Atlantic Coast Hockey League - Inaugural Season

Inaugural Season

The ACHL would open with seven teams:

• Salem Raiders
• Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
• Mohawk Valley Stars
• Baltimore Skipjacks
• Cape Cod Buccaneers
• Fitchburg Trappers
• Schenectady Chiefs.

From the opening night of the season, McMahon was not happy with how the league was run. Schenectady and Fitchburg were owned by the same person. Fitchburg was placed under a league suspension and would fold after 6 games. Schenectady would fold after 9 games. In January 1982, McMahon would try to borrow $15,000 from the league, citing "slow cash flow". When the league denied his loan, McMahon folded his franchise. With the league now down to 4 teams, the league decided to end the season early and set the playoffs by geographical area to save on expenses. Coincidentally, the matchups did end up having the first and fourth place teams meet, along with the second vs third place teams. The Salem Raiders would defeat the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, and the Mohawk Valley Stars would defeat the Baltimore Skipjacks. The Raiders and Stars would play in the league final, with the Mohawk Valley Stars defeating the Raiders for the Bob Paine Trophy.

On July 24, 1987, Commissioner Ray Miron announced that the league would be suspending operations for the 1987-88 season. Miron said that the league could not operate with three teams: Erie, Virginia, and Carolina. The Troy Slapshots had folded earlier in the previous season, and the Mohawk Valley Comets franchise in Utica, NY had moved up to the American Hockey League. Erie would cease operations, but the Lancers and Thunderbirds would transfer to the All-American Hockey League.