After folding in 1977, San Diego Mariners' name was adopted by an unrelated franchise in the low-level, minor professional Pacific Hockey League (PHL).

Star players for the Mariners included defenseman Harry Howell, center Andre Lacroix, and goaltender Ernie Wakely.

[8] However, this deal collapsed as well, and after three attempts by three different groups to move the team to Florida all failed, the Mariners folded just before training camp opened in the fall of 1977.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes After the WHA Mariners folded, San Diego Sports Arena operator Peter Graham joined the idea for a new low-level minor professional hockey league on the West Coast, the Pacific Hockey League (PHL).

Those Mariners were sold in 1978 to Pittsburgh businessman Elmer Jonnet, and played in the PHL's second and final season as the "San Diego Hawks".