The all-star road trip experience

LAREDO, Texas – What do you get when you mix an old pickup truck, a reporter, a photographer and almost 700 miles of highway stretching from Oklahoma deep into the heart of Texas? The answer is a Central Hockey League road trip.
Recently Pro Hockey News photographer Les Stockton and I loaded up the truck and did just that, driving from Tulsa to Laredo for the 2010 CHL All-Star game. The trip began in the early morning hours on January 12 as we found ourselves passing through territories of current and former CHL teams Allen, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio before ultimately reaching our destination nearly twelve hours later.
We began our stay in Laredo by checking into the La Posada Hotel. The beautiful facility was the official host hotel for CHL All-Star participants, media members and team representatives. La Posada was voted as the best host hotel in last season’s CHL “Best of the Best” awards and I can see why. It is nestled into the heart of downtown Laredo‘s narrow streets in the oldest area of town. Another cool feature of the hotel is the fact that one can actually see the country of Mexico from the window in their room. How many other host facilities in the CHL can boast that?

We awoke the next morning and headed down to grab breakfast where we dined along side several players and team officials including Colorado‘s Riley Nelson, Kevin Ulanski, Aaron Schneekloth, Tulsa owner Jeff Lund and Amarillo General Manager Robert Simmons. After breakfast it was time to head for the Laredo Entertainment Center for team practice.
Both teams seemed to be in good spirits as they posed for their official team pictures then participated in light workouts on the ice. While the teams practiced on the ice, LEC crews were in high gear preparing the arena for the crowd that would arrive a few hours later. One lone employee was attentively cleaning the glass for spectators while on the other side of the glass, Rio Grande Valley‘s Grant Goeckner-Zoeller sailed pucks top shelf past Killer Bees teammate Andy Franck. Franck playfully stood in the crease, refusing to lift his glove as Goeckner-Zoeller released snap shot after snap shot with a big smile on his face.
After lunch and some sight-seeing, it was time to head back to the arena for the 2010 CHL All-Star Game. The format of the game pitted the CHL All-Stars against the South Texas All-Stars. The South Texas team was made up of players from Laredo, Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Valley. The pre-game festivities were done in the way they could only be done in South Texas, as a mariachi band performed the Canadian National Anthem. Also on hand for it’s second CHL All-Star Game appearance in Laredo was the NHL’s Stanley Cup.
The CHL All-Stars jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the first period as  goaltender Joel Martin of Odessa stopped 27 of 28 shots he faced. Daryl Smith started a run of seven straight South Texas goals at 18:34 of the first. The next CHL goal would not come until 13:44 of the third when Tulsa‘s T.J. Caig stuffed home a centering pass from Odessa‘s Dominic Leveille to the right of Kevin Nastiuk.
Rio Grande Valley ‘s Sean Muncy collected four points on the evening and he was named the South Texas MVP. Meanwhile, Martin was named the CHL MVP for his stellar efforts in net. With all said and done the crowd of 3,984 which included fans dressed in Laredo, Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi and even Oklahoma City Blazers jerseys seemed pleased with the 9-4 win claimed by South Texas.
The next day began among a sea of equipment bags and hockey sticks in the La Posada lobby during check out. The day would finally come to an end some twelve hours later back home in Oklahoma after a brief visit to the Alamo, followed by rush hour traffic in Dallas.
As an avid follower of the Central Hockey League, I have taken many road trips throughout the league. Shreveport, Wichita and Oklahoma City have always made for good road trip stories and memories. Now, Laredo can be added to that list. It certainly was an enjoyable trip with a very entertaining hockey game included. I have to recommend a drive to Laredo to all CHL fans, especially those fans in Texas. It is a trip well worth it and the Laredo Bucks organization did a wonderful job of entertaining the fans in attendance.
Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at les.stockton@prohockeynews.com