Sandia Mountain Hockey League

The Sandia Mountain Hockey League operated in New Mexico as a semi-pro league from 1951-1960. It was composed of the New Mexico Lobos college team, Los Alamos Rams, Kirtland Flyers, and Sandia Bombers. There was no league play for 1953-54, but it returned for 1954-55, the Albuquerque Falcons replacing the Lobos. The Manzano Tigers took the place of Los Alamos for 1955-56. Manzano withdrew from the league after the 1957-58 season. Sandia became known as the Sandia Thunderbirds for 1959-60.

After a year-off, the league was reformed with three new teams for the 1961-62 season, playing outdoors at the Speedway Park rink.

Seasons

1949-50 (exhibitions)

• 1/21: Albuquerque Hilltoppers - Los Alamos Rams 9:7 @ Los Alamos
• 1/29: Los Alamos Rams - Albuquerque Hilltoppers 6:5 @ Los Alamos
• 2/4: Albuquerque Hilltoppers - Los Alamos Rams 10:4 @ Albuquerque
• 3/4: Military All-Stars - Albuquerque Hilltoppers 12:4
• 3/11: Military All-Stars - Albuquerque Hilltoppers 9:6
• 3/24: Wichita Boeing Bombers - Albuquerque All-Stars 11:10
• 3/25: Wichita Boeing Bombers - Albuquerque All-Stars 9:6

1950-51 (exhibitions)

• 1/27: Albuquerque Hilltoppers - Los Alamos Rams 8:7 @ Los Alamos
• 2/9: Sandia Base All-Stars - Albuquerque Hilltoppers 4:2 @ Albuquerque
• 3/3: Albuquerque Hilltoppers - Los Alamos Rams @ Albuquerque

1951-52

• 12/22: New Mexico - Kirtland 5:3 - exhibition
• 1/5: Sandia - Kirtland 7:6
• 1/12: New Mexico - Sandia 12:5
• 1/26: New Mexico - Los Alamos 7:5
• 2/9: New Mexico - Sandia 8:1
• 2/16: New Mexico - Kirtland 8:4
• 2/23: Kirtland - Los Alamos 9:3
• 3/5: Los Alamos - Sandia 7:6
• 3/8: New Mexico - Sandia
• 3/15: New Mexico - Kirtland 3:2
• 3/22: New Mexico - Los Alamos 13:2
• 3/26: Sandia - Kirtland 13:7
• 4/5: New Mexico - Kirtland 10:8

1. New Mexico Lobos
2. Los Alamos Rams
3. Kirtland Flyers
4. Sandia Bombers

Other games

• 2/2: Wichita Boeing Bombers - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 9:7
• 2/3: Wichita Boeing Bombers - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 19:6

1952-53

• 12/4: Sandia - Kirtland 5:3
• 12/11: Los Alamos - New Mexico 6:5
• 12/18: Kirtland - Los Alamos 6:5
• 1/8: Sandia - Nww Mexico 10:1
• 1/15: New Mexico - Kirtland 12:3
• 1/16: Sandia - Los Alamos 11:1
• 1/29: New Mexico - Sandia 10:4
• 2/5: New Mexico - Los Alamos 7:5
• 2/19: Kirtland - Los Alamos 9:5
• 2/26: Sandia - Kirtland 7:4
• 3/5: New Mexico - Kirtland 5:3
• 3/12: Sandia - Los Alamos 7:6

Standings	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Sandia Bombers	6	5	1	0	44	25	10
New Mexico Lobos	6	4	2	0	41	32	8
Kirtland Flyers	6	2	4	0	28	39	4
Los Alamos Rams	6	1	5	0	29	46	2

1953-54

• 1/24: Albuquerque All-Stars - Los Alamos Rams 7:6 @ Los Alamos (exhibition)

