• Slug: Sports–AHSHA Championship. 742 words.
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By Ari Wohl
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Mullett Arena, a building that used to house an NHL franchise, saw a few thousand fans gather Saturday to celebrate the persistence of hockey in Arizona.

While their main goal was to support two deserving teams in the Arizona High School Hockey Association Division I State Championship, their presence proved that less than a year after the Arizona Coyotes played their final home game in the state, the sport is still thriving in the desert.

“Hockey is alive and well. The head was cut off – the National Hockey League head – but … we hope we’re building something here in the future where this is going to be a game that people want to go to no matter what schools are in it,” former Arizona Coyotes broadcaster Todd Walsh said.

This was the third consecutive year that AHSHA held its state title game at Mullett Arena. Former Arizona Coyotes video coach Steve Peters noted that a cable television broadcast of a high school hockey event proves how far the sport has come in the desert.

“I do believe that more fans are going to continue to come to this sport in this state, even though the Coyotes may have moved,” Peters said.

The Coyotes arrived from Winnipeg before the 1996-97 season and played in the Valley for 28 seasons. The team played its final game in Mullett Arena on April 17, 2024, before relocating to Salt Lake City.

Currently, the Coyotes franchise is considered “inactive” after the team moved to Utah before this season. The Tucson Roadrunners, a former minor league affiliate of the Coyotes, remain in Arizona and are now an affiliate of the Utah Hockey Club.

At the college level, Arizona State University’s hockey program is on the rise. In their first year in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, the Sun Devils are currently tied for first in the conference with 34 points.

AHSHA president Kenny McGinley hopes high school hockey players can be role models to keep the passions alive for the next generation of hockey players in Arizona. He noted that it has to be a “collective effort” to “fill that void” left by the Coyotes.

Another notable presence of youth hockey in Arizona is the Arizona Kachinas, an organization that continues to provide girls with a chance to play hockey.

“We’re trying to do our part for the hockey community as a whole,” McGinley said. “You see 8, 9, 10-year-olds that are here that don’t have the Coyotes to look up to the way that someone like myself did at that same age.”

Added Peters, “Even if you’re a beginner, there’s a place for you in Arizona high school hockey and I think that’s what’s so important. They’re incredibly inclusive and they give kids the opportunity to play and play for their school.”

It was the Pinnacle Pioneers who celebrated on Saturday, capturing their seventh Division I AHSHA Championship by beating the Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions, 5-1.

The Mountain Lions entered the game as the No. 1 seed, finishing the regular season with a 16-1-3 record with their only loss being earlier in the year to Pinnacle. The Pioneers were the No. 2 seed, finishing only five points behind the Mountain Lions in the regular season with a 15-2-3 record.

Senior forward Alex Ihling led the way for the Pioneers, scoring the game’s first goal on the power play with 10 seconds left in the first period. In the second period, he tallied an assist on junior forward Logan Chytka’s goal to give Pinnacle a 2-0 advantage.

The Mountain Lions had an immediate answer. Junior forward Noah Gallo scored 35 seconds after Chytka’s goal to make it 2-1. But in the third period, Pinnacle broke away.

Senior forward George Hammond scored a pair and with 1:33 remaining, Ihling netted his second of the game, to secure the 5-1 victory.

“I can’t even describe this feeling. It’s surreal. I’m so excited. I’m so happy for my team,” Ihling said.

The crowd featured student sections from both teams and Ihling noted that Pinnacle’s loud and rowdy crowd contributed to the atmosphere.

Alex Ihling is the nephew of Pinnacle coach Chris Ihling and the son of program coach Gary Ihling. This season marked Chris Ihling’s third year as coach and the team’s first championship since it defeated the Notre Dame Prep Saints in 2022.

Pinnacle continues its season continues March 26 as the Arizona representative at the USA Hockey High School Nationals in Irvine, California.

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