FlexTech Stars Ice Hockey Team

A Brief History

The FlexTech Stars originally formed in the summer of 1998 as a roller hockey team. They played their games at The Soccer Spot in Holland, Michigan. At that time they were just known as FlexTech. The team obtained sponsorship from FlexTech, Inc. where three of the team's players were employed. The rest of the team team was made up of players from the Landsharks ice hockey team, the Strickwerda brothers (no relation to the Hanson brothers), and a few other friends. Craig Pfent was selected as captain of the team.

In the fall of 1998, The Edge ice arena (known as The Inside Edge at the time) opened up in Holland, Michigan. The team had no hesitation in switching gears from roller to ice hockey.

The switch to ice hockey meant that FlexTech had to play and look like a team. The sponsor gave the go-ahead to purchase jersey's. First, a team name had to be decided on. Many ideas were thrown around. The favorite among the FlexTech employees was the FlexTech Foam. The idea was to get Colorado Avalanche jerseys and turn their logo into a mug with a lot of foam. This idea was nixed by the sponsor and a few of the players. "Too controversial" some said. With that idea no longer a choice the team decided on picking out the jersey they liked the most and then coming up with a name. At that time the new Dallas Stars away jersey was the newest in the NHL. The team decided to go with this jersey and the name FlexTech Stars.

The winter 1998-1999 took a little adjusting for some of the players who had been playing roller hockey for the past few years. Even so, the team went on to only lose 2 of 18 games in the regular season. The playoffs ended with an overtime loss to the Sun Island Islanders.

The 1999 summer season went much differently. The team only managed a .500 record in the regular season with 5 wins, 5 loses, and 4 ties. The team won their last two games to hit the break even mark. The team scored from two to six goals in each of their games. The team took their two game win streak into the playoffs and easily won both games (6 to 0, 8 to 3) to capture the summer championship. The Championship game was highlighted by having all eight goals scored by different players on the team.

The FlexTech stars extended their winning ways in the Fall 1999 season. With increased responsibilities in his son's hockey team taking more of his time, Craig Pfent handed the role of team captain over to Tom Strikwerda. Tom quickly filled a few open spots on the team with a couple of friends from Canada. The team continued to win games with a total team effort. This can be seen in the league standing where none of the players appear in the top scorers list. The team finished first place with no losses (13-0-1). The best regular season finish ever for the team.

FlexTech easily won their first two rounds of the playoffs against the Mexican Staring Frogs and The Sun Island Islanders. This set up a rematch of the summer championship game against the Aces. FlexTech fell down three goals half way through the game. They were able to close within one goal with six minutes left but were unable to catch the Aces. This was the team's first loss in over five months. Unfortunately, it was a loss in the championship game.

The team will return for the winter 2000 season.

Last updated 12/21/99