Rebels announce name change and relocation
July 24, 2017
The Rebels, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), have announced today that the team has changed its name from the Aston Rebels to the Philadelphia Rebels. The team also announced that it now will call the Penn Ice Rink at the Class of 1923 Arena its home beginning with the upcoming 2017-18 season.
The Rebels were the NAHL’s 2016-17 regular season champions and won their second consecutive East Division championship. The Rebels are the highest level of junior hockey on the East Coast.
“We are thrilled to be playing in such a prestigious venue as the Penn Ice Rink at the Class of 1923 arena” stated Rebels owner Ken Dennis. “While we enjoyed our stay at the IceWorks Skating Complex we felt that, in order to grow awareness of the team and junior hockey itself, it was necessary to find a new home in Philadelphia, and changing the name to the Philadelphia Rebels simply made sense. We are now truly at home in the Cradle of Liberty,” concluded Dennis.
The Rebels had a 46-11-2-1 record for 95 points during the regular season. The past two years the team had a compiled record of 81-32-7. The Rebels also have produced 25 NCAA commitments during that time. The 2017-18 season is slated to begin in mid-September. The Rebels first regular season home opener will be played on Friday, September 29 against the Johnstown Tomahawks. Season and individual ticket information will be announced shortly.
The Philadelphia Rebels are a Tier II American Junior hockey team that plays in the 42-year-old North American Hockey League. The premise of the Rebels, and the league itself, is to help aspiring 16 – 20-year-olds in their quests to achieve their goals of a better education through collegiate hockey. The North American Hockey League is the only USA Hockey sanctioned Tier II Junior league consisting of 23 teams from across North America. Over 1,000 players from the NAHL have made NCAA commitments during the past five years.
Penn Ice Rink at the Class of 1923 Arena is located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The 60,000 square-foot facility boasts 2,500 seats, locker rooms, concession stands, and event rooms that can accommodate private groups up to 50 people. The ice surface itself is 85’ by 200’, totaling 17,000 square feet of frozen fun and healthy activity. When the ice comes out at the end of each season, the Class of 1923 Arena plays hosts to a range of activities that support the neighboring community, as well as the city of Philadelphia. Visit www.upenn.edu/icerink for more information and directions to the rink.
