2011–12 AWHL season
| 2011–12 AWHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | American West Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September 30, 2011 – March 10, 2012 |
| Number of games | 144 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Total attendance | 94,968 |
| Average attendance | 659 |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | Missoula Maulers (1st) |
| Lewis & Clark Cup | |
| Champions | Helena Bighorns (1st) |
| Runners-up | Missoula Maulers |
The 2011–12 AWHL season was the 1st season for the newly formed American West Hockey League. The AWHL was formed in the summer of 2011 by teams breaking away from the Northern Pacific Hockey League. The league shares a similar area as the America West Hockey League that merged into the North American Hockey League in 2003. Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Helena all originated in the old AWHL and now appear in the current AWHL.
Missoula defeated Gillette in six games to advance to the AWHL Championship. Helena defeated Billings in five games to also advance.
Helena swept Missoula in four games in the AWHL Championship to earn the first American West Hockey League championship.
The Helena Bighorns, Missoula Maulers, and Billings Bulls won the right to represent the AWHL at the 2012 USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Tournament. Each team played 3 games in their pool, with the winners of each pool advancing to the national semifinals.
Helena won two games and lost one in pool play and did not advance to the semifinals.
Missoula won two games and lost one in pool play and did not advance to the semifinals.
Billings won all three games in their pool and advanced to the semifinals. They lost their semifinal game 4-2 to the eventual national champion Atlanta Knights of the EJHL South.
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