The Salem Raiders were a professional hockey team that played in the

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart, ...

(EHL) and

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. Acco ...

(ACHL). They were originally the Utica Mohawks from 1978 to 1980 then became the Salem Raiders for the 1980–81 season before transferring to the

during the 1981–82 season. The Salem Raiders were coached by former

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

coach

Patrick Kelly Patrick or Paddy Kelly may refer to: Politicians * Patrick Kelly (Irish politician) (1875–1934), Irish soldier, farmer and politician, Teachta Dála (TD) for Clare 1927–1932 * Patrick Kelly (Canadian politician) (1846–1916), Prince Edward I ...

, who led the Raiders to a league-best regular season record of 32–15–0. Salem defeated the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in the first round of the playoffs, but eventually lost to the Mohawk Valley Stars in the Payne Trophy Finals. The Raiders were led by 1981–82 ACHL MVP

Dave MacQueen Dave MacQueen (born February 8, 1959) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. MacQueen most recently served as the head coach of Austria's Dornbirn Bulldogs. Playing career Prior to becoming a coach, MacQueen played seven years of pro ...

, who had 43 goals and 73 points in 36 games, and Tom Mullen, who led the team with 35 assists. MacQueen's goals and points totals and Mullen's assists totals led the league in their respective categories. The Salem Raiders were then sold to

Henry Brabham Henry Brabham IV (April 29, 1929 – March 30, 2020) was a founder of the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League. In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the ECHL Hall of Fame. The Brabham Cup, first awarded in 1989, i ...

and re-branded as the Virginia Raiders for the 1982–83 season, but continued to play in the

Salem Civic Center The Salem Civic Center is a 6,820-seat multi-purpose arena in Salem, Virginia. It was built in 1967 and is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex (named after a former mayor of Salem), which also includes the Salem Football ...

. Coach Pat Kelly was retained and the Raiders played 65 games compiling a record of 20 wins, 36 losses, and 9 ties for 51 points. They placed fourth in the six team ACHL, making the playoffs and lost in the first round. Brabham disbanded the team in 1983 citing financial losses and not coming to terms on a long term lease in Salem.

References

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External links

Salem Raiders of the ACHL at hockeydb.com
Atlantic Coast Hockey League teams Eastern Hockey League (1978–1981) teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1980 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1983 1980 establishments in Virginia Ice hockey teams in Virginia 1983 disestablishments in Virginia Viking Age in popular culture Boston Bruins minor league affiliates