1954-55

• 11/27: Sandia - Albuquerque 11:8
• 12/4: Kirtland - Los Alamos 4:3
• 12/11: Sandia - Kirtland 8:1
• 12/12: Los Alamos - Albuquerque 7:6
• 12/18: Kirtland - Albuquerque 9:6
• 12/19: Sandia - Los Alamos 9:2
• 1/8: Albuquerque - Sandia 4:3
• 1/9: Kirtland - Los Alamos 7:2
• 1/15: Sandia - Kirtland 12:6
• 1/16: Albuquerque - Los Alamos 5:3
• 1/22: Albuquerque - Kirtland 8:5
• 1/23: Sandia - Los Alamos 10:4
• 1/29: Sandia - Albuquerque 6:2
• 2/12: Sandia - Kirtland 6:5

1. Sandia Bombers 7-1
2. Kirtland Flyers 4-4
3. Albuquerque Falcons 3-5
4. Los Alamos Rams 2-6

• 3/5: Sandia Bombers - Kirtland Flyers 8:2 - one game final

1955-56

Manzano Tigers, Sandia Bombers, Kirtland Flyers, Albuquerque Falcons. Falcons won the league title.

• 11/5: Kirtland - Sandia 12:8
• 11/12: Albuquerque - Sandia 7:5
• 11/26: Kirtland - Manzano 12:4
• 12/3: Albuquerque - Manzano 15:4
• 12/17: Albuquerque - Kirtland 9:4
• 1/7: Manzano - Sandia 7:6 OT
• 1/14: Sandia - Kirtland 21:10
• 1/28: Albuquerque - Manzano 11:4
• 2/4: Manzano - Kirtland 11:2
• 2/18: Albuquerque - Kirtland 13:3
• 2/25: Albuquerque - Sandia
• 3/3: Manzano - Sandia 3:3
• 3/10: Manzano - Sandia 10:8

Other games

• 2/10: Trail Rockets - Albuquerque Falcons 10:6
• 2/11: Trail Rockets - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 19:6

1956-57

• 11/10: Albuquerque - Manzano
• 11/17: Sandia - Kirtland 6:4
• 11/24: Albuquerque - Sandia 14:7
• 12/1: Manzano - Kirtland 6:2
• 12/8: Kirtland - Albuquerque 11:8
• 12/15: Manzano - Sandia 6:4
• 1/5: Manzano - Sandia 11:8
• 1/12: Kirtland - Albuquerque 10:6
• 1/19: Kirtland - Manzano 5:3
• 1/26: Albuquerque - Sandia 6:5
• 2/2: Sandia - Kirtland 10:9
• 2/9: Manzano - Albuquerque 10:6
• 2/13: Kirtland - Albuquerque 8:7 - second place tiebreaker

1. Manzano 4-2
2. Kirtland 4-3
3. Albuquerque 3-4
4. Sandia 2-4

Other games

• 2/15: Trail Rockets - Manzano Tigers 13:7

Rocky Mountain Semi-Pro Championship

• 3/1: Sandia Mountain All-Stars - Salt Lake City Icelanders 5:5
• 3/2: Salt Lake City Icelanders - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 5:4

1957-58

• 10/26: Kirtland - Albuquerque 13:9
• 11/2: Kirtland - Manzano 14:5
• 11/9: Albuquerque - Manzano 19:3
• 11/16: Kirtland - Sandia 9:3
• 11/23: Manzano - Sandia 9:8
• 11/30: Albuquerque - Sandia 11:7
• 12/14: Kirtland - Manzano 10:0
• 12/21: Albuquerque - Sandia 12:5
• 1/4: Sandia - Manzano 14:6
• 1/11: Albuquerque - Kirtland 10:5
• 1/18: Albuquerque - Manzano 16:5
• 1/25: Sandia - Kirtland 12:11
• 2/1: Kirtland - Manzano 28:7
• 2/8: Albuquerque - Sandia 10:9
• 2/15: Kirtland - Sandia 10:3
• 3/15: Kirtland - Albuquerque 8:6 - Kirtland clinched title

