The new team will call Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills its home.
"We're planning to bring an exciting brand of hockey - as well as affordable, family-friendly entertainment - to Vernon Hills," Capitals owner and general manager Warren Sundt said. The team will play 13 home games, typically beginning at 8PM on Friday or Saturday nights, between October and March. The team's home games will feature local entertainment between periods, along with music and contests for fans to participate in during each game. Ticket prices will be modest ($5 for adults and $3 for children under 15), and youth hockey players wearing their team's colors will be admitted free.
The Capitals are the first team from Illinois to join the competitive GLHL. The league also features teams from Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In March, the Green Bay Deacons defeated the Fox Cities Ice Dogs 7-4 to secure Green Bay's third GLHL crown. The GLHL is a USA Hockey-sanctioned amateur elite league.
The GLHL features players who have college hockey, junior hockey, and semi-pro experience in other leagues. Several players with National Hockey League (NHL) connections have already committed to playing for the Capitals this fall.
The Capitals will open the season with an exhibition game on the road October 11 against the Fond Du Lac Bears. The team's first home game will be November 8 against the Portage Lake Pioneers.
For more information about the Vernon Hills Capitals, please visit http://www.VernonHillsCapitals.com or e-mail warren@VernonHillsCapitals.com. For information about the Great Lakes Hockey League, please visit http://www.GreatLakesHockeyLeague.org. The Capitals are actively seeking sponsors to appear in the team's free game-day program, as well as on banners that will hang in the arena and signs that will appear on the ice rink's boards. Prospective players can also register on the Capitals' Web site for open try-outs slated for later this summer.
Elite Hockey Team Coming to Vernon Hills Illinois This Fall