Killer Bees may be set to return in 2011-12

HIDALGO, Texas – Just when things looked about as grim as possible for the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, a couple of heroes have emerged in the fight to bring the team back for the 2011-12 season. According to Brian Sandalow, who covers the Killer Bees for The Monitor , a group led by former Killer Bees owner Joe Sakulenzki and his partners have come to an agreement with the City of Hidalgo, Texas which provides a revised lease to play at the State Farm Center for the next two seasons. The agreement, negotiated with City Manager Joe Vera was a crucial factor in the Bees’ return. The agreement still needs to be approved by Sakulenzki’s attorney, but if all goes well, it is expected to allow the Killer Bees to resume operations and play in the Central Hockey League in the 2011-12 season. The franchise had been caught up in a legal dispute between current owner Richard Troy Nelson and Sakulenzki. A group of investors led by Nelson purchased the team, along with the now-defunct Dorados arena football team from a group led by Sakulenzki for $3.2 million in 2006.
According to reporting by Sandalow, Sakulenzki sued Nelson in January, alleging that Nelson owes more than $2 million stemming from the purchase. The money was due in Novermber, 2010. Nelson countersued in March, claiming that Sakulenzki’s group had falsified the Bees’ and Dorados’ financial records to show the teams had turned a profit.
A trial date of January 30th has been set on the court docket, but an out-of-court settlement between the two parties is likely.

Nelson has been all but absent from the scene since the end of the Killer Bees’ season in early April and had reportedly offered to return the team to Sakulenzki and his group.
Due to the internal turmoil, the Bees’ organization had held off on sending out season ticket renewals  which resulted in a critical lack of income to the organization.
On May 15th, the Bees confirmed that head coach Chris Brooks had accepted the position of head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s hockey program.
Four days later, General Manager Dan Belisle made the difficult decision to shut down the Bees’ offices after missing payroll the previous day.
Over the past three weeks, the outlook for the Killer Bees continued to look sketchy and with the Central Hockey League’s summer meetings set for this coming weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona, it appeared that the team may be left off the list of participating teams for the 2011-12 season. 
Due to the efforts of Sakulenzki and Vera, that possibility may have been averted and fans of ice hockey in the border city can look forward to the return of the Killer Bees in October.

Contact the writer/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com