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Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Embark on 19th CHL Season this Weekend

October 8, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS --- The Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League start the franchise's 19th season of play in the Central Hockey League with a trio of exhibition games this weekend. RiverKings Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Kevin "Killer" Kaminski plans to use the weekend to help make roster decisions on the team's opening night roster following week.

Two home exhibition games and one road contest will spotlight the current crop of RiverKings' hopefuls this weekend. Tomorrow night, Saturday, October 9th, Mississippi welcomes traditional CHL rival Bossier-Shreveport to the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven. Game time for this contest is at 6:05 PM.

The RiverKings and Mudbugs will renew hockey acquaintances the following afternoon, Sunday, October 10th, in a 3:05 PM afternoon matinee, again at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven.

Following the weekend tilts in Mississippi, the RiverKings will make a bus trip north to a new locale in the CHL, Evansville, Indiana, where the team plays the new Evansville IceMen in a 7:05 PM matchup at the Swonder Ice Arena. Evansville is one of five teams from the old International Hockey League playing in the CHL for the first time this season.

This year's pre-season roster includes three goaltenders, including Kyle McNulty, who finished the season with the RiverKings and took the team into the playoffs. Larry Sterling returns to the team after being at Port Huron of the old IHL last year, and newcomer Brant Hilton, who played at the University of Regina (Saskatchewan) last season.

Eight defenseman dot the pre-season lineup, including captain Derek Landmesser, Dane Marshall, and Andrew Lackner from last year's squad.

At the forward spot, 13 players are vying for spots on the roster, including returnees Louis Dumont, Matt Summers, and Darrell Stoddard from the 2009-10 club. The group also includes CHL veterans Jeff Christian and Chris Richards, playing in Mississippi for the first time this year after being long-time foes in previous years. Christian played last season for Missouri and Richards was in Corpus Christi.

The Mississippi roster has a lot of variety, from height to weight, home town, and experience. The tallest player on the pre-season roster is 6-foot-8 rookie forward Jordan Lane, while another rookie, J.J. Koehler, comes in at 5-foot-6. Koehler is also the smallest played at 165 pounds, while Lane weighs in at 243 pounds and defenseman Milan Maslonka (MIGH-lun mahz-LONG-kah) is close behind at 240.

Defenseman hopeful Dean Moore is the youngest player on the pre-season roster (1989 birthdate) while the "old man" of the team is Christian (1970 birthdate).

This year's team also has the most American-born players on a Kaminski-coached RiverKings roster (10), and most rookies on the squad (6).

Following the exhibition weekend of games, Kaminski plans to cut down the roster to the opening night limit of 19 to start the regular season on Friday, October 15th at Bossier-Shreveport. The home opener is the following night, October 16th, also against Bossier-Shreveport.

FAN FEST ACTIVITIES DETAILED

Activities surrounding the start of the RiverKings' preseason Saturday will begin with the RiverKings Fan Club/Assists for Autism 5K run/walk event at the DeSoto Civic Center. Registration begins at 7:30 AM with the event starting at 9:00 AM.

If not pre-registered, runners can still register the morning of the run for a $25.00 fee that includes a t-shirt and other items. Proceeds from the event will help the Fan Club and also the team's Assists for Autism program.

Doors to the DeSoto Civic Center will open at 12:00 Noon and the Fan Fest activities will commence at the time. The tailgate party will go on during the afternoon with a bounce house being provided for youngsters to play on. Food is being provided with Scotty's Smokehouse doing the cooking and food will be provided by the RiverKings and the RiverKings' Fan Club. While not required, donations will be accepted.

Fans who have not picked up their season ticket packages may do so during the Fan Fest in the afternoon.

Between 2:00 and 4:00 PM, KIX 106 Radio will be on hand to do a remote broadcast from the DeSoto Civic Center. In addition, RiverKings coach Kevin "Killer" Kaminski and RiverKings players will make an appearance between 3:30 and 4:00 PM to greet fans and sign autographs before getting ready to play in that evening's game against Bossier-Shreveport.

Season tickets remain on sale for the RiverKings' 19th season of hometown professional hockey in the Mid-South. For more information, call the RiverKings at 662-342-1755 or go online to www.riverkings.com today!

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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