There still may be hockey in the Quad-Cities next year, but the American Hockey League Flames are out.

Shortly after noon on Tuesday, a majority of the AHL board of governors who were allowed to vote  approved a 10-year affiliation agreement between the Calgary Flames and a group in Abbotsford, B.C.

The Flames Triple-A team will play in a new 7,000-seat arena in that city, which is  located an hour southeast of Vancouver.

The team will compete in the North Division, Calgary Chief Financial Officer Michael Holdtich said.

The vote ends any speculation that the Flames might return for a third AHL season in the Quad-Cities under Calgary's ownership.

A group headed by Scott Mullen, executive director of the i wireless Center, now will pursue other professional hockey options, most likely a team at the Double-A level.

Mullen last week said there is potential Double-A ownership interest in the Quad-Cities, but also said something needs to be developing on that front by the middle of next month.

“The chances of something happening after May 15 are pretty slim,’’ he said. “It’s not impossible, but we’ll see.’’

Another option is to sit a year without a hockey team and return a year later, possibly to the AHL.

Calgary turned to Abbotsford earlier this year after agreeing to a request from the local ownership group, Quad-City Sports Ventures, Inc., to be released from the final three years of a five-year affiliation agreement.

QCSV leader Dennis Voss said his group lost an estimated $2.5 million while operating as an AHL franchise. The Q-C Flames finished 28th in the 29-team AHL in attendance this past season and were 27th the year before.

Holditch said the Calgary organization moves on with some regret.

“We enjoyed our time in the Quad-Cities,’’ he said. “The folks there are great. The building is a world-class, American Hockey League facility and to leave a facility like that is tough.

“The building operator is top-shelf. Everybody who worked with our coaches, we are very appreciative of. And we are most sad to be done with ... Dennis Voss and (Kevin Murphy). Those are great guys. They put their heart in it and came up short.’’

The vote on Abbotsford took place in Chicago and was considered somewhat controversial because the B.C. community is located 1,400 miles from the nearest AHL opponent in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

There was no indication of a vote count in AHL release, nor of how many governors were precluded from voting by AHL commissioner David Andrews due to “conflicts of interest.’’

On Monday, a league spokesman said that information was “privileged.’’

Also approved as new AHL locations next year were Austin, Texas, and Glens Falls, N.Y.

Holditch said the Abbotsford ownership group will subsidize opponent’s travel “on a go-forth basis until conditions change. If there are more teams (that move west), it will drop off.’’

Asked if the Quad-Cities could eventually host another AHL franchises, Holditch said, “I’m not sure. In the right situation. They certainly have the right venue for it. But support ...

“There would have to be a concerted sales campaign to support it. If that happened, yeah. I think there is a foundation there. It just needed to be cultivated.’’

Related

• Q-C hockey hunters close in on decision