2020-21 New Mexico Ice Wolves.

The 2020-21 hockey season presented challenges for everyone. Perhaps no one faced bigger obstacles than the North American Hockey League’s New Mexico Ice Wolves.

The Governor of New Mexico’s rigid stance on the pandemic meant the Ice Wolves didn’t play a home game until the last five weeks of the season, leaving some of the best facilities in junior hockey dormant for most of the year. 

The reigning NAHL Organization of the Year was forced to do the unthinkable: close their rink, play the majority of their home games in Texas, and spend almost an entire season on the road away from their fans. Making this even more problematic, it was only the second season for the Ice Wolves franchise, making staying connected to an emerging fanbase even more critical. 

With the odds stacked against them, it would have been easy for the Ice Wolves to succumb to a “sophomore slump,” tossing their arms in the air and blaming the pandemic. 

They chose to the do the opposite. 

Instead the Ice Wolves worked with Pulltab Sports to invest in content designed to keep their fans connected to the team even if they couldn’t see them play in person. A docuseries, We Are Ice Wolves, told the story of this unique season over the course of four episodes. We Are Ice Wolves helped the franchise stay connected to their fans, youth teams, host families, and the entire Albuquerque community. It also helped galvanize the team itself with themed episodes that could just as easily have been phrases hanging in a hockey locker-room: THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. HOCKEY IS FAMILY. WINNING IS MAGIC. SWEET HOME ALBUQUERQUE.  

Rather than run in place waiting for the world to start spinning again, the Ice Wolves’ parent company, Desert Ice Investments, also enlisted OWNER Sports & Entertainment to create communications to support all of their facilities including the Outpost Arena’s public skating program, Chilly’s pro shop, and the Center Ice Bar and Grill. This forward thinking insuring their business would be able to hit the ground running once things opened back up again. 

While the 2020-21 hockey season presented many unforeseen challenges, the partnership with Pulltab Sports and OWNER Sports & Entertainment allowed the Ice Wolves family to stay connected from afar, while avoiding a lost year for the franchise.   

WE ARE ICE WOLVES—SEASON 1.

Watch all four episodes of the Ice Wolves docuseries by clicking below!