Port Huron Border Cats (UHL, 2000-01)

2000-01 Regular Season:
Border Cats vs. Muskegon Fury

     The Port Huron Border Cats were in their fifth season of play in the United Hockey League since relocating from Fraser in 1996.  The team was successful on the ice and in the box office. The Cats were one of the better teams in the UHL during their run, and had were drawing over 2500 per game in each of the previous four seasons of play, some of the highest averages in Port Huron hockey history.

     However, trouble was brewing behind the scenes. Owner Mostafa Afr had attempted to renegotiate his lease at, then later try to buy McMorran Arena, to no avail. After this failed, Afr announced plans to build a new 5,000-seat stadium, Kimball Entertainment and Sports Arena, near an outlet mall in the Port Huron suburb. Unfortunately, construction was halted in 2000 when finances dried up. The Border Cats were planning on moving into the new arena during the 2000-01 season, but the halt left the team with no permanent arena to play in. This resulted in the Border Cats bouncing around four different buildings: McMorran Arena, Sarnia Arena, Fraser Ice Arena, and Progressive Auto Sales Arena (home of the Sarnia Sting).

     2000-01 was a big step back for the Border Cats, and the beginning of the end of the franchise. The team stumbled to last place in the UHL's Northwest Division, with a 30-34-10 record. Their 70 points were tied with the Flint Generals, and tied for third-worst in the league. Due to playing in four different home arenas, attendance fell off a cliff, down to 1,453 per game, worst in the league, and a drop of 1,151 per game from 1999-2000. The Cats missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

     Port Huron had the fourth-worst offense in the UHL that season (counting Mohawk Valley, which folded after 54 games), scoring just 234 goals. Their top scorer was David-Alexandre Beauregard, with 33 goals and 63 points in 56 games. Even more impressive was that Beauregard accomplished this with only one eye, the result of a high stick while in junior hockey. Ryan Pawluk was next with 21 goals and 60 points in 64 games. Former Flint General Jason Glover was the only other Border Cat with over 20 goals, as he had 21 to go with 46 points in 56 points. Bob McKillop, who had been with the team since 1991-92, had 13 goals and 37 points. 

     The Border Cats allowed the fourth-most goals in the league, giving up 260. The team used just two net minders that year: Kevin St. Pierre and Hugo Hamelin. Both had decent numbers despite getting little support on offense. Hamelin played the most games (42), and went 14-21-5 with a 3.69 GAA and 1 shutout. St. Pierre was even better in 39 games, with a 16-13-5 record, 3.02 GAA and 3 shutouts. Defenseman Kevin Bertram had the best +/- on the roster, with a +16 in 65 games, while Wade Simpson and McKillop had the lowest, with -17. The highest scoring defenseman that year was Mike Bondy, with 13 goals and 38 points in 63 games. Rookie Ian Jacobs was next, with 9 goals and 27 points in 68 games.

     As stated earlier, the Border Cats missed the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Considering the lack of a permanent home arena, maybe that was a good thing.

     The Border Cats always had a good program, and this one is no different. It's 44 pages long, mostly in black and white. All the player bios are in color and found in pages 19-24. The goaltenders are highlighted in an article on page 14 titled "2 Tenders, One Goal". The team had a new mascot, Clawed, and his picture is on page 15. As you can see, the team also had a new logo and uniforms, going with a more fierce-looking cat. The UHL directory is in page 29, and includes two future teams that never played a game: the Arctic Xpress (the former Saginaw Gears, now based in Massillon, OH) and the Lehigh Valley Xtreme. Lehigh Valley would eventually get a pro hockey team, when the Adirondack Phantoms relocated to that city in 2014. The Arctic Xpress never played a game, and Massillon never got its own pro hockey team. 

     I went to only one Border Cats game in 2000-01, due to my first year at college. This program is from the December 29, 2000, contest between the Border Cats and Muskegon Fury, held at McMorran Arena. The Cats won this game, 5-1, to improve to 13-11-2 on the year. At one point, the Cats were 22-13-5, but went 8-21-5 the rest of the way. Muskegon would eventually finish 37-28-9, good enough for second place in the Northwest Division.

Here's the roster for the Port Huron Border Cats. David-Alexandre Beauregard was a special player in the minors. If it wasn't for his eye injury, he might have had a chance at playing in the AHL, maybe even had a shot in the NHL. He had to wear a full face shield to protect his eye. Mikhail Nemirovsky was a member of the 1995-96 Colonial Cup champion Flint Generals, and played parts of three seasons in Flint. 2000-01 was his last season in North America, as he would spend the rest of his career in Germany, retiring in 2019-20. Shayne Tomlinson was a dependable defenseman who would play for three different Port Huron teams: Border Cats, Beacons and Flags. Bob McKillop had played for this franchise since 1991-92, when it was the Michigan Falcons. He would later play for the Beacons and a few games for the Flags. I believe he's a coach in high school hockey these days. Always liked him, a tough player who could score. 

      Here's Muskegon's roster for that night. Leading the way was Robin Bouchard. Bouchard ended up scoring 687 goals in his career, a modern-day record for minor leaguers. He spent most of his career in Muskegon, and is one of that city's greatest players. He won five Colonial Cups--four in Muskegon, and one in Flint. One of the Generals' biggest mistakes was trading away Robin Bouchard, and getting so little for him in return. He should have never left Flint. Todd Robinson was another star player for the Fury, and won three Colonial Cups with the Fury. In 2000-01,  Robinson had 36 goals and 100 points in 61 games. Defenseman Mark Vilneff had been with the Fury since 1994-95, except for a 13-game run with Flint in 1998-99. He won a Colonial Cup with Muskegon and later with Kalamazoo in his final season. The Fury had great goaltenders that year, Joe Dimaline and Sylvain Daigle. Daigle won three Colonial Cups with the Fury and also played for the infamous Danbury Trashers. Dimaline won the 1998-99 Colonial Cup with the Fury. During the 2000-01 season, he would be traded to Quad City, and would win the Cup with the Mallards. Head Coach Rich Kromm played several years in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders. He guided the Fury to the 1998-99 Colonial Cup, and coached the team through the 2000-01 season. After a five-year stint in the WHL, he returned to Muskegon in 2009-10, then coached in the Central Hockey League and ECHL.

     Local advertisements include WHLS 1450 and 1590 (radio home of the Border Cats), Horizon Outlet Center, Lowe's, St. Clair County Community College, and the Huron Athletic Club.

Aftermath: Following the 2000-01 season, Afr took full responsibility for the chaos with home arenas, and signed a lease with McMorran Arena for the 2001-02 season. Attendance improved slightly, but nowhere near the numbers from the 1990s. The Port Huron Border Cats suspended operations in 2002. The Kimball Entertainment and Sports Arena was never completed, decaying for over a decade until finally being demolished.

 Reference:

United Hockey League Statistics: 2000-01, from hockeydb.com