 | |
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2013 |
| Based in | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Arena | Freedom Hall |
| Colors | Black, gold, silver, white |
| Owner | Anthony Chase |
| Head coach | Pete Schroeder |
| General manager | Kristin Nelson |
| Website | kentuckystickhorses.com |
The Kentucky Stickhorses were an American indoor lacrosse team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They were formerly a member of the North American Lacrosse League, before the league's demise after the 2013 season. The Stickhorses played their home games at Freedom Hall.
The franchise was announced as the fourth of five founding members of the North American Lacrosse League on September 26, 2011, joining the Charlotte Copperheads, Hershey Haymakers, Jacksonville Bullies, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Shamrocks for the inaugural season. [1] However, the league faced legal troubles before playing a single game and split, with the other four members forming the new Professional Lacrosse League. [2] This left the Stickhorses to play an exhibition season in 2012, with all the games being hosted at Freedom Hall. [3]
Reorganized, the NALL returned for the 2013 season with three new full-time members, the Boston Rockhoppers (who participated in two games of the 2012 exhibition season), Baltimore Bombers, and the Rhode Island Kingfish. The league was eager to finally get things going with their first normal season, and the first season where the league was housed in more than one venue. [4] Kentucky struggled in the regular season, posting a 2–6 record, but still found themselves taking on the Rockhoppers in the first ever league championship. [5]
The Stickhorses fell to Boston in a blowout, 26–13, to end the year. However, the league wasn't past all the roadblocks. The Kingfish lost their home arena deal, while the Bombers folded from the league mid-season. The first ever season ended with the league still hanging in the balance. [6] On June 18, 2013, it was official; the NALL had disbanded. Stickhorses owner Anthony Chase wrote an open letter to the fans announcing the end of the team, citing a lack of resources, but hoping that his and the fans' "paths will cross again someday soon." [7]
| 2013 Kentucky Stickhorses [8] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Position | College | Height | Weight | |
| 1 | Patrick Crosby | G | Temple | 5 ft 10 in | 170 lbs | |
| 2 | Spencer Lyons | Onondaga CC | 5 ft 10 in | 225 lbs | ||
| 4 | Devin Clifford | D | Colgate | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lbs | |
| 9 | Max Schmidt | T | Maryland | 6 ft 4 in | 210 lbs | |
| 10 | Stefan Schroder | Ohio State | 6 ft 0 in | 180 lbs | ||
| 11 | Joel Derechinsky | F | Gordon College | 5 ft 11 in | 185 lbs | |
| 12 | George Castle | Johns Hopkins | 6 ft 1 in | 180 lbs | ||
| 13 | Brandon Dube | F | Endicott | 5 ft 10 in | 190 lbs | |
| 14 | Josh Kacprzack | NYIT | 6 ft 3 in | 220 lbs | ||
| 15 | Tim McCormack | UMass | 6 ft 0 in | 205 lbs | ||
| 16 | Ed Prevost | F | UNC | 6 ft 0 in | 180 lbs | |
| 17 | Ryan Maciaszek | T | Nazareth College | 6 ft 1 in | 210 lbs | |
| 18 | Mike Unterstein | T | Hofstra | 5 ft 11 in | 200 lbs | |
| 20 | Dave Lisi | D | Wheeling Jesuit | 6 ft 5 in | 248 lbs | |
| 21 | Eric O'Brien | T | Ohio State | 6 ft 5 in | 220 lbs | |
| 22 | Jake Davis | Florida Atlantic | 5 ft 11 in | 175 lbs | ||
| 23 | Dave McCarthy | T | Albany | 5 ft 11 in | 175 lbs | |
| 24 | Mike McLellan | Mercyhurst | 6 ft 2 in | 190 lbs | ||
| 28 | Brian Caufield | F | UAlbany | 6 ft 4 in | 225 lbs | |
| 29 | Arthur Kell | T | UMass Amherst | 6 ft 1 in | 220 lbs | |
| 34 | Anthony Kelly | D | Ohio State | 6 ft 4 in | 255 lbs | |
| 44 | Greg Bice | T | Ohio State | 6 ft 3 in | 220 lbs | |
| 2013 Kentucky Stickhorses season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date & time | Away team | Score | Home team | Score | Game notes | |
| January 5 @ 7:00 PM | Boston Rockhoppers | 10 | Kentucky | 9 | ||
| January 12 @ 7:00 PM | Rhode Island Kingfish | 14 | Kentucky | 17 | ||
| January 19 @ 7:00 PM | Kentucky | 9 | Boston Rockhoppers | 16 | ||
| February 1 @ 7:00 PM | Baltimore Bombers | 17 | Kentucky | 13 | ||
| February 3 @ 1:00 PM | Baltimore Bombers | 10 | Kentucky | 11 | Overtime | |
| February 24 @ 3:00 PM | Kentucky | 10 | Baltimore Bombers | 12 | ||
| March 2 @ 7:00 PM | Boston Rockhoppers | 16 | Kentucky | 13 | ||
| March 9 @ 7:00 PM | Kentucky | TBP | Boston Rockhoppers | TBP | ||
| March 10 @ 3:00 PM✝ | Kentucky | N/A | Baltimore Bombers | N/A | CANCELED | |
| March 16 @ 7:00 PM✝ | Rhode Island Kingfish | N/A | Kentucky | N/A | CANCELED | |
✝ Games canceled due to Baltimore Bombers mid-season fold.
| Year | Reg. season | Playoffs | Attendance average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012† | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2013 | TBD | TBD | |
† 2012 was only an exhibition season.
Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, previously serving as the home of the University of Louisville Cardinals and, since November 2020, as the home of the Bellarmine University Knights. It has hosted Kiss, Chicago, AC/DC, WWE events, Mötley Crüe, Elvis Presley, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Creed, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and many more. As well as the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team from 1956 to 2010, the arena’s tenants included the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association from 1970 until the ABA-NBA merger in June 1976, and the Louisville Cardinals women's team from its inception in 1975 to 2010. The Kentucky Stickhorses of the North American Lacrosse League used Freedom Hall from 2011 until the team folded in 2013. From 2015 to 2019 it has hosted the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship Finals yearly in mid-April.
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