Eastern Professional Hockey League (2008–09)


The Eastern Professional Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league. The league was developed by Curtis Russell, Tim Kolpien, Igor Mrotchek, and Jim Riggs, the former commissioner of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League in 2007.

League history

Jim Riggs was hired to become the commissioner of the EPHL after being the commissioner of three leagues that folded.
In October 2008, weeks before the first games were scheduled, two franchises were replaced by the Hudson Valley Bears, based in Poughkeepsie and Newburgh, New York.
The four-team league played the 2008–09 season with the Brooklyn Aces winning the regular season title. The Aces lost a three-game championship series to the Jersey Rockhoppers, two games to one. Average league attendance was 821.
The Hyannis Storm were announced as an expansion team to begin play in the 2009–10 season, however, Dan Adams, the chief investor of the Storm, said he would not be moving forward with bringing the team to the Hyannis Youth and Community Center that year.
On April 10, 2009, Curtis Russell became President of the EPHL after Tim Kolpien resigned.
The Eastern Professional Hockey League did not return for a second season. Mad Hatters principal owner and former EPHL president Tim Kolpien all but acknowledged the minor ice hockey league no longer exists. "Frustrating to say, but no consensus or agreement has been reached," Kolpien said by e-mail, "But given where we are on the calendar, I don't see any way the Mad Hatters or EPHL can play in 2009–10.

2008–09 season

Standings

Teams

The league had four teams located in the Northeast portion of the United States.
TeamCityArena Avg. Attendance
Brooklyn AcesBrooklyn, New YorkAviator Arena 1,098
Danbury Mad HattersDanbury, ConnecticutDanbury Ice Arena 984
Hudson Valley BearsPoughkeepsie, New YorkMid-Hudson Civic Center
Ice Time Sports Complex 		235
Jersey RockhoppersWest Orange, New JerseyRichard J. Codey Arena 935

Champions by year

2008–09 — Jersey Rockhoppers: On March 28, 2009, the Jersey Rockhoppers won the first EPHL Championship with a 4-1 victory over the Brooklyn Aces at the Aviator Arena in Brooklyn, New York. Jersey prevailed in Game 3 of the Finals, winning two straight after dropping the series opener.

Awards