Gorillas announce schedule
July 23, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
AMARILLO, TX â The Amarillo Gorillas are all smiles over their 2003-2004 Central Hockey League schedule which was released today at a press conference at Rosa's Café on 45th and Western.
The Gorillas schedule is focused on geographic, division and conference rivals and includes games with the two newest franchises the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and the Colorado Eagles.
Amarillo opens its 2003-2004 schedule on Saturday, October 18, against their arch rival and newest divisional opponent the Lubbock Cotton Kings at 7:05 p.m. at Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. The Gorillas and the Cotton Kings will face each other a total of nine times (5 home, 4 away). On the following weekend, the Gorillas will try to begin to better their home record of a year ago when they entertain Rio Grande Valley on Friday, October 24 at 7 p.m. at The Jungle. It will be just the first of two meetings between the teams this season with another one slated in early November at the new Rio Grande Valley arena.
The Wichita Thunder will be the Gorillas opponent Saturday, October 25 also at 7 p.m. to conclude the first home weekend of the season. The Thunder and the Gorillas will match up approximately six times (2 home, 4 away) during the season.
"I think the long road trip in November will be very important for the players to bond and become a cohesive unit," said Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager Joe Ferras. "You always want to win every game, but we hope we can have the same type of performances on the road as we did last season." The Gorillas will face their other Southwestern Division opponents, the San Angelo Saints, six times (3 home, 3 away) and the Odessa Jackalopes, seven times (4 home, 3 away).
Another team the Gorillas will see a lot of this season will be the New Mexico Scorpions, nine times (4 home and 5 away).
Other highlights of the 2003-2004 schedule include the Gorillas' first ever trip to Fort Collins, Colorado to face the expansion Eagles in February. It won't be until the final month of the regular season before the Gorillas have their rematch with last year's Northern Conference semi-final series opponent, the Indianapolis Ice. The two teams will face off at The Jungle on Sunday, Mar. 7, and Tuesday March. 9.
In November, the Gorillas will depart for their longest road trip of the season when they travel to South Texas to face Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Corpus Christi.
"With the favorable home-ice schedule the second half of the season, it will be imperative that we keep ourselves in the hunt for a playoff position the entire first half," said Ferras. "The new division alignment will make for playoff-type games and at the same time create new and intense rivalries." For further information on the Amarillo Gorillas schedule, please contact Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager, Joe Ferras or Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations, Denis J. Puska at 242-7825.
AMARILLO GORILLAS SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
Team Home Away Total
Lubbock Cotton Kings 5 4 9
San Angelo Saints 3 3 6
Odessa Jackalopes 4 3 7
Austin Ice Bats 1 1 2
Corpus Christi Rayz 1 1 2
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 1 1 2
Laredo Bucks 1 1 2
New Mexico Scorpions 4 5 9
Colorado Eagles 2 2 4
Wichita Thunder 2 4 6
Tulsa Oilers 2 2 4
Oklahoma City Blazers 2 2 4
Indianapolis Ice 2 0 2
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs 0 1 1
Memphis RiverKings 1 0 1
Fort Worth Brahmas 2 1 3
Central Hockey League Stories from July 23, 2003
- Gorillas add to local ownership group - Amarillo Gorillas
- Gorillas radio show returns - Amarillo Gorillas
- Gorillas announce new radio deal - Amarillo Gorillas
- Gorillas announce schedule - Amarillo Gorillas
- Scorpions 03-04 schedule announced - New Mexico Scorpions
- 2003-04 Schedule Released - San Angelo Saints
- Bees Like Home Schedule - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- 2003-2004 Bucks Schedule Introduced - Laredo Bucks
- Mudbugs Announce 2003-04 Schedule - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Ice Releases 2003-2004 Schedule - Indianapolis Ice
- Oilers Release 2003-04 Schedule - Tulsa Oilers
- Thunder Release Schedule - Wichita Thunder
- Ice Bats Schedule Released - Austin Ice Bats
- 2003-2004 CHL Schedule Released - CHL
- Thunder Add Physical Defenseman - Wichita Thunder
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.
