The Mohawk Valley Comets were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team based in Utica,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. They were a member of the

Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acc ...

from 1985 until the league suspended operations until 1987.

History

The Mohawk Valley Comets competed as the Mohawk Valley Stars in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1981 to 1985. The Stars would win the inaugural

Bob Payne Trophy The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acco ...

, which was awarded to the ACHL playoff champions. By the time the 1982-83 ACHL season started, all but two teams from the previous season either left the league or folded due to financial difficulty. The Winston-Salem Thunderbirds rebranded themselves as the

Carolina Thunderbirds The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. T ...

, leaving the Stars as the only "original" ACHL team. The Stars would struggle over the next few years, including a season of 14 wins in 1984-1985.

1986-87 season

The Comets started the season struggling, winning one game in their first nine. With the nearby

Troy Slapshots The Troy Slapshots were a professional ice hockey team based in Troy, New York. They were a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in the 1985–86 season. History The Slapshots were based out of Staten Island during their inaugural season. By ...

failing to bring fans to the game (including one game that had an estimated 120 fans) and the inability for the team to pay several bills, the league decided to revoke the Slapshots' franchise on November 18, 1986. As a result, the league decided not have a dispersal draft for the league. Instead, they decided to give the Comets the rights to the former Slapshots players for ten days. Twelve players who had skated with the Slapshots would see ice time with the Comets throughout the season. The Comets would also fire coach Bill Horton. In his place, the Comets would hire Joe Selenski as their new coach and general manager. The Comets would go 22-22-3 under Selenski and make the playoffs. The Comets would eventually lose to the

Virginia Lancers The Virginia Lancers were a minor league hockey team that played in several leagues from 1983 until 1990. Their home ice was the Vinton Sports Complex, which held 3400 people. Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1983–1987) The Virginia Lancers w ...

four games to three in the Payne Trophy Finals.

Transfer

After the 1986-87 season, the Mohawk Valley franchise announced that they would be leaving the ACHL to make room for an incoming

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

franchise. The Maine Mariners AHL franchise would be relocated and named the

Utica Devils The Utica Devils were a professional ice hockey team of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Utica, New York, and played its home games at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. History The Utica Devils were AHL affiliate of the Nationa ...

the following season. With the transfer of the Mohawk Valley market to the AHL and the announcements that the Carolina Thunderbirds and Virginia Lancers would be leaving for the newly formed

All-American Hockey League The All-American Hockey League (AAHL) was a minor professional hockey league formed in 1986 after the Continental Hockey League (CnHL) ceased operations. The league was created by the CnHL teams Danville, Dayton, and Troy adding the Downriver ...

, Commissioner

Ray Miron Joseph Rodolph "Ray" Miron (March 20, 1923 – August 28, 2015) was an owner of the new Central Hockey League (CHL), as well as a National Hockey League (NHL) executive, serving in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and as general manager of th ...

announced that the league would be suspending operations indefinitely on July 25, 1987.

References

{{Reflist Atlantic Coast Hockey League teams Defunct sports teams in New York (state) Ice hockey teams in New York (state)