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Killer Bees Weekly Notes

February 2, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


RIO GRANDE VALLEY KILLER BEES

2003-04 WEEKLY RELEASE

FOR THE WEEK OF Feb. 2 - Feb 8th

HOCKEY IS FOR EVERYONE

The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and the Central Hockey League will back the NHL and assist promoting the month of February as "Hockey is for Everyone" month. The NHL starts their campaign this week during the NHL All-Star Week in Minnesota and will culminate with the Ninth Annual Willie O'Ree All-Star Weekend, February 28-29 in Anaheim, California. The Willie O'Ree All-Star Weekend is in honor for the NHL's first black player and current director of youth development, and will honor 24 outstanding young people representing grass-roots hockey organizations across North America. During the month, the Killer Bees will be running PSA announcements from the NHL on the video boards and during radio broadcasts to promote the awareness of cultural diversity in the game of hockey. Writer Ursula Liang wrote a story entitled "El Hockey es para todos," which highlights the growth of hockey among Latino-Americans. The story highlights the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and it is published in the game programs of all NHL teams for the month. The story may also be viewed on the Killer Bees website (www.killerbeehockey.com).

DEAD DEADLINE

The CHL's trade deadline was at 3 PM (CST) today and it was very quiet around the CHL. A majority of the trades leading up to the deadline were made last week and no major moves were made today amongst teams. The Killer Bees did not make any moves, but it does not mean they can't make any moves for the remainder of the season. Rio Grande Valley can not make any trades for the remainder of the season, but can pick up free agents. The Bees have the top selection on the waiver claim order, so if any player is waived in the league, the Bees have the first option of claiming the player.

BEE OF THE WEEK

For a second consecutive week, this week's "Bee of the Week" honor, for their role in the previous week's games, is given to a goaltender, but this time it goes to Jacque Vezina. The Hudson, Wisconsin native picked up his second shutout of his career and of the season in his only appearance on the week. Vezina stopped all 38 shots fired against the Tulsa Oilers to help the Bees to a 1-0 win Saturday night and end the Bees five game road winless streak. The shutout gave the Killer Bees their league leading sixth shutout of the season, which ranks tied for second at the AA level with Wheeling of the ECHL and two behind Columbus of the ECHL.

FAMILIAR FOES FOR FEBRUARY

The Bees closed out January and now open up the month of February Wednesday night in Austin. Of the twelve games on the Bees schedule, nine are against either Austin (4) or Corpus Christi (5). The Killer Bees are a combined 8-5-2 against the two squads heading into the month. Outside of the two teams, the Killer Bees will have a home-and-home series with the Laredo Bucks and will close out the month with the Odessa Jackalopes, meaning 11 of the 12 contests during the month will be against Southwest Division opponents.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Tue. Jan 27 2-3 L @ Odessa Jackalopes

Top Star: ODE-Matt Price gw goal

Fri. Jan. 30 1-3 L @ Wichita Thunder

Top Star: WIC-Jason Duda 3 pts. (1g,2a)

Sat. Jan. 31 1-0 W @ Tulsa Oilers

Top Star: RGV-Jacque Vezina (shutout 38/38)

WEEK AHEAD

Wed. Feb. 4 7:30 @ Austin Ice Bats Radio: XERT 1170 AM

Notes: No question about it, this will be a battle of sole possession for second place in the Southeast Division when these two squads tangle. The two teams are currently tied for second place with identical records (19-19-6), but the Bees have the tie breaker advantage because they lead the season series 5-3-0. Bill Newson leads the Bees and the series in scoring with 9 points off of 4 goals and 5 assists. Brent Hughes leads Austin in the series with 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points.

Fri. Feb. 6 7:05 @ Corpus Christi Rayz Radio: XERT 1170 AM TV: CHLTV.COM

Notes: Rio Grande Valley starts their three-in-three weekend by making their fourth trip to Corpus Christi this season, where the Bees are 1-1-1. Dan Shermerhorn (4g,4a) and Jay Woodcroft (3g,5a) each leads the series with 8 points for the Rayz, while Bill Newson leads the Bees with 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points.

Sat. Feb. 7 7:05 @ Austin Ice Bats Radio: XERT 1170 AM

Notes: The Killer Bees close out their season long six game road trip by making their sixth trip of the season to the Travis County Expo Center. All of Austin's series wins have come on home ice.

Sun. Feb. 8 6:00 vs. Corpus Christi Rayz Radio: XERT 1170 AM

Notes: The Bees return home to host the Rayz and seek to extend their three-game home winning streak. The Rayz are 2-2-0 against the Bees at the Dodge Arena, with the Bees winning the previous two contests. Humana will be presenting pucks to the first 1,000 fans.



Central Hockey League Stories from February 2, 2004


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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