Semi-professional ice hockey is here, Northlake.
Aside from giving up three goals in the first period, the Texas Scorpions of the Colonial Hockey League held their own in a 6-3 loss to the historic New York Fire Department hockey team Friday night at the StarCenter Multisport in Northlake.
However, the Flower Mound family-owned team’s debut meant more than just what the scoreboard read.
The game drew a sold-out crowd full of first responders, local officials and families with kids pressed to the glass, cheering on Northlake’s new squad.
“Looking out at the stands, it was amazing,” said Scorpions head coach and owner Daniel Mignault. “The amount of people that came out and supported a new team is big… we wanted to get a win for them tonight. That didn’t happen, but we put on the best show we possibly could, and it’s only going to get better from here.”
During the game, that crowd was its loudest at two points: the first goal scored in franchise history by No. 6… and when the Scorpions put on a brawl against the FDNY players that would bring a tear to a hockey fan’s eye.
Coach Mignault said FDNY is a physical team, and the Scorpions did a good job not letting that physicality get to them. However, he also commended his team for standing its ground when FDNY jostled with the Scorpions a bit too much.
Following some contact between the two teams in the second period around Scorpions goalie, captain and owner Danny Mignault, the players let loose.
Punches were thrown and multiple players hit the ground, including a well-performed takedown of an FDNY player by a Scorpion.
Once the ice settled and penalties were assessed, it showed the type of bond the Scorpions have after just a few months of training together.
“It was cool to see everyone have each other’s back out there,” said Danny Mignault. “When one guy went down, we had guys step up.”
The Scorpions fell behind early after giving up three goals in the first period, but Coach Mignault chalked it up to a lack of experience and chemistry.
Northlake’s team quickly found its stride after that, and those first game jitters seemed to melt away after forward Christian Carter put the puck in the net for the franchise’s first official goal.
“It was good to give the fans something to cheer for, and show that we could put the puck in the net,” said Danny Mignault. “I think we got a lot of jitters out and tomorrow we’re going to come out even better.”
FDNY responded by adding a pair of goals, making it a 5-1 game.
The Scorpions added another pair of goals themselves in the third period – one off the stick of Brandon Speights, who came out of retirement to play for the Scorpions, and another from Remy Kesling that cut FDNY’s lead to just two.
As the game clock wound down in the third period, Danny Mignault was pulled from the goal in hopes an extra offensive player could help the Scorpions quickly close the gap.
Unfortunately, an FDNY pass slipped through the Scorpions and led to an open-net goal that made it a 6-3 game with about 36 seconds left.
FDNY also outshot the Scorpions throughout the game, tallying 42 shots on goal versus 29 shots on goal for Texas.
Danny Mignault had a good showing between the poles, only allowing five of those 42 shots to hit the net, since the last was an open-net.
Northlake’s new hockey team also wanted to give the crowd more than just a hockey game. Exciting player entrances, a hype man getting the crowd into the game and fun games during intermissions all helped create an icy spectacle in southern Denton County.
The Scorpions look to bounce back and secure its first franchise win against FDNY Saturday at the StarCenter Multisport in Northlake, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and puck drop at 7 p.m.
