The Southern Oregon Spartans were a junior ice hockey team that were last members of the United States Premier Hockey League in 2020.
History On May 25, 2007, it was announced by the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac) that two expansion teams would begin play during the 2007–08 season, the Missoula Maulers and the Rogue Valley Wranglers. When the Wranglers franchise was announced, the NorPac was a Tier III Junior B hockey league. However, on July 17, 2007, it was announced that the league and all its teams would be granted Tier III Junior A status. Also on July 17, the team announced the signing of their first player, Robert Reiber, who was later traded to the Eugene Generals.
After three seasons as the Wranglers, it was announced on February 20, 2010, that the team had been purchased by new ownership, led by Troy Irving and Forest Sexton, and would be re-established as the Southern Oregon Spartans. The new ownership confirmed that Steve Chelios would be hired on as the general manager and head coach of the team. The team played that evening for the first time as the Spartans and revealed the new team and logo to a crowd of over 900 fans from throughout Southern Oregon.
Starting in the 2012–13 season, the Spartans joined the AAU-sanctioned Western States Hockey League (WSHL) and played out of the Northwest Division. In 2019, the Spartans' management posted the franchise was for sale. The team was then sold to Dylan and Brie Martin in June 2019.
In 2020, the Spartans left the WSHL and joined another independent junior hockey league, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), in the Premier Division. Due to local capacity restrictions on indoor events amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spartans began their 2020–21 season playing in outdoor rinks with limited attendance. As restrictions increased, the team withdrew from the 2020–21 season after six games played on November 18, 2020. Their home arena, The RRRink, then opted to not renew their lease with the Spartans in May 2021 and begin seeking a new junior hockey tenant.
Season-by-season records Season Finish PlayoffsRogue Valley Wranglers 2007–08 48 3 45 ——— 6 130 443 1,942 7th of 7, Pacific13th of 13 NorPacDid not qualify 2008–09 48 1 47 ——— 2 80 376 1,249 7th of 7, Pacific13th of 13, NorPacDid not qualify 2009–10 48 8 40 ——— 16 127 181 1,385 6th of 6, Pacific12th of 12, NorPacDid not qualifySouthern Oregon Spartans 2010–11 50 36 14 ——— 72 280 149 1,668 2nd of 6, Pacific3rd of 11, NorPacWon Div. Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Eugene GeneralsLost Div. Finals, 0–3 vs. Seattle Totems 2011–12 42 34 8 ——— 68 260 162 1,864 2nd of 7, NorPacWon Semifinals, 3–1 vs. Yellowstone QuakeWon Finals, 3–0 vs. Seattle TotemsCASCADE CUP CHAMPIONS 2012–13 46 26 19 — 1 0 53 172 172 1,758 2nd of 5, Northwest8th of 22, WSHLWon Div. Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Ogden MustangsLost Div. Finals, 0–2 vs. Idaho Jr. Steelheads1–1 in Thorne Cup Round Robin (wild card)(L, 1–10 vs. Jr. Steelheads; W, 4–2 vs. Ice Jets)Lost Semifinal game, 1–3 vs. Idaho Jr. Steelheads 2013–14 46 12 30 — 2 2 28 141 209 1,003 5th of 6, Northwest18th of 24, WSHLDid not qualify 2014–15 46 34 11 — 1 0 79 229 120 1,575 3rd of 7, Northwest6th of 28, WSHLWon Div. Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Seattle TotemsLost Div. Semifinals, 1–2 vs. Missoula Maulers 2015–16 52 33 18 — 1 — 67 227 184 1,395 3rd of 8, Northwest10th of 29, WSHLWon Div. Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Seattle TotemsLost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Missoula Maulers 2016–17 52 33 15 — 4 — 70 205 124 1,193 2nd of 7, Northwest10th of 27, WSHLDiv. Quarterfinals, ByeLost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Butte Cobras 2017–18 51 12 38 — 1 — 25 147 253 1,514 6th of 6, Northwest20th of 23, WSHLLost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Bellingham Blazers 2018–19 51 18 29 2 2 — 60 214 216 1,197 3rd of 4, Northwest14th of 23, WSHLLost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Bellingham Blazers 2019–20 50 6 41 2 1 — 23 101 361 1,030 5th of 5, Northwest19th of 20, WSHLDid not qualify 2020–21 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 9 61 145 5th of 5, Pacific61st of 61, USPHL PremierDid not finish
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