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Among empty seats at the Santa Ana Star Center, Scorpions fan Caleb Perry, 9, celebrates his team's first goal against the Laredo Bucks. The Scorpions have been a success on the ice, where after Friday's win they trail Laredo 2-1 in the conference finals. Off the ice, however, there is room for improvement. "I don't like putting numbers on things," said Scorpions President Dave Ellett of the team's financial performance this year, "but let's say we missed our goals somewhat."

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The upper managers of the New Mexico Scorpions hockey team dance around their financial figures about as deftly as their hockey players skate over the ice.

But it's not difficult to listen to Scorpions President Dave Ellett and General Manager Rick Carden and come to two conclusions:

The Scorpions lost money in their first season at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

Ellett and Carden aren't worried about it.

"I don't want to get into the financial aspects," said Carden. "If we thought we were going to stay where we are at and not do better, there might be room for concern. But we see room for growth. We expect it."

Said Ellett: "I don't like putting numbers on things, but let's say we missed our goals somewhat."

The Scorpions, down 2-1 in their conference finals, have done pretty well on the ice this year.

But the Scorps' main missed goal, coming off a one-year hiatus in their move from Tingley Coliseum to Rio Rancho, is an obvious one: at the gate.

The sour numbers that convinced former Scorpions owner Doug Frank to bolt from Tingley, move to Rio Rancho and sell the team in 2006 were twofold - attendance and finances.

His Scorpions never lured enough hockey fans into faded Tingley to turn a profit.

Frank never offered a final figure in the financial hit he took in four seasons at Tingley, but he did admit losing approximately $1.1 million in his first season (2001-02). He also said despite a 20 percent jump in revenue in 2001-02 and another 20 percent jump in 2002-03, his Central Hockey League franchise continued to lose money.

And that was averaging more than 4,300 fans in Frank's four seasons at Tingley.

The Santa Ana Star Center-based Scorpions, still alive in the CHL playoffs, are still counting heads, but Carden said the team averaged about 3,000 fans per game entering the playoffs. The center seats 6,500 for hockey games and sold around 1,300 season tickets for the 2006-07 season.

Frank was quoted as saying the Tingley-based Scorpions needed to average close to 6,000 fans to turn a profit. The best season ever for this Albuquerque area franchise came in 1995-96 when it averaged 5,418 fans in Tingley.

The Scorpions don't face as many expenses in the modern Santa Ana Center as Frank faced at Tingley, but Ellett and Carden admit their fan base needs to grow.

"We knew we wouldn't be an overnight success here," said Ellett. "It was a transition season and there are a lot of things we expect to change prior to our second season."

Carden said there are a number of factors influencing the Scorpions gate this season, including the drive time from Albuquerque and the Scorpions' marketing team not having a full year to push the team.

"There are some misconceptions we need go grow out of," said Carden. "I think some people thought we were building another barn out in the middle of nowhere. What they are finding is a first-class facility.

"And the perception of the drive from Albuquerque (20 to 35 minutes) is something we have been fighting pretty much all season. When people give it a shot, they get used to it and find out it's not that bad."

One constant Carden and the Scorpions plan to count on is the growth of Rio Rancho and the support of that city.

"In the past two years, we have built approximately 5,000 new homes in Rio Rancho," said the city's mayor, Kevin Jackson. "As the city grows up around them (Scorpions), watch for significant growth in support."

Rio Rancho, at 70,000-plus, is the fastest growing city in New Mexico and one of the fastest in the United States. The Santa Ana Star Center is near 28th Avenue and Unser Boulevard in Rio Rancho's city center - the eventual Downtown of Rio Rancho.

Rio Rancho's city hall is scheduled to open in July, and there is a 77,000 square foot office building to be built between the arena and the city hall building. The University of New Mexico has a 216-acre satellite campus planned for the area.

"Rio Rancho will be one of the more vibrant downtowns in the nation to walk around in," said Jackson. "And there will be subdivisions all around the area, restaurants, you name it.

"There are still people who don't even know where the event center (arena) is. But watch as the community continues to get behind them (Scorpions) and watch as Rio Rancho develops a `Friday Night Lights' attitude toward all sports in Rio Rancho."

Carden said a full year of marketing his hockey team also should boost the Scorps' gate for 2007-08.

"We are marketing Rio Rancho, but we also are marketing Albuquerque," said Carden. "You can't not market Albuquerque, and we will make more of a concentrated effort to market Albuquerque.

"And it's not like we are a first-year franchise with no history. The Scorpions are established in this market. We're here to stay."