RIO RANCHO, NM – Just lately hockey followers in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho discovered their id, when it was revealed the brand new ECHL group could be known as the New Mexico Goatheads.
The identify was chosen by means of a fan vote, between Cutthroats, Tarantula Hawks and Goatheads. Basic Supervisor Jared Johnson defined it was shut, “It was extraordinarily shut, we had over 6,000 votes and every one was inside 100 votes of one another. It was robust to decipher, we thought one was going to blow the others out of the water, nevertheless it didn’t and Goatheads ended up being the winner.”
Johnson defined the inspiration behind the brand, “There’s a bit little bit of every part and a few good Easter eggs in there. On the mouth there’s the Sandia Mountains that are synonymous with the realm, the brow has the precise goathead thorn, there’s the Zia which is the State flag on the horns and the fir on the chin signifies the desert and the warmth. Clearly we wished one thing cool and fierce and that’s what we acquired. We even have our secondary emblem formed like a goathead thorn and the State emblem as nicely. The subsequent step is designing the jerseys and making one thing cool out of that.’
That is Rio Rancho’s third hockey group and second skilled hockey group, Mayor Gregg Hull says it’s a special metropolis now and the assist is there, “When the Scorpions have been right here, they have been a bit bit earlier than their time. I feel they’d have been extra profitable if town had grown. There have been a whole lot of financial elements that slowed issues down. In the end a whole lot of issues occurred, in 2008 we had the housing market collapse. These financial elements performed into the longevity of sure issues. Rio Rancho solely has round 60,000 residents, individuals felt like Rio Rancho’ was this lengthy trek to return out right here and watch a recreation.” Hull continued, “The world additionally had the identical identify because the Santa Ana Star on line casino and a few individuals have been confused in the event that they have been going to an area or the on line casino. Now it’s the Rio Rancho Occasions Heart, we’re a inhabitants of almost 120,000 now. All the things is a bit totally different, additionally individuals be taught to understand what that they had after they lose it. Now that we’re getting it again, it’s our job to maintain it right here, it’s our job to assist them and fill this area. We have to present them that they invested in the proper neighborhood and the proper state.’
President of Rev Leisure Sean Decker says they needed to persuade town to get on board, “Full disclosure, I acquired a name from a good friend who requested if I had seemed on the Rio Rancho Occasions Heart. If I’m being fully sincere, I couldn’t have pointed to Rio Rancho on a map at the moment. It was early final summer season, I did a whole lot of analysis available on the market and flew out right here. The town was very thorough, it was actually essential to town and their management that in the event that they did hockey once more, that they didn’t miss. Frankly, I needed to interview for the job. Often once you go to a metropolis and inform them you wish to spend all this cash to carry a group individuals are like come on. Not right here, it was very a lot proving our dedication to doing it the proper means and I appreciated how diligent they have been. From the time we acquired their blessing we have been off and operating, then we needed to get the league approval and that was nearly a 12 months in the past as we speak. This can be a main milestone with the group announcement.”
Decker believes Rio Rancho is prepared for professional hockey and offers the Ice Wolves some credit score for that, “After we seemed on the market and noticed how profitable the Ice Wolves are, that was encouraging. If I’m being sincere, for us, Rio Rancho is a special place than when this constructing was constructed. It’s going to be the second largest metropolis within the State by 2026, we seemed on the love of hockey and the Ice Wolves positively performed an enormous half in that. Within the skilled sports activities world as we speak, there aren’t many States the place you’re the one recreation on the town. The very fact we’re going to be the one professional hockey group within the State was compelling to us. It provides us a chance to construct on one thing that had a robust custom right here that went away for some time and the demand is there.” Decker stated, “We’re approaching 1,000 season ticket deposits, we’re nicely on our means with over a 12 months till we begin. Our expectation is to promote out each night time and we’ve got to do our job to get there. Now we have to be in the neighborhood and show our dedication to this market. While you take it to the following step, we additionally should throw a world class occasion. What we are saying we do is we’ll throw an amazing occasion and a hockey recreation will escape. Should you’re a die laborious hockey fan, we’re going to place a really aggressive product on the ice, however in case you simply wish to come right here for one thing enjoyable to do with your loved ones, we’re going to cater to you too. We’re going to do one thing totally different each night time so in case you come to 10 video games a 12 months, you’re going to have 10 very totally different experiences.”
The subsequent step is discovering an NHL and AHL affiliate, Decker defined that it’s an intensive course of, “The ECHL has 32 groups now with the final one in Augusta, GA being accepted, as you begin to consider it there are groups which have a storied custom in a sure market. We’re not going to steal a kind of away. Clearly we wish the geography to make sense, it could make sense for our followers to have a group nearer that they’d wish to cheer for. In the end we’ve began these conversations and talked to plenty of NHL groups and I actually assume within the subsequent 6 months we’ll have the ability to make an announcement. I don’t assume there’s a real chief, for us our greatest need is geography. It’s a two means avenue, it’s a courting recreation, they’ll must need us as a lot as we wish them. After they get right here, we’ll want to verify they don’t wish to go away. They’ll wish to play in entrance of a packed home, getting followers right here is nice they usually’ll wish to stay in an amazing place and Rio Rancho has all of that to supply right here.”
Images courtesy of Zach Value and Diana Marion
