NA3HL to Jamestown

By Randy Russon
February 16, 2014
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Junior hockey is poised to return to Jamestown, N.Y. for the 2014-2015 season, HockeyNewsNorth.com has learned.

Multiple sources are confirming that a group of Jamestown businessmen has finalized a deal to purchase the Michigan Mountain Cats of the North American 3 Hockey League.

Pending formal NA3HL approval, the Mountain Cats — who are based in the Detroit suburb of Fraser — would move to Jamestown for the 2014-2015 season under the new ownership group.

Jamestown — which is located about 75 miles from Buffalo — was home to the Ironmen of the Tier 2, North American Hockey League for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons.

Shortly after winning the NAHL North Division title in 2012-2013 and going to the league’s Robertson Cup tournament, the Ironmen went dormant despite the last-ditch efforts of a group hoping to purchase the franchise from Japanese businessmen Kenji Yamada.

Thus, Jamestown was left without junior hockey for this 2013-2014 season.

With a population of about 31,000, Jamestown is home to a $26 million, state-of-the-art facility — the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena.