New Mexico Scorpions president Dave Ellett said when word got out the team was seeking a new head coach to replace just-departed head coach Ray Edwards, there was interest from around the world.

College coaches, European coaches seeking a job in the states, and even some former National Hockey league assistant coaches and players - Ellett falls into that category - applied.

Ellett looked no further than Rio Rancho; to the Santa Ana Star Center, really for Edwards' successor: Randy Murphy, who turned 35 on July 25. The departure of Edwards, who joined the San Antonio team in the American Hockey League as an assistant coach, didn't come as a surprise to Ellett, he said. After all, he surmised Edwards had what he called "move-up-ability.

"We're very thankful for the two years he spent with us," Ellett said. The first year was spent building a team; the second was spent coaching that team on the ice.

"The best candidate" to replace Edwards, Ellett said, "was in-house."

"Obviously, it's a wonderful opportunity for myself and my family to move forward in my career," Murphy said. "It's not too often someone goes from being an assistant coach to head coach in back-to-back years.

"I'm just going to work my butt off and try to put the best product on the ice."

What kind of coach will he be, he was asked.

"In 100 percent honesty, I don't know, because of my experience as far as being a head coach," he answered. "I'm going to have to feel myself out for a little bit. ... It'll definitely be a hard-working hockey team and I'll just be as fair and honest as I can with my players."

Murphy said the Scorpions have a great nucleus returning, with 8-10 players coming back.

"It's just going to be a matter of filling in the blank spots that are going to be left without some players from last year. We'll take it from there," he said.

"I love it here, my kids love it here and this is where we want to be," he said.

After graduating from Elmira College, where he studied sports psychology, the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, native played his first pro season in Columbus, Ga., where he earned a ring - proudly given to his father - in the Central Hockey League after the Cottonmouths beat Wichita for the 1997-98 title.

He spent the 1998-99 season in Denmark, and then signed with the Scorpions.

After a 36-goal, 56-assist season in 1999-2000, he nearly matched that with 37 goals and 50 assists in 2000-01, although he spent 20 more minutes in the penalty box.

Among Murphy's memorable Scorpions moments were helping the team get to the playoffs in 1999-00 and scoring what was termed the last goal of the millennium; the stick he used to score that late-December goal is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The next three seasons found him back in Elmira, playing for the Jackals of the United Hockey League and a lot of fans who'd admired him playing for the college team.

Murphy returned to the Scorpions for the 2004-05 season, leading the team in goals (34) and assists (37).

When the Scorpions' previous owner, Doug Frank, declared the team wouldn't play in the 2005-06 season, awaiting its new digs in Rio Rancho, Murphy skated off to Corpus Christi and played for the Rayz, apparently not slowing down on the ice and notching 16 goals and 38 assists, with a team-high four game-winning goals.