While the USACHL has turned out to be the disaster we all thought it would be, one thing that it kind of deserved credit for was keeping the games going.
Yes, a few were cancelled or moved, but for the most part, up until now, the games went on even with smaller than regular rosters.
Well, last night in Rio Grande Valley the league reached disaster levels and offered up what is the biggest sign that this league is not for long.
According to fan reports in Rio Grande Valley, the visiting Texas Lawmen, who were thrown together roughly two months before the season started so the league could even get to four teams, had only four players show up for last night’s scheduled game against the Killer Bees, which confirms the rumors we heard that there had been a mass exodus of players.
So rather than do the smart thing and cancel the game, they decided to hold a “showcase” with RGV lending a handful of players to the Lawmen, and instead playing a 3-on-3 “game” for the fans who showed up.
For those wondering, the final score was, Who-Gives-A-Crap to Please-Just-End-This.
That’s right, rather than just admit defeat and call the game, they made these poor players suit up for a gong show 3-on-3 NHL All-Star-type “showcase” so the fans at least saw something. If I were a fan and showed up expecting to see a game and got that instead, I’d have walked out and never came back.
Oh and the RGV Facebook page posted this at around 2am as if it were business as usual, and then called this thrown together 3-on-3 “game” a classic as if it happens every year.
Amazingly, reading the post above, it sounds like they’re going to have another night of this.
Things weren’t much better up in Wichita Falls where the Force played host to the Laredo Bucks in what was at least an actual game. But each team in that game also only dressed about 12 skaters by my count, a dangerously low number for the players taking the ice, and ended in a 7-1 win for the Bucks.
Oh and before the game, this note from the league and Wichita Falls head coach was attached to the programs to let fans know that everything is A-OK!
So while the games have gone on, they appear to only be getting worse, with barely enough players in one rink for a game, and then a “showcase” farce down in RGV.
We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for any other updates we see about potential game cancellations, or the league potentially calling it quits.
Bus League Hockey 
Feel for the players. Good on it for the league trying to soldier on. Admittedly though I don’t get the junior leagues thing. Weren’t they the pipeline to the NHL once upon a time? Why keep adding junior leagues instead of holding your head high and being a legitimate low or mid minor league?
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Junior leagues allow players to keep amateur eligibility so it’s a major pipeline to both college and the NHL, which is a major draw to players. And then there’s the appeal for potential owners because players arent paid, so it’s a chance to have quality hockey at a way lower price point than even low minors, because the players get $0 and no workman’s comp if injured.
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Sunday nights game in Wichita Falls had its own style of 3 on 3. I began to notice in the second period anytime the Bucks had the puck in their offensive zone either 1 or usually 2 of the Forces players stayed in the neutral zone with 1 or 2 of the Buck players. Not sure why other than both teams only had 2 lines the whole game. When will this travesty end!! Oh and I was the one who provided the picture from the Forces program. Thanks for keeping us informed.
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