Left to Right: Texas Tornado hockey forward Taylor Herndon, Erika and Matt Lafata, Tornado forward George Malliaras & Kaleigh Lafata at the Tornado after-party at Aloft Frisco following the last home game of the regular season on Friday, March 18th
As we approach the end of the 2011 regular season, the excitement of Texas Tornado hockey continues to grow in Frisco and North Texas. After all, where else can you see the future stars of the NHL play hockey AND meet them afterwards for autographs and pictures?
After 57 games played since September, the Tornado are tied for second-place in the South division of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with Amarillo. The season wraps up on March 26 and then we will meet Amarillo in the first round of the playoffs.
This year’s team has a tremendous amount of talent and we are hopeful that the Tornado will play for another championship under coach Tony Curtale, the most winning coach in NAHL history. Coach Curtale has an impressive record of accomplishments with six Robertson Cup championships, three USA Hockey Gold Cup national championships and nine division championships under his belt. He also has done a tremendous job in sending hundreds of players onto college and professional programs during his career.
For those of you not familiar with Tornado hockey, the league is made up of amateurs aged 16-20 who play for college scholarships with some possibly getting drafted into the NHL. These young men come from all over North America (and sometimes outside of the country) to play at a very high level of hockey. They rely on host (“billet”) families to open up their homes to them. It is a rewarding experience for all involved and we have been a host family for many years. Our family currently hosts #18 Taylor Herndon of Oklahoma City and #9 George Malliaras of Chicago. We previously hosted Tornado goalie Ben Bishop who received a hockey scholarship to play at the University of Maine and now plays with the St. Louis Blues. As Ben proves, these guys really ARE the NHL stars of tomorrow!
So what can fans expect as we wind down the season and head into the playoffs? Certainly a stepped-up level of intense, hard-hitting action that we have seen all year. Coach Curtale has put together a talented group of players that earlier this year put together a league-high 15 game winning streak.
The Tornado have always had great goaltending and this year is no exception. Led by one of the league’s top goaltenders, Jimmy Kruger, the Tornado are among the leaders in least number of goals given up. They are also among the leaders in goals scored with Jack Prince leading in goals (25) and Jackson Leef in points (59). Ralfs Freibergs is one of the top scoring defensemen with 54 points to his credit.
Not only is the team fun to watch but the Tornado organization does a fantastic job in entertaining the fans as well. Many special events happen throughout the year, including Fan Appreciation that happened during the final regular season game on March 18. If you have been to a game, you know. If you have not yet attended a game, think about making the playoffs and the 2011-2012season the time you discover this gem that exists right in our own backyard.
And don’t forget, The Frisco Community Newsletter keeps you posted about home and away game scores when you can’t be there in person. Simply follow us on Twitter @FriscoCommunity or “Like” us on Facebook to get game updates as it happens.
Visit www.TornadoHockey.com to get your tickets to the upcoming playoffs and upcoming season and we look forward to see you at the coolest game in town!
Written By Matt Lafata, founder of The Frisco Community Newsletter
