Rio Grande Valley Changes Ownership; Will Play in 2011-12
Killer Bees Set for Ninth Season in South Texas
TEMPE, AZ (June 9, 2011) – In a press conference at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas on Thursday morning, the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees announced that they will be a participating team in the Central Hockey League (CHL) for the 2011-12 season. It will mark the ninth season of play for the Killer Bees.
The team has been purchased by a new ownership group, Hidalgo Sports, LLC. The majority of this group had owned the Killer Bees from the franchise’s inception in 2003 through 2007.
“We are very pleased to announce that the ownership group, headed by Joe Sakulenzki, will be the new owners of the Killer Bees,” said Duane Lewis, CHL Commissioner. “With their previous ownership and management of the team we know they are able to hit the ground running, knowing the market and operations of a professional hockey team in the Valley.”
The Killer Bees have twice been recognized as the CHL’s Franchise of the Year (2004-05 & 2008-09) and this season finished with the second highest attendance in the Berry Conference (seventh overall with an average attendance of 4,363 fans).
“We are very excited to keep hockey in the Valley,” said Sakulenzki. “The Killer Bees are a top level organization and we believe we can create exciting, competitive, and economically sound hockey with this franchise.”
About the CHL
The CHL is recently concluded its 19th season with 18 member teams playing across 12 states. The upcoming 2011-12 season will be a historic one for the league marking the 20th Anniversary Season. The CHL is administered by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corporation (Global Stock Symbol: GNTP), a company engaged in sports management, multi-purpose events and entertainment center and related real estate development, and venue ticketing. For more information about the CHL visit the league’s website at
www.centralhockeyleague.com and for more information about Global Entertainment visit
www.globalentertainment2000.com.