Mavericks Lose Texas Rival But Gain A Missouri Rival

The CHL announced on Tuesday that the Laredo Bucks franchise rights have been transferred to the market of St. Charles County in Missouri and that the new franchise will compete in the CHL beginning with the 2013-14 season and will be called the Chill. The announcement was made on Wednesday at a press conference at the Arena Club Restaurant in The Family Arena.
The St. Charles Chill ownership group consists of Gustavo Hernandez, Alfonso Arguindegui and Glenn Hart and the team will play its home games at The Family Arena. To learn more about The Family Arena click here.
"It is with great excitement that we announce that St. Charles and The Family Arena are now a part of the Central Hockey League family," said Duane Lewis, CHL Commissioner. "We know the Chill is in great hands with the very accomplished and highly decorated people that are heading up this effort. We are also very happy with the relationship that we have built with Mark (Reifsteck) and his staff and are looking forward to strengthening that bond. This strong market and outstanding facility make this a welcome addition to our current group of member teams".
"We are excited to be given the opportunity to join such an amazing community and the Family Arena," said Gustavo Hernandez, Chill Co-Owner. "We look forward to providing a quality, family friendly product on the ice and becoming a fabric of this great community."
"The Family Arena is very excited to see hockey returning to our market in addition to bringing back the ice to our venue," said Mark Reifsteck, Family Arena General Manager. "We have plans to utilize the ice in other revenue producing capacities such as league play, public skates, and special events. We are especially pleased to welcome the reputable Central Hockey League into our building. Old rivalries will return, such as the Quad City Mallards in Moline, Illinois, and new ones will be formed with the Bloomington Blaze in Bloomington, Illinois and the Missouri Mavericks in Independence, Missouri. During these economic times, we are excited to be able to offer the community a high quality sporting event at such a reasonable price for families who like hockey. We have inherited one of the top teams that played in the CHL with an ownership group that is strong and committed to their team. Our staff looks forward to that same commitment in bringing future championships to our venue. We would also like to thank the CHL League Office for their continued support during this process, especially Duane Lewis, Commissioner of the CHL. We look forward to working with him and the team over the next five years and beyond."
"The Family Arena was built to host sporting events, and we're very pleased to see hockey returning," said County Executive Steve Ehlmann. "Our goal has been to offer a wide variety of events, and the St. Charles Chill certainly will add to that. We're pleased to welcome the team and the league to St. Charles County."
The Chill fits neatly into the CHL's footprint as three clubs sit within 275 miles (Bloomington Blaze, Missouri Mavericks and Quad City Mallards) and the Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder are roughly 400 miles from the new team.
More information about season ticket deposits, the team logo and colors and the announcement of a head coach will be made in the near future.
For more information, visit the team's website at www.stcharleschill.com, Facebook page (www.facebook.com/StCharlesChill) and Twitter feed (@StCharlesChill).