It’s not often you get a chance to get in on the ground floor of something. Back in November, I saw an announcement on my local paper’s Facebook page linking to an article about how my little town of Sun Prairie was going to be the location of a brand new semi-pro hockey team in a brand-new Senior A league. The Sun Prairie Killer Bees were going to be part of the new Union Hockey League. The Union Hockey League is a blue-collar, middle-class league that claims it’s focused on a love for the game and community. The teams would be made of local players, guys from around the area. Wisconsin is a good hockey state. I had no doubt they could find dudes who could skate in the vicinity. As a longtime hockey fan, I was in. I was never much of a skater growing up. My little town didn’t have any sort of youth hockey program. I liked to skate, but I never had the wheels or ability to play the game. My big hockey memories were of listening to Paul Brown call games on the radio with my dad and going to the occasional UW hockey game. Sometimes, my dad would let me stay up until 10:30 p.m., when the UW game from earlier that evening would be broadcast on our local PBS affiliate. Still, it was enough to make me enjoy the game. Hockey is one of those games that’s better in person than on TV. It might be the only game that’s better in person than on TV, too. When I saw the announcement about getting a local team, I realized this might be the chance to do something I’ve always wanted to do and become a season-ticket holder for a professional sports franchise. Last night was the home opener for the Sun Prairie Killer Bees hockey team. They hosted the Pittsburgh River Monsters. It was my first chance to see this team which I had already committed to for the entire season. I’d already bought merch. I’d been spreading the word, but still—it was an unknown quantity. Would people show up for this? Would it be good hockey? It was all unknown. The Bees had already played their season opener on the road against the Motor City Generals in Royal Oak, Mich. (which the Bees won handily 11-3!), but this would be my first chance to see this team in uniform on home ice. I didn’t know what to expect. Luckily, the Killer Bees lived up to the hype, and we were treated to a great hockey game in Sun Prairie’s hockey palace, a nearly capacity crowd, and a high-scoring slugfest that saw the home team come out on top. Bees win! The hockey was a good brand of hockey. It was fast-paced, with some solid stickhandling and shots from all over the ice. There were some good breakaways, some hard checks, and even a few moments of chippy scrapping that resulted in penalty minutes. It was everything you want from hockey. I get to go back to the barn today for a second bash between the River Monsters and the Killer Bees. And later this month, more hockey! The Soo Nordiques of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. will be town next weekend to take on the Bees, and we’ll see some more teams from the UHL throughout March and April. It is a great thing to have a team like this in Sun Prairie. Too often, sports franchises like this might focus on Madison as the centerpiece of the area, and it’s understandable why, but Sun Prairie is 40,000 people and rapidly growing. There’s no reason this town shouldn’t be able to make something like the Killer Bees franchise a viable team in the Union Hockey League. It’s an easier drive than getting to downtown Madison. The rink is a quality piece of ice. And if the people who showed up last night are any indication, the fan base is already there, and it can only go up. Looking forward to the future of this team and this league. Let’s go, Bees! |
About the AuthorSean Patrick Little is a writer, speaker, editor, educator, and general literary dude from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Click the pictures below to purchase books!
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