The Santa Barbara Islanders are bringing high-level ice hockey to the 805.
The Islanders, a full-contact, Travel Men’s Senior A hockey team, will begin their inaugural season this weekend at Ice in Paradise in Goleta.
The team will begin as an exhibition member of the Mountain Hockey League (MHL), a semi-professional Senior A hockey league created by hockey players.
According to the Islanders, “the MHL brings high-quality, full-check hockey to small towns and emerging markets across North America.”
The team’s 12-game exhibition schedule will kick off with two games this weekend against the San Diego Renegades. The first puck drop is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m., with game two set for Saturday at 4:45 p.m.
The Islanders are primarily built on local ice hockey players in the Santa Barbara area, with a number of players also coming up from Southern California. The roster includes players with experience at the prep school, junior hockey, club, NCAA and minor league professional levels.
“The Islanders’ primary goal is to create an exciting product and organization that the Santa Barbara community enjoys watching and supporting, while helping grow the game of hockey in our area,” Islanders head of operations Rob Seiwert said.
“We plan to be very involved in the community, local youth hockey programs and our home arena, Ice in Paradise. We see this season as a great opportunity to build community support, win some hockey games, and lay the foundation for a long-term Senior A hockey organization in Santa Barbara.”
