Brett Jaeger, Travis Banga and Matt Quinn at practice

The Insider Interview - Travis Banga

The former Rio Grande Valley Killer Bee talks about joining the Brahmas, getting settled and the prospect of going to the playoffs

Center Travis Banga was acquired in a rare inter-division trade with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees on January 5th. The deal involved forward Topher Scott and center Matt Byrnes from the Brahmas and included end-of-the-season futures picks from both Rocky Mountain and Rapid City. Those picks were originally owed to the Brahmas from each club in earlier deals. Byrnes was acquired by Texas from the Wichita Thunder to complete a futures transaction and then was dealt to the Killer Bees.

Banga, 29, spent the last two years of his five-year professional career in the Central Hockey League. In 246 games played, Banga has averaged over a point a game with 269 points (116 G, 153 A). The two time CHL All-Star (2007 and 2008) had his second strongest season in his career last year, leading the Bees in scoring with 61 points (23 G, 38 A). Prior to playing with Rio Grande Valley, Banga spent three seasons in Memphis with the RiverKings.

Banga saw minimal action against the RiverKings on January 10th after signing a contract with the Brahmas the previous day. He is coming off a knee injury suffered in a game against the Brahmas on December 9th. Banga feels good though and looked great on the ice at practice on Thursday. He is expected to be on a line with Scott Sheppard and Jason Deitsch.

I spoke with Travis at the NYTEX Sports Centre yesterday. Here is our conversation.

Q: You've played against Dan Wildfong when he was a player and as a coach. Now you're playing for him. What are your feelings on Fonger?

A: He's been nothing but great to me so far; him and all of the coaching staff. He was an intense player on the ice. I remember playing against him 12 times a year there with Memphis and I see the same thing off the ice. He's really intense. He pays attention to detail and really pushes the work ethic on the guys. You could see that playing against him with his team there in Bossier. I'm really looking forward to the challenge of playing for him and becoming a friend of his.

Q: Dan's personal motivation is to do what it takes to win a championship now, not two to three years from now. How does that drive appeal to you as a player?

A: I'm excited. This is a huge opportunity for me to get back in the playoffs and to compete for a championship. I've only played one season in the playoffs throughout my career and it's just a different game, come playoff time and he has what it takes to win and knows what it takes to win. I'm excited with the team here. There's a lot of good guys and a lot of good hockey players here. If I could name the top four teams in the league that had a chance to win this thing, as the year started and at this point, Texas is right there. Hopefully I can come in here and be the next piece of the puzzle that will help us take this to the next level.

Q: How long have you been up here?

A: I got here last Thursday. Right before the Mississippi game.

Q: So you haven't had much time to get settled and get to know the area yet...

A: No, it was a tough week to come in with the All-Star break and everything. A lot of guys had left and you know, I'm trying to get settled and meet the guys. That'll come. I've got 20 friends in there already and that's the best part about hockey; you've got those friends right away. It's been a different experience. I'm up to the challenge and I'm really looking forward to playing here in North Richland Hills and from what I've seen of the city so far, It's a beautiful place.

Q: Have you had a chance to have any interaction with fans or the fan club?

A: Not yet. I haven't had too much of a chance to meet too many people which I look forward to doing this weekend hopefully, running into a lot of people and introducing myself and my wife and getting to know the community and the people.

Q: You're going to be coming up against your old teammates here in 10 days. How do you feel about that?

A: It's part of the game, it happens in any league. I'm excited for the opportunity to play against them and I'm going to do everything I can to help the Brahmas win. You know, on the ice, there's really no friends. You've got to go out and compete every night. If it's against your best friend in the world or somebody you didn't like, you've got to go out and play your game and worry about your game first and hopefully the outcome comes in your favor?

Q: It looks like you are going to be on a line with Scott Sheppard and Jason Deitsch. How have things worked out with the three of you on the ice so far?

A: Well it's coming along. Today I practiced with them and I'm really looking forward to playing with those two guys. They've got a lot of skill and if we can keep our work ethic up, I think we can be one of the top lines in the league. But we've got three solid lines here and a couple of guys that aren't playing right now. The depth of this team is tremendous and I think that's what puts us at the top of this league, the depth that Dan Wildfong has brought here to the Brahmas.

Q: What do you think of NYTEX?

A: I like it. It's not the fanciest rink in the league but it has a lot of character. It's a tough building to come and play in. As a visitor when I played here, you know, it's a smaller rink and the way the Brahmas play, it's hard-hitting, fast hockey. I'm looking forward to being on the other side of it and catching some teams off-guard. They've got great fan support here from what I remember...it's great to play in a smaller rink with the fans right there supporting you and it's probably some of the best ice in the league.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith