The Minnesota Blue Ox were a professional roller hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that played in Roller Hockey International.
| Minnesota Blue Ox | |
|---|---|
| League | Roller Hockey International |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Operated | 1995, 1999 |
| Home arena | Aldrich Arena (1995) Mariucci Arena (1999) |
| Colors | Red, Black, White (1995) Blue, Yellow, Grey, Black, White |
| Murphy Cups | None |
| Conference Championships | None |
| Division Championships | None |
| Franchise history | |
| Minnesota Blue Ox (1995, 1999) | |
History edit
Formed in the wake of the former Minnesota Arctic Blast, who played at Target Center in 1994, the Blue Ox joined RHI and were placed in the five-team Central Division (Buffalo Stampede, Chicago Cheetahs, Detroit Motor City Mustangs, St. Louis Vipers).[1]
After a 13–11–0 in the 1995 regular season (second in the Central), Minnesota was the fourth-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.[2] The Blue Ox were quickly eliminated in two games (best-of 3 series) by the fifth-seeded New Jersey Rockin' Rollers.[3]
The Blue Ox finished the 1999 season with a record of 11–15–0, ranked third in the Eastern Division. The team's average home attendance of 304 was the lowest in the league.[4] The Buffalo Wings knocked off the Blue Ox in the first round of the playoffs.[5]
Season-by-season edit
| Season | W | L | OTL | Pts | Result | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 26 | 2nd, Central Division | Eliminated in 1st Round by New Jersey Rockin' Rollers, swept in two games[3] |
| 1999 | 11 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 3rd, Eastern Conference | Eliminated in 1st Round by Buffalo Wings |
| TOTALS | 24 | 26 | 0 |
References edit
- ^ Killeen, Mike. "Laylin's wheels are on hold", St. Cloud Times, July 7, 1995. Accessed December 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The Arctic Blast released their players so they could play elsewhere, including the Minnesota Blue Ox, a team owned by the RHI to replace the Blast."
- ^ "Blue Ox beat St. Louis", Minnesota Star Tribune, August 11, 1995. Accessed December 28, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The Minnesota Blue Ox edged the St. Louis Vipers 5-4 Thursday night at Aldrich Arena to end their Roller Hockey International regular season with a 13-11 record."
- ^ a b "Rockin Rollers advance", Daily Record, August 17, 1995. Accessed December 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Defenseman Chad Biafore scored a pair of goals and dealt out five assists last night as the New Jersey Rockin Rollers overcame the Minnesota Blue Ox 8-5 to sweep the first-round Roller Hockey International playoff' series two-games-to-none."
- ^ 1998-99 Roller Hockey International Standings, HockeyDB. Accessed December 28, 2023.
- ^ 'Wings make sure this won’t be year of the (Blue) Ox", The Buffalo News, August 19, 1999. Accessed December 28, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The Wings resisted that urge remaining composed in the face of an all-out assault by the Minnesota Blue Ox Buffalo’s cool approach paid off with an 8-3 win over Minnesota in the RHI playoff opener before a sparse crowd at the Arrowhead Pond"
See also edit
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