Pursuing a dream.
That’s what hockey players will be able to do with the newest hockey team in northeast Wisconsin.
The Fox Cities Forge, which is one of four teams joining the North American 3 Hockey League, will debut in September at the Appleton Family Ice Center and play in the NA3HL as a member of the Central Division along with St. Louis, Peoria, Rochester, Tomah, Wausau and West Bend.
Other teams joining the league this season but in other divisions include the Garden City Gamblers in New Jersey, the Oklahoma City Warriors and the Phoenix Inferno.
“I believe there’s a lot of good hockey players in the state and they just may need a little bit more development than presently exists,” said co-owner and former Green Bay Gamblers coach Mark Mazzoleni, who began researching his idea about 11 months ago. “I came across the North American 3 Hockey League. I thought it could be something that would flourish in the Fox Cities, which has a great tradition of hockey.”
After deciding to go for it, Mazzoleni started searching for partners for this venture. He found two in Darrell LaCrosse of Robinson Inc., and Jeff Lindemann, owner of Lee Beverage in Oshkosh and coach of the Neenah/Hortonville/Menasha high school hockey team.
With about three months to go before the team that is still being assembled takes to the ice for its first game, Lindemann said there is a lot of work to do.
“We’re going full charge,” Lindemann said. “We’re excited and it’s been great here putting this thing together.”
The Appleton Family Ice Center has been refurbished with a new sheet of ice, a well-prepared locker room, a jumbotron that will be installed and more.
And one of the key things is putting together the team.
Mazzoleni said the roster has about 14 players with more to come.
“Our coaching staff is out there finding players and we’re excited to get it going,“ Lindemann said. “One thing Mark and I said is that we want to give Wisconsin guys a fair shake. We know that sometimes some of our scouts for whatever reason they overlook Wisconsin guys.
“They’re looking at the 3 M’s – Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts – so our guys get a little bit overlooked. We started our process in Wisconsin but to really be fair to ourselves and the team, we’ll go outside and bring in some other people.”
Some of those other players most likely will be found at the Global Showcase in Las Vegas, where general manager Chase Crawshaw and coach Logan Wilt are in attendance.
Mazzoleni declined to answer what kind of players they are looking for to fill the roster in a league designed for 16- to 20-year-olds, but he did say this.
“I’m not stepping into that box anymore,” Mazzoleni said. “But I know Logan likes kids that compete, likes kids that can skate. Those are two things that if you look at the North American League or the USHL or college hockey, you have to be able to skate. There’s no doubt about that.”
Just how can playing for the Fox Cities Forge help a high school hockey player pursue his dream?
“We’re just like the next step,” Lindemann said. “You talk to kids that want to play after high school and I would say 90% set their sights on that middle tier like the Janesville Jets or Chippewa Steel in the North American Hockey League.
“That’s where they’re setting their sights. There is really a low percentage that they’re looking at the Gamblers and the USHL. We’re looking at guys who we tell that they might not be able to make those two jumps right away. You might have to start here, get a year under your belt and then we’re going to help you get to and push you on to the next level.”
With its emphasis on providing a pathway for players to get to the NCAA, ACHA and higher levels of junior hockey, the Forge has signed an affiliation agreement with the Janesville Jets of the NAHL, which is a Tier II junior ice hockey league.
It would be the next step for Forge players.
The Fox Cities Forge, with the Appleton Family Ice Center as its home rink, will provide a venue for hockey fans who like being up close to the action.
“If you wanted to come and be in a place of 1,000 people in it where you’re going to be a little bit closer to the players, a little bit closer to the action and a little bit closer to home, why not be here in the Fox Cities?” Lindemann said. “Why not be in the Fox Cities? There’s great hockey background here and a lot of people support it.”
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Fox Cities Forge brings new junior hockey opportunity to Wisconsin
Reporting by Jim Oskola, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Oskola, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
