Semi-Pro/Senior A Hockey in Montana: A Scenario on Semi-Pro Hockey entering the Big Sky State

A Guest Column By Robby Arver

It’s been a long time coming for this as the fiery passion for hockey grows in the Big Sky State.

College Hockey Thrives in Montana

As the time rolls, it’s only a matter of time before Montana gets an even bigger appetite for Semi-Pro hockey as there are four American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II Men’s programs with a Women’s ACHA Division 1 Programs being built in Bozeman as well. Three of the four programs are perennial top-20 contenders in the West, making consistent runs at Men’s ACHA DII Nationals. Montana State University (MSU) is the west's latest number-one contender as their long-time running mates in the University of Mary finally made the official move to ACHA Division I, with the ‘Cats likely following suit in the coming years. The University of Providence isn’t too far behind the state schools in contention for the top spot in the west. The program just restarted in Great Falls as they took a year-long hiatus from competing as they couldn’t find a coach for the 2022-23 season, but they picked up the reins from where they left off and haven’t looked back since. We finally get to the University of Montana Grizzlies, where they have one of the most electric college hockey atmospheres to play in, consistently turning out 1,500+ fans a night on home ice; the Griz has quickly risen in the power struggle between the three Montana college hockey powers. The next returning ACHA DII Program is Montana Tech who’s slowly rebuilding the program after a four-year hiatus. Tech will be a program to keep an eye on as there’s some real potential for it to get traction and become a powerhouse in the next five to ten years. 

Montana Tech is another school trying to re-start an ACHA program

Photo: BNO

The Huge Impact of Junior Hockey in Montana

Now, when you talk about hockey in Montana, it’s impossible not to mention Helena, and not just the junior team; the whole organization itself is run professionally and like a well-oiled machine. Helena is synonymous with hockey in Montana. For the last three years, the Helena Bighorns North American Tier 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) team has run the Frontier Division and that alone has put Helena back on the map, the Bighorns are on the cusp of being a NAHL franchise, if they decide to go that route. The junior hockey landscape alone in Montana is like the wild West Montana is known for, there’s currently four NA3HL franchises within the state and they all have heated rivalries within it. Firstly my alma mater (if I can call it that) the Butte Irish, formerly the Cobras, then you have Helena, Bozeman, and last but not least Great Falls. So three of the four ACHA teams have a junior team to go along with them, that they can recruit from. In the Big Sky state, there’s another city that hasn’t had an upper-level hockey team since 2017 when the Billings Bulls officially packed up shop.

Arver in a NA3HL game with the Butte Cobras

(Submitted Photo)

Could Billings be a Good Hockey Market?

Billings is a notable hockey city in Montana as they had the lone Western Hockey League team for a good while. Billings has been longing for another hockey team since the Bulls left and it would make the best sense as they would have one of the best talent pools around with the NA3HLs Sheridan Hawks, and Gillette Wild being just about three and a half hours trip down I-90 to catch a weekend of hockey there. Along with 6 NA3 Frontier teams being a day’s trip, they have the whole eastern side of Montana to scour for talent as well. Eastern Montana hockey may be sparse but when it’s found it can be really good. With towns like Sidney, Glasgow, and Miles City being the beacons of hockey for Montana's east side. 

Semi-Pro/Senior A Hockey in Montana

I’ve tried to set all of this up to say that Montana is a hockey state and could support multiple teams, if not a whole Montana State Senior A/Semi-Pro Hockey League. Senior A/Semi-Pro Hockey in the US has started to be revived as there are more and more players that wanna continue playing hockey after Juniors, and College Hockey.

Montana has eight teams in junior and college hockey, with Bozeman boasting its own Senior A team, the Stingers. The Stinger’s are a good indicator of hockey growing in Montana and what they bring to the table. The Stingers boast a robust roster with many familiar and local Montana boys. Having that familiarity in the lineup every night helps build more of a community around them. Senior A Hockey in Montana has an opportunity to grow and even have a foothold in the state.

There’s talent all over the place staying close to home and playing in front of family and friends. Senior A Hockey in Montana would help bolster and build more homegrown talent as kids would get to have a team in their hometown they could someday be a part of and help the next generation of players love the game as they do. 

The Bozeman Stingers Senior A team in a game against Fond Du Lac

Photo: Bozeman Stingers

About the Author

Hailing from Spokane, Robby Arver is a former junior hockey player who spent his career with the Butte Cobras before moving on to play ACHA DI hockey with Waldorf. Read more about Arver’s career here.