Lone Star Brahmas – Schedule Highlights – Important Announcements
By Kirk Estes
As the Lone Star Brahmas prepare for their second campaign in the league, there are several dates that stand out through the season. We will take a look at some of the highlights of the schedule, significant league dates and then touch on two important announcements from the organization.
July 24 – 27: The Brahmas main camp will get underway at the Taylor Sportsplex in Detroit Michigan. The camp is by invitation only and will allow the coaching staff to evaluate veterans, tenders, draft picks and those players who have earned an invitation by their play in the Brahmas two previous camps.
Sept 1: All NAHL rosters must be reduced to 25 players by September 1.
Sept 17 – 20: The Brahmas’ NAHL season will get underway with the NAHL Showcase Tournament at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, MN. All four teams that the Brahmas will face during the tournament were playoff qualifiers last season. Game one will see Lone Star faceoff against the Minnesota Magicians at 10:00am on Wednesday morning. On Thursday they will play the Kenai River Brown Bears at 5:00pm, followed by an 8:00pm contest against the Coulee Region Chill on Friday evening. The final game on Saturday will be a quick turnaround with a matinee against the Janesville Jets at 12:15pm.
Sept 27: The Brahmas will play their first South Division game when they travel to Corpus Christi for a single game against the Ice Rays at the American Bank Center.
Oct 3: Lone Star will face the Wichita Falls Wildcats for the first of eight total games on the season.
Oct 10: The Brahmas’ home schedule gets underway as they welcome Corpus Christi into the NyTex Sports Centre.
Oct 17: The Brahmas are back on the road for their first trip of the season to Amarillo. The Bulls will be under the direction of new Head Coach Jon Rogger after Dennis Williams moved to the USHL.
Oct 24: The longest home stand of the season starts with a two game series against the visiting Odessa Jacakalopes. The home stand will see the Topeka Road Runners and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees come to town for two game series before closing out with three games against Amarillo.
Jan 9: New NAHL South Division opponent Wenatchee Wild will make their first visit to the NyTex Sports Centre to kick off a two game set.
Feb 4: Starts a seven game road stretch which is the longest of the season for Lone Star. In fact the Brahmas will be on the road for the entire month of February with the exception of 20 – 21 when Topeka is in for a pair of games.
Feb 6: Trade deadline. All trades of U.S. citizen players between USA Hockey member Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III teams must be completed on or before 11:59 p.m. Mountain time.
Feb 10: All protected Rosters shall be frozen at 11:59 p.m. Mountain time.
Feb 16 – 17: The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament takes place at the Troy Sports Center in Troy, MI.
Mar 20: The Brahmas make their one and only trip of the season to the Pacific Northwest to play the Wild.
Mar 28: The Brahmas close out the regular season schedule at home against Wichita Falls.
Apr: Divisional Playoffs, locations TBD.
May 14-17: The NAHL Robertson Cup Championship, location TBD.
Season ticket packages are currently avaiable in 7, 14, and 28 Game Packs. To purchase your season tickets now, please contact the Lone Star Brahmas Sales Office at 817-336-4423.
Billet Families
If you want to be even more involved in the success and development of the Lone Star Brahmas organization and the Brahmas’ players, consider becoming a Billet family.
What exactly is a Billet Family? Many of the Brahmas players leave their homes from all over the United States and foreign countries to play for the Brahmas. A billet or host family home is where a player lives during the season from mid-August through April. Being a billet family can be a very rewarding experience, enriching both the families and players alike. As a billet, you have the opportunity to provide a stable and supportive environment to a blossoming student athlete. These relationships can last a lifetime. Many billet families host players year after year due to the strong relationships that they build with the young men in their homes.
A testament to the impact that billet families can have on a player, NHL Hall of Famer, leading American born point scorer in NHL history and Dallas Star great, Mike Madano included a mention of his junior hockey billet family during his speech at his jersey retirement ceremony.
For more information about joining the Lone Star Brahmas’ family as a billet you can fill out the form at this link.
Brahmas Searching For Their Voice
The Lone Star Brahmas are currently searching for a new “voice.” The organization is looking for an in building PA Announcer for the 2014-2015 home Brahma games. For more information contact Chad at csiewert@nytexsports.com