The Wichita Falls Warriors are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League’s South Division. The Warriors play out of Wichita Falls, Texas, at Kay Yeager Coliseum. The team joined the NAHL in 2020, with the 2020-21 season serving as their first year.
On October 15, 2019, the NAHL announced that they had approved the membership application submitted by Robbie Hockey LLC, an entity owned and operated by Mary Anne Choi, for a team in Wichita Falls, Texas. On November 26, 2019, the Warriors name was selected out of Warriors, Flames, Reign, and Falcons via a name-the-team contest.
The Warriors played their first game on October 18, 2020 at Kay Yeager Coliseum in front of over 1,000 fans. The arena was built in of 2003, and has a seating capacity of 7,380 people. Kay Yeager Coliseum was formerly the home of the Wichita Falls Rustlers (2002-04) and Wichita Falls Wildcats (2004-17) hockey teams, who both previously played in the NAHL. The arena also includes a locker rooms, training rooms, a state-of-the-art digital scoreboard and suites.
Wichita Falls picked up the first win in franchise history on November 7, 2020 with a 6-4 home win over the Shreveport Mudbugs. The Warriors would go on to have a dominant first season in Wichita Falls that included an 11-game win streak, an NAHL record for a first-year team.
The team would qualify for the postseason in their first year of existence, collecting their first postseason win and series win during the 2020-21 season. On May 21, 2021 the Warriors defeated the Lone Star Brahmas 5-3 on the road for their first postseason win. The team would sweep Lone Star 3 games to 0 with their first home postseason win, a 4-2 win over the Brahmas on May 29, 2021.
On April 14, 2020, the Warriors announced their inaugural head coach as Garrett Roth. Roth was a former assistant coach with the Bismarck Bobcats and Aberdeen Wings, and serves as the Warriors head coach and general manager. Roth worked as the associate head coach and director of player personnel in Bismarck before arriving in Wichita Falls. He played Division I college hockey at Bemidji State after setting numerous team records as a forward with the Bismarck Bobcats.
Roth’s record in Wichita Falls is 33-22-1-6, including a 3-3-0-0 record in the playoffs.
The Warriors all-time record is 33-22-1-6, with a 3-3-0-0 postseason record.
