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The Arizona Sundogs are a double-A minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Prescott Valley, Arizona that began play in the Central Hockey League in 2006. The team plays its home games at Tim's Toyota Center. The Sundogs served as the double-A affiliate for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche during the 2006-07 season and as the double-A affiliate for the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The Sundogs concluded their inaugural season in 2006-07 with 70 points and a 34-28-2 record, finishing second in the CHL's Southwest Division, two points back of eventual division champion the New Mexico Scorpions, and qualifying for the 2007 CHL Playoffs. Arizona went on to beat the Corpus Christi Rayz, 2-1, in overtime of Game 7 of the opening round, advancing to the Southern Conference Semifinals against division rival New Mexico. The Sundogs eventually fell, 3-2, to the Scorpions in Game 7. Brent Kelly represented the Sundogs in the 2007 CHL All-Star Game and led the CHL in goals in 2006-07 with 42 and finished third overall with 95 points. During the 2007-08 season, the team clinched the CHL's Southwest Division regular season title, finishing with 84 points and a 39-19-6 record. Phoenix Coyotes prospect Alex Leavitt lead the league in scoring (128 points) and assists (88). The Sundogs opened the 2008 Ray Miron President's Cup Playoffs defeating New Mexico 4 games to 2. They then defeated the 2007-08 Southern Conference regular season champion Laredo Bucks 4 games to 3 in the Southern Conference Finals before sweeping the defending Ray Miron President's Cup Champion Colorado Eagles in four straight games, winning the President's Cup in only their second year of existence. Goaltender Rob McVicar was named playoffs MVP, finishing with an 11-1 record and .913 save percentage. Leavitt, Tyler Redenbach and David Schlemko represented the Sundogs in the 2008 CHL All-Star Game as Head Coach and General Manager Marco Pietroniro coached the Southern Conference All-Stars to an 11-6 win. In 2008-09 the Sundogs finished with 59 points and a 27-32-5 record and in 2009-10 the team finished with 54 points and a 24-34-6 mark. Joel Irving was the team's lone representative in the 2009 All-Star game, tallying a goal in a 8-4 loss to the Colorado Eagles while Jon Landry was named to the 2010 All-Star Game. Landry recorded a goal and an assist in a 9-4 loss to the South Texas All-Stars. The team was taken over by the Central Hockey League following disastrous mismanagement during the 2009-10 campaign under former GM Bill Yates. The team name, sundog, referes to an atmospheric phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection of sunlight by small ice crystals in cirrus clouds, resulting in what appears to be two suns in the sky. The Sundogs' primary 'S' logo makes reference to this occurrence with large and small starbursts. |