Louisiana Hockey Team Culminates 10-Year History with Championship Win

(Lafayette, Louisiana) - Just in case you thought hockey in Lafayette disappeared with the second incarnation of the Icegators, think again. The Louisiana Drillers just made franchise history with their first ever Fraser Cup win. It's been a long, arduous decade which finally paid off for the team.

In 2015, as the final year of the Louisiana Icegators second-chance was coming to an end that the Louisiana Drillers franchise was born. The Drillers are part of the NA3HL, The NA3HL is a Tier 3 league comprised of players aging in range from 16-20. The league provides young players the opportunity to learn and grow as a player and potentially move up to the next level, even earning scholarships to colleges across the country.

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As it often happens, the first years of the franchise had growing pains. The team had not had the experience of others in the league and it showed in lopsided losses for a while. Slowly but surely, pieces began to fall into place. After head coaching changes starting with Kevin Kaminski to former Icegators Shawn McNeil, Tyler Barr and Rob Weingartner, the Drillers found a coach in Chris Francis. After failing to make the championship series for eight years, Chris coached the team to their first Fraser Cup appearance, in which they were eliminated, but they were trending up.

The fan base has grown over the years, filled with hockey fans that are there for the love of the game. Some fans even open their doors to players as billet families to give players from around the world a place to live while playing for the Drillers. The players and coaches have done community outreach over the years, including toy collections for patients at children's hospitals and more. The players truly get what it's like to be a part of south Louisiana.

In the 2024-2025 season, the Drillers finished the regular season with a record of 42-7, then won the South Division and earned a spot in the playoffs.

After a tough loss to the Granite City Lumberjacks, the Drillers rallied to win the final three games and stamp their name on the Fraser Cup for the first time in franchise history.

The journey has been long, but all the efforts, struggles and learning helped shape this team into a group of winners that is now recorded for the rest of the league to see, and new banners will be hung from the rafters of Planet Ice. Now, make some noise for ya boys, your Louisiana Drillers!