Texas Brahmas 2008-09 Schedule Released

The Texas Brahmas' 2008-09 season schedule was made public today on Pointstreak.com. It will be released officially by the Central Hockey League tomorrow.

"The 2008-09 home schedule is perhaps the most favorable in the history of the franchise," Brahmas General Manager Mike Barack said. "We are excited to renew our rivalry against Bossier-Shreveport and introduce our fans to our new Southern Conference position".

The Brahmas will open their season on the road Friday, October 17th against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. The I-20 series is alive and well as the Brahmas and the Mudbugs will meet 11 times this season.

Last season, the Brahmas took 6 of 11 regular season games. The Brahmas and the 'bugs each won two games at the CenturyTel Center. Texas won 4 games at NYTEX Sports Centre while the 'bugs won 3.

This season will be a first for the Brahmas to play in the Southern Conference, as they will begin a new rivalry against Southeast division opponents Corpus Christi, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley. Despite the move, the Brahmas will still face Northern foes Bossier-Shreveport (11 times), Oklahoma City (7 times) and Tulsa (4 times).

The biggest rivalry created by the division realignment will be with the Laredo Bucks. Since their 2002-03 inaugural season, the Bucks have an 11-2-2 record against the Brahmas in 15 meetings. However, last season, Laredo came up short, going 0-1-1 against the resurgent Brahmas. The two teams will meet 7 times this season with three games at NYTEX and 4 games at the Laredo Entertainment Center.

"It will be good for our fans to see a lot more of Texas this season, to create that new rivalry for us…the Brahmas are a very successful organization, and always have been." Bucks Head Coach Terry Ruskowski said. "I'm sure Dan Wildfong will put another solid team on the ice this coming season."

Despite the move, the Brahmas will still face Northern foes Bossier-Shreveport (11 times), Oklahoma City (7 times) and Tulsa (4 times).

Once again, Brahmas fans will have a New Year's Eve game as Texas will take on the Corpus Christi Ice Rays at the NYTEX Sports Centre.

The Brahmas will host the defending President's Cup Champion Arizona Sundogs on January 16. This will be the first time that the two franchises have played each other in Texas.

Fans will also be able to see a rematch of the 2008 Northern Conference Finals as the Colorado Eagles come to town on February 6.

The Brahmas will play against 13 different teams this season. The following is the list of teams in order of the number of times they will meet:

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs - 11 games
Laredo Bucks - 7 games
Oklahoma City Blazers - 7 games
Odessa Jackalopes - 6 games
Amarillo Gorillas - 5 games
Corpus Christi Rays - 5 games
Mississippi RiverKings - 5 games
Arizona Sundogs - 4 games
Tulsa Oilers - 4 games
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees - 4 games
Wichita Thunder - 3 games
New Mexico Scorpions - 2 games
Colorado Eagles - 1 game

The 64-game schedule features 28 Friday, Saturday and Sunday games and two holiday dates (November 26 and December 31).

The Brahmas will have two four-game homestands on November 8-15 and December 26-January 2.

The Brahmas will have a six-game road trip in December. They will play 2 games against the Riverkings on the 12th and 13th. Then they will make the long trip to Arizona for a three-game series against the Sundogs on the 17th, 19th and 20th. A match against the Mudbugs will take place on the 23rd before the team returns home.

Image Credit: Texas Brahmas