous for starring as the

Hanson Brothers The Hanson Brothers are fictional characters in the 1977 movie ''Slap Shot''. The characters are based on the Carlson brothers, who were actual hockey players. The movie, which stars Paul Newman, was written by Nancy Dowd. The story was based ...

in the movie '' Slap Shot''. Steve also played in the NHL and WHA, while Jeff played in the WHA. In their second incarnation, the Iron Rangers were an amateur

senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...

team from

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquett ...

that played in the Great Lakes Hockey League at

Lakeview Arena Lakeview Arena is a 3,100-seat multi-purpose arena, located in Marquette, Michigan. It opened in 1974, during the Marquette Iron Rangers hockey season. The team had previously played in the historic Palestra, a building that had moved from Lauriu ...

. After one season, the team changed names to the Marquette Mutineers after running into ownership-related problems.Marquette Iron Rangers dismantle, reopen as a non-profit
" ABC 10 News, 6 September 2016. Accessed 6 September 2016.

References

Ice hockey teams in Michigan 1964 establishments in Michigan 1976 disestablishments in Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 1964 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1976 {{Michigan-sport-team-stub