Topeka Scarecrows

The Topeka Scarecrows were a professional ice hockey team located in Topeka, Kansas, playing their home games at Landon Arena. The team was a member of the Central Hockey League from their founding in 1998 until 2001 when they were sold. The team would then become the Topeka Scarecrows of the Tier 1 Junior A United States Hockey League playing from 2001-2003.
The team was then sold and moved to Chesterfield, Missouri and became the St. Louis Heartland Eagles.
==Facts==
:Founded: 1998-1999 season
:Arena: Landon Arena (capacity 7,777)
:Uniform colors: black, red, and yellow
:Local Media: Topeka Capital-Journal
==History/Milestones==
* Nov. 13, 1997 CHL commits itself to the goal of having a franchise in Topeka for the 1998-1999 season.
* Feb. 23, 1998 Shawnee County commissioners sign a contract with Flying Cross Check, L.C.C., the company that will own and operate the CHL expansion team. The five-year pact has options for two three-year extensions.
* April 30, 1998 The Topeka ScareCrows unveil their nickname and logo.
* June 10, 1998 Construction begins on the ice installation at La(o)ndon Arena (seating capacity 14,000).
* July 20, 1998 Installation of La(o)ndon Arena ice equipment is finished.
* Aug. 6, 1998 The Topeka ScareCrows pick their first 10 players in the Central Hockey League expansion draft, then execute the franchise's first trade to secure the rights to left wing Doug Lawrence, a six-year veteran who, should he sign, would come to Topeka from the Tulsa Oilers.
* September 1, 1998 Haywire, the mascot for the Topeka Scarecrows is born.
* Oct. 16, 1998 The CHL Topeka Scarecrows play their first game ever in a sold out Landon Arena (capacity 7,777), a 7-3 loss to the Wichita Thunder.
* November 6, 1998 The CHL Topeka Scarecrows win their first game, a 4-3 triumph over the San Antonio Iguanas at La(o)ndon Arena.
* November 20, 1998 The CHL Topeka Scarecrows earn their first shootout win,4-3, in a game against the Wichita Thunder in the Wichita ThunderDome/ now Ice Center (seating capacity 15,000).
* December 20, 1998 The CHL Topeka Scarecrows beat the San Antonio Iguanas 5-4 to end an eight-game losing streak.
* January 19, 1999 Brett Seguin is the first Topeka Scarecrow to play in CHL All-Star game.
* February 3, 1999 Rod Branch records the first shutout in CHL Topeka Scarecrows history.
* March 18, 1999 Brett Seguin records the first hat trick in CHL Topeka Scarecrows history, against the Wichita Thunder in a 4-0 win.
* April 10, 1999 The Topeka ScareCrows end their season after losing in the first round of their first-ever Central Hockey League playoff appearance after three one-sided games against the Oklahoma City Blazers. Before going three-and-out in the playoffs, the ScareCrows finished the last half of the season with a winning record. Topeka was 18-16-1 from January through the end of the regular season after posting a 10-22-3 mark from October through December. They finished with a 28-38-4 record and averaged 4,793 fans a game.
* Oct. 15, 1999 The CHL Topeka Scarecrows begin their second season in a 3-1 loss against the San Antonio Iguanas, in front of a La(o)ndon Arena crowd of 7,156.
* January 25, 2000 Brett Seguin, John Vary and Bill Monkman are selected to play in the CHL all-star game.
* April 2, 2000 The CHL Topeka ScareCrows' second Central Hockey League season ends with a 35-27-8 record, with eight shootout losses, just 3 points short of making the playoffs. They finished third in attendance, averaging 4,991 fans a game.
* May 3, 2000 Topeka ScareCrows general manager Chris Presson accepts position as general manager of the United Hockey League expansion club in New Haven (the New Haven Hurricanes). He is replaced by ScareCrows former assistant general manager Doug Miller.
* Oct. 13, 2000 The CHL Topeka Scarecrows begin their third and final season at home against the Wichita Thunder 3-2 in a shootout at Landon Arena in front of 4,789 fans.
* Feb 20, 2001 The CHL's decides to terminate the Topeka Scarecrows season with 21 games remaining—10 of which were scheduled for Landon Arena. Saying that the ScareCrows and the Border City Bandits, of Texarkana, Texas, "breached multiple financial obligations under their sanction agreements with the CHL," the Indianapolis-based league terminated the participation of both franchises for the remainder of the 2001 season.
* Feb. 22, 2001 The Topeka ScareCrows returned to the ice in Tulsa, Okla., ending a 13-day layoff that included three days in limbo following their suspension Tuesday from the Central Hockey League, with the help of a temporary restraining order issued in Shawnee County District Court on February 16, 2001 that blocked the league from ending the ScareCrows' season.
* March 8, 2001 U.S. District Judge Sam Crow filed an 18-page ruling in which he denies the Central Hockey League's request to lift a temporary restraining order keeping the ScareCrows on the ice.
* March 29, 2001 The ScareCrows' end their third and final home season at La(o)ndon Arena with a 4-1 loss to the Wichita Thunder.
