The Alaska Avalanche are a Tier II Junior A ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team in the North American Hockey League's

North American Hockey League

The North American Hockey League is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is enterting its 36th season in 2011-12. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States Hockey League...

 West Division. The team plays their home games at the Palmer Ice Arena in Palmer, Alaska

Palmer, Alaska

Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937....

.

Franchise history

The franchise was originally called the St Louis Sting, and in 2001 moved to Springfield, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri

Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...

 as the Springfield Spirit. In 2005, they made their most recent move to Wasilla

Wasilla, Alaska

Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...

, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 as the Wasilla Spirit. The Avalanche played out of the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla until the end of the 2009-10 Season. The Avalanche moved to Palmer, Alaska beginning in the 2010-11 season and play at the Palmer Ice Arena.

Regular season records

Note: as of conclusion of 2009-10 season

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA	PIM	Finish
St. Louis Sting
1996-97	46	8	38	0	16	123	248	n/a	8th, League
1997-98	56	23	32	1	47	188	237	1,718	7th, League
1998-99	56	34	16	6	74	211	180	1,611	3rd, League
1999-00	56	18	35	3	39	164	230	1,605	5th, West
2000-01	56	15	36	5	35	170	263	2,034	5th, West
Springfield Spirit
2001-02	56	23	29	4	50	182	222	1,533	3rd, West
2002-03	56	15	36	5	35	129	240	1,689	5th, West
2003-04	56	13	39	4	30	153	259	1,803	7th, South
2004-05	56	20	29	7	47	144	188	1,027	6th, South
Wasilla Spirit
2005-06	56	23	33	2	48	133	187	1,307	4th, West
Alaska Avalanche
2006-07	62	16	39	7	39	148	242	1,699	6th, South
2007-08	58	16	38	4	36	158	270	1,251	5th, South
2008-09	58	23	30	5	51	172	224	1,505	3rd, West
2009-10	58	32	19	7	71	198	178	1,393	2nd, West
2010-11	58	32	22	4	68	193	173	1,479	3rd, West

Playoff Records

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PIM	Finish
2009	4	1	3	0	11	21	67	Lost in 1st Round
2010	3	0	2	1	7	12	111	Lost in 1st Round
2011	3	0	2	1	6	12		Lost in 1st Round

External links

• Official site
• Palmer Ice Arena