MAVERICKS REPEAT AS CHL’S FRANCHISE OF THE YEAR

The Central Hockey League’s (CHL) 17th annual Spring Conference concluded on Wednesday, May 23 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas with the league’s awards banquet honoring the top front office executives and team achievements from the 2011-12 season.  Earning more than half of the awards, the Missouri Mavericks stole the show taking home eight of the 15 awards announced including the CHL Franchise of the Year (second straight season the Mavs have earned the league’s highest organizational honor).
On the ice, the Mavs went all the way to the Turner Conference Finals before losing in seven games to the eventual CHL Champion Fort Wayne Komets.  Missouri led the league with 19 sellouts during the regular season and their numbers in the areas of merchandising, corporate sales and ticket sales were honored throughout the evening as the best in the league.
Last season, the Mavs captured six awards giving them the repeat in the categories of Group Ticket Sales Franchise of the Year, Merchandising Franchise of the Year, Ticketing Executive of the Year (Ben Gaul) and Communications Executive of the Year (Patrick Armstrong) to go along with their back-to-back top franchise nod.  The Mavericks have won the merchandising and group ticket sales awards in each of the past three seasons.
Additionally this year, the Mavs were declared the Ticket Sales Franchise of the Year and their team president, Brent Thiessen, was named the winner of the Brad Treliving Executive of the Year award.
The entire list of award winners is below:
Ralph Backstrom Soul of Service Award – Scott Plourde, Texas Brahmas
CHL Game Operations Franchise of the Year – Allen Americans
CHL Merchandising Franchise of the Year – Missouri Mavericks
CHL Community Relations Franchise of the Year – Quad City Mallards
CHL New Media Franchise of the Year – Wichita Thunder
CHL Broadcaster of the Year – Daniel Nieves, Rapid City Rush
CHL Communications Executive of the Year – Patrick Armstrong, Missouri Mavericks
CHL Corporate Partnership Team of the Year – Missouri Mavericks
CHL Group Sales Franchise of the Year – Missouri Mavericks
CHL Ticketing Executive of the Year – Ben Gaul, Missouri Mavericks
CHL Ticket Sales Franchise of the Year – Missouri Mavericks
CHL Most Improved Franchise – Allen Americans
CHL Leadership Award – Brad Fain, Arizona Sundogs
Brad Treliving CHL Executive of the Year – Brent Thiessen, Missouri Mavericks
CHL Franchise of the Year – Missouri Mavericks