* April 10, 2001 The CHL ScareCrows end the franchise's three-year history as a minor-league professional program by ending their best-of-five Central Hockey League playoff series in a 5-3 loss to San Antonio in front of 2,121 fans. The Iguanas' victory, which the visitors claimed with a three-goal third period that wiped out a 3-2 deficit, gave San Antonio a 3-1 series victory and advanced the Texans to the Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City.
==Season-by-season records==
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Season 	GP	W 	L 	OTL	Pts	GF 	GA 	PIM 	Finish 	Playoffs
1998-99	70	28	38	4 	60 	189	251	1584	4th, Western	Lost in Round 1
1999-00	70	35	27	8 	78 	245	243	1533	5th, Western	Out of Playoffs
2000–01	69	38	23	8 	84 	256	245	1533	3rd, West 	Lost in Round 1
==All-Time Roster==
# 	Player Name 	Pos	Seasons 	Yrs	Games Played	Birthplace 	Birthdate
2 	Alex Motley 	C 	1998–1999	1 	25 	Pleasanton, CA 	1/10/1974
2 	Alex Mukhanov 	D 	1999–2000	1 	16 	Moscow, Russia 	5/17/1976
 	Andre Quesnel 	R 	1999–2000	1 	17 	Ottawa, ONT 	1/26/1977
 	Andy Adams 	G 	1998–1999	1 	2 	Thornhill, ONT 	2/10/1976
6 	Anthony Zurfluh 	D 	2000–2001	1 	14 	Soldotna, AK 	1/24/1977
10 	Bill Monkman 	R 	1999–2000	1 	151 	Tara, ONT 	5/16/1975
16 	Blair Manning 	C 	1999–2001	2 	124 	Vancouver, BC 	5/27/1975
 	Blake Sheane 	R 	2000–2001	1 	8 	Virden, MAN 	5/5/1977
44 	Bob Berg 	L 	2000–2001	1 	98 	Beamsville, ONT 	7/2/1970
 	Bob Pardy 	D 	1998–1999	1 	6 	St. John\'s, NF 	7/28/1974
 	Brad Klyn 	D 	1998–1999	1 	4 	Surrey, BC 	
40 	Brett Seguin 	C 	1998–2000	2 	82 	St. Mary\'s, ONT 	2/20/1972
44 	Chad Antonishyn 	D 	1998–1999	1 	89 	Regina, SASK 	5/25/1974
 	Chris Belanger 	D 	1998–1999	1 	27 	Welland, ONT 	4/4/1972
33 	Chris Bowen 	L 	1998–1999	1 	96 	Barrie, ONT 	3/7/1976
9 	Chris Burke 	L 	2000–2001	1 	0 	Winona, MN 	9/8/1976
23 	Chris Felix 	D 	2000–2001	1 	100 	Bramalea, ONT 	5/27/1964
 	Chris King 	G 	1998–1999	1 	0 	Braintree, MA 	7/2/1974
21 	Chris Maillet 	D 	2000–2001	1 	89 	Moncton, NB 	1/28/1976
29 	Dale Lafrance 	R 	1999–2000	1 	7 	Sudbury, ONT 	
 	Dave Gregory 	D 	1998–1999	1 	39 	Woodstock, ONT 	5/1/1967
22 	David \"Duke\" Bouskill	L 	1999–2001	2 	88 	Glen Williams, ONT 	11/9/1976
6 	Gary Coupal 	R 	1999–2000	1 	60 	Sudbury, ONT 	9/16/1974
12 & 14	Grady Manson 	C 	1999–2000	1 	31 	Brandon, MAN 	5/26/1975
29 	Jan Melichar 	D 	1998–2000	2 	28 	Trebic, Czech 	2/24/1978
32 	Jason Girodat 	F 	1999–2000	1 	0 	Shaunavon, SASK 	
14 	Jason Lafreniere 	C 	1999–2000	1 	2 	St. Catharines, ONT 	12/6/1966
27 	Jay Hern 	L 	2000–2001	1 	151 	Medicine Hat, ALTA 	12/6/1976
11 	Jeff Goldie 	L 	2000–2001	1 	43 	Owen Sound, ONT 	5/27/1974
27 	Joe Coombs 	L 	1998–2000	2 	116 	Brantford, ONT 	6/1/1975
16 	Joey Beaudry 	R 	1998–2000	2 	155 	Prince Albert, SASK 	6/8/1976
32 	John Gibson 	D 	1999–2000	1 	13 	Kingston, ONT 	9/30/1970
17 	John McCabe 	W 	2000–2001	1 	148 	Sudbury, ONT 	5/30/1974
4 	John Vary 	D 	1999–2001	2 	154 	Owen Sound, ONT 	2/11/1972
19 	Jordan Shields 	L 	1998–1999	1 	16 	Gloucester, ONT 	4/27/1972
