New Mexico Scorpions
When the WPHL first began play in 1996-97, the New Mexico Scorpions were a founding member. The Scorpions played at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, which hadn't hosted pro hockey in 20 years since the Chaparrals disbanded. The Scorps were immediately successful, winning 42 games in each of their first two seasons.
Their finest season in the WPHL was 1999-00, when they won 49 of 70 games and advanced to the playoff finals. The finals, however, were won by the Shreveport Mudbugs, who defeated the Scorps in six games. The WPHL would merge with the CHL in 2001, taking the Scops with them. They would play in the CHL for seven seasons, finishing above .500 six times and making the playoffs three times.
The team would suspend operations for a year in the middle of their CHL stint, skipping the 2005-06 season. They would return in 2006-07 in a new arena, the Rio Rancho Events Center, which opened in 2006. The team would disband after three seasons in their new home when the CHL folded in 2009.
Their finest season in the WPHL was 1999-00, when they won 49 of 70 games and advanced to the playoff finals. The finals, however, were won by the Shreveport Mudbugs, who defeated the Scorps in six games. The WPHL would merge with the CHL in 2001, taking the Scops with them. They would play in the CHL for seven seasons, finishing above .500 six times and making the playoffs three times.
The team would suspend operations for a year in the middle of their CHL stint, skipping the 2005-06 season. They would return in 2006-07 in a new arena, the Rio Rancho Events Center, which opened in 2006. The team would disband after three seasons in their new home when the CHL folded in 2009.
