The Rochester Grizzlies (formerly the Rochester Ice Hawks) are a Tier III junior ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at the 2,600-seat Rochester Recreation Center, located in Rochester, Minnesota. The team typically plays more than 45 regular season games, in addition to showcase and postseason games.
History
The franchise originally joined the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) in May 1996 as the Minnesota Ice Hawks and played in Le Sueur, Minnesota, until 2002. The team was owned and managed by Michael Fatis and coached by Nick Fatis. The franchise moved to Rochester, Minnesota, in 2002 after the Rochester Mustangs of the United States Hockey League ceased operations. They officially changed their name prior to the 2009–10 season to the Rochester Ice Hawks.
Following the 2014–15 season, most of the active members of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League moved to the United States Premier Hockey League as part of a new Midwest Division. In May, the Ice Hawks were accepted as an expansion team into the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) for the 2015–16 season.
In November 2016, head coach Nick Fatis, the only head coach in the history of the Ice Hawks franchise, stepped down for personal reasons. He was replaced by assistant Eric Hofmann. Hofmann was replaced by Chris Blaisius, formerly the head coach of the Willmar WarHawks, in December 2017.
After the completion of the 2017–18 season, Michael Fatis sold the franchise to the ownership of the Tier II North American Hockey League's Austin Bruins, consisting of Craig Patrick and Mike Cooper. The new ownership rebranded the franchise to match the Bruins and the team was changed to the Rochester Grizzlies. On April 23, they named Casey Mignone as the new head coach and general manager for the 2018–19 season. After one season, Mignone was hired as an assistant with the St. Cloud Blizzard in the NAHL and was replaced by Chris Ratzloff.
Season-by-season records Season GP W L T OTL Pts GF GA Finish PlayoffsMinnesota Junior Hockey League 1999–00 36 14 21 0 1 29 146 226 5th, MnJHL 2000–01 36 12 24 — 0 24 130 229 5th, MnJHL 2001–02 42 11 26 — 5 27 122 216 7th, MnJHL 2002–03 42 15 23 — 4 34 163 195 5th, MnJHL 2003–04 40 27 10 3 0 57 205 130 2nd, MnJHL Nationals semifinalist 2004–05 48 36 7 4 1 77 261 124 1st, MnJHL Won Bush Cup Nationals appearance 2005–06 48 40 7 1 0 81 251 124 1st, MnJHL Won Bush Cup Nationals semifinalist 2006–07 40 32 4 2 2 68 259 110 1st, MnJHL Won Bush CupNationals appearance 2007–08 48 43 5 0 0 86 300 125 1st, MnJHL Won Bush CupNationals appearance 2008–09 48 41 7 0 0 82 330 100 2nd, MnJHL Won Bush CupNationals appearance 2009–10 50 41 8 0 1 83 288 138 1st, MnJHL Won Bush CupNationals semifinalist 2010–11 45 34 9 — 2 70 216 116 2nd, MnJHL Nationals appearance (host) 2011–12 48 35 11 — 2 72 295 145 2nd, MnJHL Nationals semifinalist 2012–13 50 42 5 — 3 87 338 128 2nd, MnJHL Lost Division Semifinal 2013–14 46 22 17 — 7 51 194 181 5th, MnJHL Lost Division Semifinal 2014–15 42 35 6 — 1 71 272 89 2nd, MnJHL Won Div. Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Ironwood Fighting YoopersWon Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Hudson CrusadersWon Crossover Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Illiana BlackbirdsLost League Finals, 1–2 vs. Dells DucksNorth American 3 Hockey League 2015–16 47 10 36 — 1 21 123 272 4th of 5, Central29th of 34, NA3HL Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. North Iowa Bulls 2016–17 47 10 36 — 1 21 101 250 4th of 5, Central44th of 48, NA3HL Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. North Iowa Bulls 2017–18 47 6 39 — 1 13 93 327 5th of 5, Central39th of 42, NA3HL Did not qualify 2018–19 47 31 15 — 1 63 206 134 3rd of 7, West13th of 36, NA3HL Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–2 vs. North Iowa Bulls 2019–20 47 37 8 — 2 76 233 94 1st of 6, Central5th of 34, NA3HL Playoffs cancelled 2020–21 40 34 5 — 1 69 185 63 1st of 6, Central2nd of 31, NA3HL Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Oregon TradesmenWon Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Peoria Mustangs2–0–0 in Fraser Cup round-robin Pool B(W, 4–3 vs. Jr. Brahmas; W, 3–1 vs. Jr. Blazers)Won Semifinal game, 7–1 vs. Sheridan HawksLost Fraser Cup Championship game, 1–5 vs. North Iowa Bulls 2021–22 47 38 6 — 3 79 207 81 1st of 6, Central6th of 34, NA3HL Won Div. Semifinals, 2-0 Wausau CyclonesWon Div. Finals, 2-1Oregon Tradesmen1–1–0 in Fraser Cup round-robin Pool A(L, 2-5 vs. Generals; W, 4-2 vs. Wild)Won Semifinal game, 4–1 vs. Helena BighornsWon Fraser Cup Championship game, 4-0 vs. Granite City LumberjacksNA3HL CHAMPIONS 2022–23 47 33 9 — 5 71 191 107 1st of 6, Central6th of 34, NA3HL Won Div. Semifinals, 2-1 Peoria MustangsLost Div. Finals, 0-2 Oregon Tradesmen 2023–24 47 35 9 1 2 73 222 120 2nd of 6, West7th of 34, NA3HL Won Div. Semifinals, 2-0 Alexandria BlizzardLost Div. Finals. 0-2 Granite City Lumberjacks 2024–25 47 28 14 3 2 61 179 139 3rd of 6, West10th of 35, NA3HL Won Div. Semifinals, 2-1 Wausau CyclonesLost Div. Finals. 1-2 West Bend Power 2025–26 47 29 17 1 02 59 204 149 2nd of 6, West15th of 38, NA3HL Won Div. Semifinals, 2-0 Wausau CyclonesWon Div. Finals 2-1 West Bend PowerWon Pool "A" 2-0Won Game 6-5 Helena BighornsWon Game 5-4 Louisiana drillersLost Fraser Cup semifinal Granite City Lumberjacks
References
External links Rochester Grizzlies website NA3HL website