 	Ken Eddy 	D 	1998–1999	1 	0 	Rochester, MN 	4/8/1969
 	Kevin Fricke 	D 	1999–2000	1 	10 	Edina, MN 	4/18/1974
 	Kevin Lune 	D 	1998–1999	1 	75 	Brantford, ONT 	6/8/1971
19 	Kirk LLano 	D 	1999–2000	1 	83 	Calgary, ALTA 	1/10/1973
7 	Kyle Haviland 	D 	1998–2000	2 	182 	Windsor, ONT 	8/10/1971
 	Lannie McCabe 	D 	2000–2001	1 	118 	Sudbury, ONT 	7/13/1977
33 	Luciano Caravaggio 	G 	2000–2001	1 	17 	Toronto, ONT 	10/3/1975
 	Marco Emond 	G 	1998–1999	1 	0 	Valleyfield, PQ 	11/20/1977
 	Marcus Nilsson 	R 	1998–1999	1 	2 	 	
10 	Mark Edmundson 	C 	2000–2001	1 	65 	London, ONT 	3/11/1975
39 	Michal Podolka 	G 	1998–2000	2 	4 	Most, Czech Rep. 	8/11/1977
33 	Mike Degurse 	L 	1999–2000	1 	15 	Amajinnang, ONT 	10/4/1974
44 	Mike Hiebert 	D 	1999–2000	1 	93 	Winnipeg, MAN 	4/16/1975
 	Mike Migen 	D 	1998–1999	1 	0 	 	
28 	Mike Rusk 	D 	1998–2000	2 	127 	Milton, ONT 	4/26/1975
 	Mike Tilson‡ 	D 	1998–1999	1 	 	Pickering, ONT 	6/28/1978
9 	Oleg Tsirkounov 	F 	1998–2000	2 	131 	Kiev, Ukraine 	3/15/1977
 	Paul Godfrey 	R 	1998–1999	1 	6 	Sault Ste. Marie, ONT	10/30/1976
61 	Paul Strand 	L 	2000–2001	1 	170 	Sudbury, ONT 	12/1/1971
20 	Peter Brearley 	R 	2000–2001	1 	40 	Chatham, ONT 	6/27/1975
14 	Randy Best 	D 	1999–2000	1 	12 	Woodsbury, MN 	3/5/1974
23 	Rod Branch 	G 	1998–2000	2 	28 	Fort St. John, BC 	4/14/1975
4 	Roy Gray 	D 	1998–1999	1 	4 	Toronto, ONT 	4/22/1976
7 	Ryan Hartung 	D 	2000–2001	1 	40 	St. Paul, MN 	5/26/1977
21 	Ryan McCormack 	R 	2000–2001	1 	2 	Thunder Bay, ONT 	3/4/1978
 	Ryan Phillips 	L 	1998–1999	1 	40 	North Vancouver, BC 	7/8/1975
33 	Scot Bell 	R 	1999–2000	1 	8 	Ottawa, ONT 	4/18/1972
 	Scott Dickson 	C 	1998–1999	1 	48 	Brandon, MAN 	12/5/1976
31 	Scott Hay 	G 	2000–2001	1 	33 	Scarborough, ONT 	4/3/1975
11 & 63	Sergei Deschevy 	D 	1999–2001	2 	302 	Kiev, Ukraine 	6/25/1977
47 	Sergei Olympiev 	L 	1998–2000	2 	59 	Lipetski, Russia 	1/12/1975
12 	Shawn Gervais 	R 	2000–2001	1 	103 	St. Albert, ALTA 	7/12/1976
26 	Shawn Randall 	R 	1998–1999	1 	136 	Montrose, MI 	11/13/1972
77 	Stephane Desjardins 	D 	1998–1999	1 	123 	Anjou, PQ 	6/23/1972
 	Steve Adams 	D 	1998–1999	1 	10 	Edmonton, ALTA 	4/11/1975
 	Steve Moore 	C 	1999–2000	1 	99 	Gardiner, ME 	6/21/1971
 	Sylvain Thibeault 	D 	1999–2000	1 	10 	St. Jerome, PQ 	10/30/1970
24 	Tom Gomes 	R 	1999–2000	1 	86 	Harrow, ONT 	4/29/1972
 	Tom Stewart 	R 	1998–1999	1 	50 	Brantford, ONT 	5/19/1975
 	Travis Riggin 	F 	1998–1999	1 	17 	Kincardine, ONT 	4/26/1977
 	Travis Sinden 	G 	1998–1999	1 	0 	Phoenix, AZ 	3/31/1976
21 	Trevor Hanas 	R 	1998–2000	2 	167 	Regina, SASK 	1/20/1975
10 	Troy Frederick 	L 	1998–1999	1 	87 	Virden, MAN 	4/4/1969
9 	Virgil Rutili 	D 	1998–1999	1 	0 	Addison, IL 	2/17/1973
17 	Yuri Moscevsky 	W 	1999–2000	1 	7 	Milwaukee, WI 	10/20/1978
8 & 25 	Zbynek Neckar 	D 	1998–2000	2 	10 	Pisek, Czech 	9/22/1978
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Category:Central Hockey League teams
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:Defunct Teams