Wichita Falls' new hockey team nicknamed Force

Zach Duncan | Wichita

Sheppard Air Force Base and Wichita Falls have been linked together for more than 75 years.

So it wasn’t a surprise when a few suggested nicknames of Wichita Falls’ new hockey team had ties to the city’s biggest employer.

After a weeklong voting contest, hockey officials announced the organization's nickname will be the Force after it earned twice as many votes as any of the other nine possibilities on the team’s Facebook page.

“The Force encompasses not just Sheppard Air Force Base, you have the police force and so on,” USA-CHL advisor Troy Mick said. “I just think it’s a great fit, and now the fun really begins designing the logo, getting into a mascot theme and jerseys, everything else.”

The Force was one of four names that had a SAFB connotation joining Flyers, Jets and Wings. The other six options were Rustlers – the town’s original hockey team name from 2002-04 – plus Twisters, Talons, Rattlers, Wizards and Roughnecks.

In addition to voting on Facebook, fans could make their voices heard by emailing, calling and voting in person. The Twisters, Flyers and Rustlers were other popular choices.

The USA-Central Hockey League is proud to announce that the new nickname for the franchise in Wichita Falls, Texas will be the FORCE. Please click here for full release. https://t.co/Y23vcQ8U8j pic.twitter.com/nOupgVARiu — Wichita Falls Hockey (@wichitafallsh) July 20, 2018

“Twisters was really close. Rustlers obviously was big, but the one that took a big jump to me in the last 3-4 days was the Flyers,” Mick said. “I get the Air Force connection, but I always remember Philadelphia Flyers. I wanted our own identity, but I did say I wanted the fans to vote. We struck true to that.”

Mick said “the sooner, the better” when asked about a timetable about designing the logo and choosing the Force’s colors, noting that jerseys needed to be ordered in a month. The Air Force’s colors are blue and silver.

“We’d like maybe a little red to be a part of it if possible because we’ve got so many red seats in (Kay Yeager Coliseum),” Mick said. “Or we could strictly go like Air Force’s Division I program.”

It was Vicki Wolfe Lawson who first suggested Force on Facebook, and the team announced Friday she'd be given two season tickets and an autographed jersey.

“We are honored that a member of our community family would suggest a nickname for the Wichita Falls hockey team that is representative of Sheppard Air Force Base and its military men and women, civil service employees, contractors, retirees, dependents and more,” said George Woodward, chief of 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs. “We are proud that Force was selected. More importantly, it represents the strong relationship between Wichita Falls and Sheppard over the years.”

Another step in preparing for the USA-CHL’s inaugural season, which begins in late October, will occur soon as Mick said a coaching hire will be named next week. He said the league is working up contracts for three coaches, presumably for the three announced franchises – the Force, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and Laredo Bucks.

There are still three more franchises for the USA-CHL to announce, but the league has set up two prospect camps – Aug. 10-12 in Ottawa and Aug. 17-19 in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn.

And now all three announced teams have nicknames after the Force proved to be the fans’ favorite.

“I kind of knew from the beginning that Force was going to hit home,” Mick said. “There was a push for the Rustlers so I had to do a lot of investigation on the Rustlers. That name needs to stay with that team since they’re the original team that did so well.

“I just think we want our own identity, they did a great job with their identity and now we’re moving forward with the Force.”

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