After the team they were named for folded earlier this month, the Junior Lynx travel teams are the only organized hockey teams in Augusta.

Plenty of wrist-shots and one-timers still can be seen from the Junior Lynx at the Augusta Ice Sports Center.

"The kids still love hockey. It takes away from them being able to view the game on a pro level, but the kids that we have out here for all of our programs, and hopefully the new kids that we're getting in, it's just a love of the game," said George Maier, who coaches the 6- to 10-year-old squad.

The Junior Lynx are members of the Carolina Hockey League. They first organized when the Augusta Ice Sports Center, then known as the Ice Forum, opened in 1999 to serve as both a public ice rink and a practice facility for the Augusta Lynx.

In the early stages, the professional and Junior Lynx were affiliated with each other, but the travel teams have been run separately for the past few years.

The 10-plus seasons in Augusta brought hockey to the eyes of area youngsters who might not have seen it in person otherwise. The Lynx ceasing operations could have an effect on local youth aspiring to play hockey.

"I think in the South, it's kind of like going to a baseball game: You go because of your parents," said Manzoor Usman, a head coach of the Junior Lynx. "It's the same in hockey. Kids see the game and say 'I want to learn to ice skate.' They learn to ice skate and say, 'I think I want to play hockey.' That's how they get funneled into us. So there will be some impact, the question is how much?

"It'll have some impact on kids who are just learning the game, who don't already know the game getting exposed to hockey. But with the rink being closed for so long, the kids that we already have were just champing at the bit to play again," said Maier, speaking of how the Ice Sports Center had been closed for ice repairs for about two months.

The Junior Lynx say that hockey can still thrive in the city.

"I think this is a great town for hockey," said Wes Swinson, manager of the Augusta Ice Sports Center and a former Lynx defenseman. "I thought the support was tremendous when I played. We had one of the largest booster clubs of any team I'd ever been on, and the crowds were great. I don't know what happened the last couple of years."

The Junior Lynx still hope to have future NHL stars lace up their skates in Augusta.

"We've got some talented young players here, and our goal has always been to keep hockey strong here," Swinson said. "We just really want to see it succeed."

Reach Joey Jones at christopher.jones@augustachronicle.com.