2011-12 AWHL Season

The 2011–12 AWHL season was the 1st season for the newly formed America West Hockey League. The AWHL was formed in the summer of 2011 by teams breaking away from the Northern Pacific Hockey League. The league shares a similar area as the America West Hockey League that merged into the North American Hockey League in 2003. Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Helena all originated in the old AWHL and now appear in the current AWHL.

AWHL Semifinals
Missoula defeated Gillette in six games to advance to the AWHL Championship. Helena defeated Billings in five games to also advance.

AWHL Championship
Helena swept Missoula in four games in the AWHL Championship to earn the first American West Hockey League championship.

USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Championship
The Helena Bighorns, Missoula Maulers, and Billings Bulls won the right to represent the AWHL at the 2012 USA Hockey Tier III Junior National Tournament. Each team played 3 games in their pool, with the winners of each pool advancing to the national semifinals.

Helena Bighorns
Helena won two games and lost one in pool play and did not advance to the semifinals.

Missoula Maulers
Missoula won two games and lost one in pool play and did not advance to the semifinals.

Billings Bulls
Billings won all three games in their pool and advanced to the semifinals. They lost their semifinal game 4-2 to the eventual national champion Atlanta Knights of the EJHL South.