CASPER – Cheyenne Stampede co-owners Mark and Tammy Lantz filed for a time extension through the Western States Hockey League’s Executive Board last week with hopes of landing additional investors to keep the junior hockey organization in Cheyenne.
On Sunday, Mark Lantz wasn’t sure when he would hear back from the league office. But the owner was confident he would get an answer by the league’s annual Governors meetings in late May.
The WSHL approved Lantz’s request Wednesday.
“The Cheyenne Stampede have been granted an extension to the WSHL deadline for teams to commit to continuing play into the 2019-20 season,” Mark Lantz confirmed to WyoSports.
No additional details were available, he added.
With the extension now approved by the league, the Lantzes have more time to secure additional investors and, hopefully, avoid the team relocating or going dormant as early as this fall.
“There’s no reason the league would want to lose the Stampede out of the footprint,” Mark Lantz said.
The time extension comes on the heels of the Lantzes putting the organization up for sale after the City of Cheyenne restructured its contract with the team. That featured a 26 percent increase in ice rates and stripped the organization from all of its advertising revenue streams.
The team’s current contract with the city runs through the 2020 season.
The Stampede concluded the 2018-19 regular season last weekend in Ogden, Utah, and qualified for the postseason for the eighth straight year.
The WSHL playoffs start March 14.
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Tyler Poslosky is a writer for WyoSports. He can be reached at 307-633-3123 or by email at tposlosky@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @TylerPoslosky.
