Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (NAHL)

For the defunct Central Hockey League team of the same name, see Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL). For the USACHL team of the same name, see Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (USACHL).

Ice hockey team in Hidalgo, Texas

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees

City| Hidalgo, Texas
League| NAHL
Division| South
Founded| 2008
Home arena| State Farm Arena
Colors| Black, teal, gold
Owner(s)| Hidalgo Sports, LLC
President| Gilbert Saenz
Head coach| Joe Coombs
Captain| Anthony Croston
Franchise history
2008–2013| Wenatchee Wild
2013–2015| Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
2015–2017| Aston Rebels
2017–2018| Philadelphia Rebels
2018–present| Jamestown Rebels
Championships
Regular season titles| None
Division titles| None
Conference titles| None

The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees were a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League. The team was based in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo, Texas, just south of McAllen, and played their home games at State Farm Arena.

## History

[edit]

The original team was a member of the Central Hockey League, a professional minor league, from 2003 to 2012. On June 20, 2012, multiple sources confirmed that the Killer Bees would not play in the 2012–13 season and ceased operations due to increased travel costs after the folding of the other Texas CHL teams in Austin, Corpus Christi and Laredo.[1]

After a season without a team, the Wenatchee Wild of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), a Tier II Junior A hockey league, relocated to Hidalgo, Texas and became the second incarnation of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.[2] Joe Coombs would be hired as the first head coach of the NAHL Killer Bees.

On June 1, 2015, NAHL insiders began reporting the Killer Bees franchise was about to relocate to the Philadelphia suburb of Aston, Pennsylvania[3] and the Killer Bees would subsequently announce that the team was ceasing to operate for the 2015–16 season unless the team president, Gilbert Saenz, could find a local alternative to save the team. However, on June 9, the NAHL announced that the franchise was relocating to become the Aston Rebels.[4]

In 2018, another junior level Killer Bees team was announced as part of the USA Central Hockey League starting in October 2018, but the entire league folded after six weeks of operation.[5]

## Season-by-season records

[edit]

Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | Pct | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2013–14 | 60 | 35 | 18 | 7 | 77 | 0.642 | 150 | 121 | 1105 | 3rd of 7, South | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0-3 vs. Topeka RoadRunners
2014–15 | 60 | 25 | 25 | 10 | 60 | 0.500 | 153 | 184 | 1290 | 6th of 8, South | Lost South Play-In Series, 0-2 vs. Wichita Falls Wildcats

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Killer Bees hockey team suspends operations amid league woes". ValleyCentral.com. June 20, 2012.
2. ^ "Wenatchee Wild to relocate NAHL membership to Hidalgo, Texas". Junior Hockey News. May 14, 2013.
3. ^ "THE DEATH POOL – GOODBYE RIO GRANDE HELLO ASTON PENNSYLVANIA". The Junior Hockey News. June 1, 2015.
4. ^ "NAHL announces relocation of Rio Grande Valley to Aston, PA". NAHL. June 9, 2015.
5. ^ "Killer Bees, ice hockey to return to Rio Grande Valley in 2018". The Monitor. March 21, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Texas portal

* Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
* NAHL website

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