Other games

• 11/23: Albuquerque Falcons - Phoenix Flyers 7:6 @ Phoenix
• 12/7: Phoenix All-Stars - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 16:7 @ Albuquerque
• 12/28: Sandia Mountain All-Stars - Phoenix All-Stars 8:6 @ Albuquerque
• 2/22: Trail Rockets - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 9:8 @ Albuquerque
• 2/23: Trail Rockets - Sandia Mountain All-Stars 11:7 @ Albuquerque
• 3/1: Sandia Mountain All-Stars - Salt Lake City Icers 6:4 @ Albuquerque
• 3/2: Sandia Mountain All-Stars - Salt Lake City Icers 11:10 @ Albuquerque

1958-59

• 10/4: Sandia - Kirtland 8:5
• 10/11: Kirtland - Albuquerque 11:10
• 10/25: Sandia - Kirtland 8:5
• 11/1: Sandia - Albuquerque 9:8 2OT (7:7 after regulation)
• 11/8: Albuquerque - Kirtland 6:4
• 11/15: Kirtland - Sandia 9:6
• 11/22: Albuquerque - Sandia 5:4
• 11/29: Albuquerque - Kirtland 9:4
• 12/6: Sandia - Kirtland 8:6
• 12/20: Sandia - Albuquerque 8:7
• 1/10: Kirtland - Albuquerque 8:7 OT
• 1/17: Kirtland - Sandia 10:6
• 1/31: Kirtland - Albuquerque 11:7
• 2/21: Kirtland - Albuquerque 9:6
• 3/21: Albuquerque - Sandia 10:2
• 4/4: Kirtland - Sandia 8:4 - final

Standings as of 2/21: Sandia 9-4, Kirtland 7-5, Albuquerque 3-9.

Other games

• 12/13: Denver Bears - Albuquerque All-Stars 11:4
• 3/28: Salt Lake City - Kirtland Flyers 6:5

1959 (fall)

• 10/3: Albuquerque - Kirtland 9:8
• 10/10: Sandia - Kirtland 7:5
• 10/17: Albuquerque - Sandia 14:7
• 10/24: Albuquerque - Kirtland
• 10/31: Kirtland - Sandia 7:2
• 11/7: Albuquerque - Sandia 10:9
• 11/14: Albuquerque - Kirtland
• 11/21: Sandia - Kirtland
• 11/28: Albuqerque - Sandia 5:2
• 12/5: Albuquerque - Kirtland

Albuquerque won.

1960

• 1/16: Albuquerque - Kirtland 10:5
• 1/23: Sandia - Kirtland 10:9 OT
• 1/30: Albuquerque - Sandia 6:4
• 2/6: Kirtland - Albuquerque 8:4
• 2/13: Sandia - Albuquerque 6:4
• 2/20: Kirtland - Sandia 5:4
• 3/12: Kirtland - Albuquerque 7:4
• 3/19: Albuquerque - Sandia 10:8
• 3/26: Kirtland - Sandia 6:3 - Kirtland clinched title

Other games

• 2/27: Amarillo Wranglers - New Mexico All-Stars 10:5
• 3/5: New Mexico All-Stars - Salt Lake City Seagulls 11:8

1962

• 1/7: Western Skies Eagles - Perma-Stone T-Birds 10:6
• 1/14: Golden Tee Falcons - Western Skies Eagles 5:4
• 1/21: Perma-Stone T-Birds - Golden Tee Falcons 6:6 OT
• 1/26: Western Skies Eagles - Perma-Stone T-Birds 8:0

The season ended early when a heat wave melted the ice at the outdoor Speedway Park rink.

Other games

• 2/3: Sandia Mountain All-Stars - Denver All-Stars 3:2

1962-63

Other games

• 12/15: Western Skies Eagles - Golden Tee Falcons 10:3 @ Los Alamos
• 1/26: Golden Tee Falcons - Perma-Stone T-Birds 9:4 @ Los Alamos

Sources

• Albuquerque Journal