Tupelo T-Rex

The Tupelo T-Rex was a professional ice hockey team, a member of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) and played their home games at BancorpSouth Center from 1998 through 2001. In 2001, following the team's recent run to the WPHL finals, The Western Pro Hockey League joined the Central Hockey League and the T-Rex folded.
==Issues with Tupelo, CHL, and SEHL==
After the 2000-01 season, Tupelo was invited to be a part of the WPHL-Central Hockey League merger. It would have set up a local rivalry with current CHL member Memphis Riverkings. However, the T-Rex ownership refused and decided not to join the merger. Their attempts to join two other pro leagues backfired when the CHL invoked a non-compete clause, claiming the territorial rights to Tupelo as part of the merger. With no other options, Tupelo folded as a pro franchise and became a juniors team.
Several attempts to re-start the franchise, most notably as a team in the South East Hockey League failed, as it turned out that, despite not fielding a team, the Central Hockey League had a 5 year non-compete clause with the BancorpSouth Center. Thus, no professional hockey team could enter the venue in Tupelo. In addition to problems surrounding the facility's legal issues with the team, the T-Rex had attempted membership with the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and attempted the move to the SEHL, but were barred from this move due to the non-compete clause the CHL held over the arena.
===Professional Team Year by Year===
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	SL 	GF 	GA 	Pts 	PIM 	Regular Season Finish 	Playoffs
Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League	Western Professional Hockey League
1998-99 	69 	20 	45 	0 	0 	4 	195 	316 	44 	1559 	6th Eastern 	Did not qualify
1999-00 	70 	31 	28 	0 	0 	11 	241 	281 	73 	1851 	5th Eastern 	Lost in first round
2000-01 	71 	46 	20 	0 	0 	5 	287 	208 	97 	2196 	1st Eastern 	Lost Semifinals
==Shift to Junior Hockey==
The legal issues the team faced from its efforts to merge to either the SEHL or CHL blocked occupied too much time for the team to recover. Since then, the only ice hockey to have come back to the BancorpSouth Arena has been the Mississippi State University Men's DIII club team. The organization would form a junior level team by the same name that would play in the America West Hockey League for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons until they wold fold.
===Junior Team Year by Year===
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	SL 	GF 	GA 	Pts 	PIM 	Regular Season Finish 	Playoffs
America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League	America West Hockey League
2001-02 	56 	2 	54 	0 	0 	0 	98 	489 	4 	1810 	9th 	Did not qualify
2002-03 	56 	2 	53 	0 	0 	1 	80 	361 	5 	2030 	4th South 	
Category:Western Professional Hockey League team
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:Western Professional Hockey League teams
Category:America West Hockey League teams