History

The Xtreme Hockey League (XHL) was formed in January of 2001 to provide a forum for organized roller hockey in the local area. The league was approved by the Brockway Recreation Board to play on the former tennis courts in Taylor Memorial Park down on Ninth Avenue by the Little League Field, in Brockway, Pennsylvania.

At the start of the 2007 season, the XHL had been officially incorporated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a non-profit corporation and it had received tax-exempt status under Section 501(c) 4 of the Internal Revenue Code. For the first time, the sponsor logos on the boards were done professionally in vinyl graphics instead of being painted by hand. Enrollment dropped to 9 teams; however, the XHL was able to draw new members from the Junior XHL program in Brockway as well as from other surrounding communities. During the 2007 season the League continued the raffle ticket sales, as well as XHL apparel sales as a way of generating more revenue for court expansion. 2007 saw the addition of Adam McKinley as Vice-President and Brian Anderson as Treasurer.

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The 3rd season again drew 9 teams, and was the most competitive season to that point. The Contenders beat the Rogue 5-4 in the first game of the finals to take the series to Game 2. With the score tied at 6 after regulation, Ryan Drayer scored the winning goal for the Contenders with 47 seconds left in overtime to earn their place on the Taylor Memorial Cup.

With the onset of the 5th season, it was clearly evident that League was going through growing pains with such a small court surface. Plans were put together and presented to the Rec. Board for the possibility of expanding the court. Three proposals were discussed. Two of them would have the League remain at its current location at Ninth Avenue. This initiated the “5-Year Plan” for expansion. As a way to raise funds, the League sold raffle tickets and XHL apparel. In 2005 the XHL formally started the process of applying for tax exemption status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) 3 in order to apply for grant monies. Season 5 also saw the introduction of the “Featured Game of the Night” with music and announcements replicating the feel of being at a professional hockey game.

The first season consisted of 7 teams, with six (6) members on a team. The Marvel Knights defeated the Rogue to claim the first ever XHL championship, which capped off a 15-1-2 season.

Season one was a learning experience for the League, so in 2002, major changes were made. Rules were set in place to avoid the problems that arose the first year, a scoreboard was purchased by the Recreation Board for the League to use, and most importantly, the entire board system was re-vamped to improve the flow of the game.

The 2002 season saw the number of teams increase to 9, with seven (7) members on a team. The Punishers went undefeated, defeating the Rogue in the finals, to get their names engraved on the newly renamed "Taylor Memorial Cup."

In 2004, the League hit a high water mark in membership with 10 teams and 70 participants. Throughout the brief history of the league, the founders had sought to make improvements to the court as they saw fit. That year, the League made some minor changes, which included improving the lighting system by adding two small halogen lights at the far side of the court. The League also attempted to create more of a hockey feel that year by painting sponsors' logos on the boards.

In 2006 major changes were made primary due to the fact that the XHL had new neighbors move in on the spot of the old Ninth Avenue School. The old storage shed was torn down and a new one was built and placed inside the park near the entrance to the basketball courts. The players’ entrance gates also had to be moved inside the basketball courts to get the benches off of Ninth Avenue. All of the framing behind the boards was replaced with new lumber on the bottom because four years of being exposed to pooling water had started to rot the frames. Several plywood sponsor panels had to be replaced for primarily the same reason. The highlight of the sixth season was the Rogue finally winning the championship after making it to the finals in each of the first 5 seasons of the League’s existence.