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Independence, MO —
The Missouri Mavericks held an expansive news conference Tuesday morning that offered plenty of offseason information for the more than 175 fans who spilled out of the President’s Club inside the Independence Events Center.
Headlining a variety of topics were two new signings, including a former Mav defender who made an impact with the team two seasons ago, and a high-flying all-star forward.
Former Maverick defender Blake Forsyth, who played in Rapid City last season, will return to the Mavericks, along with newly signed all-star forward Brian Bicek, a former member of the Evansville IceMen.
“There aren’t many players I would travel all the way to Winnipeg to try to convince to come back to the team, but Blake was worth it,” Mavericks coach Scott Hillman said. “He was a favorite of the fans and a favorite of the guys in the locker room when he was with us before.
“Blake is one of those heart-and-soul players who would stop a puck with his face if he thought it would help us win a game. And, when we got him two years ago, he was wearing a cage (helmet) because he had stopped a puck with his face.”
Bicek, voted one of the most exciting players in the Central Hockey League in a vote of his peers last season, comes to the Mavericks after recording a hat trick in the CHL All-Star Game last year.
“Brian might be the most electrifying player in the league,” Hillman said. “He played a game against us and we won 11-4 – but he had two goals and two assists and was plus-one – in a game his team lost 11-4.
“He is going to be a real fan favorite.”
The team also announced that all 66 regular-season home games will be broadcast live on KMBZ 1660 AM with Mavericks announcer Bob Rennison behind the microphone.
“A priority for this team was to find a station where we could broadcast all 66 games live so our fans would not have to go from station to station to find our games,” team president and general manager Brent Thiessen said.
“We couldn’t be any more excited to partner with KMBZ 1660.”
The team’s slogan this season will be a throwback to the days when Harry Truman was in the White House.
“We’re going back to our roots, and Independence’s roots with former President Harry Truman,” Thiessen said. “Our slogan will be ‘Give M Hell,’ which of course is a reference to President Truman’s ‘Give ‘em hell.’ We’re really thrilled with this slogan and will use it on a variety of items during the upcoming season.”
The Missouri Mavericks held an expansive news conference Tuesday morning that offered plenty of offseason information for the more than 175 fans who spilled out of the President’s Club inside the Independence Events Center.
Headlining a variety of topics were two new signings, including a former Mav defender who made an impact with the team two seasons ago, and a high-flying all-star forward.
Former Maverick defender Blake Forsyth, who played in Rapid City last season, will return to the Mavericks, along with newly signed all-star forward Brian Bicek, a former member of the Evansville IceMen.
“There aren’t many players I would travel all the way to Winnipeg to try to convince to come back to the team, but Blake was worth it,” Mavericks coach Scott Hillman said. “He was a favorite of the fans and a favorite of the guys in the locker room when he was with us before.
“Blake is one of those heart-and-soul players who would stop a puck with his face if he thought it would help us win a game. And, when we got him two years ago, he was wearing a cage (helmet) because he had stopped a puck with his face.”
Bicek, voted one of the most exciting players in the Central Hockey League in a vote of his peers last season, comes to the Mavericks after recording a hat trick in the CHL All-Star Game last year.
“Brian might be the most electrifying player in the league,” Hillman said. “He played a game against us and we won 11-4 – but he had two goals and two assists and was plus-one – in a game his team lost 11-4.
“He is going to be a real fan favorite.”
The team also announced that all 66 regular-season home games will be broadcast live on KMBZ 1660 AM with Mavericks announcer Bob Rennison behind the microphone.
“A priority for this team was to find a station where we could broadcast all 66 games live so our fans would not have to go from station to station to find our games,” team president and general manager Brent Thiessen said.
“We couldn’t be any more excited to partner with KMBZ 1660.”
The team’s slogan this season will be a throwback to the days when Harry Truman was in the White House.
“We’re going back to our roots, and Independence’s roots with former President Harry Truman,” Thiessen said. “Our slogan will be ‘Give M Hell,’ which of course is a reference to President Truman’s ‘Give ‘em hell.’ We’re really thrilled with this slogan and will use it on a variety of items during the upcoming season.”
The Mavericks' home opener will be Nov. 3 against a yet-to-be named opponent and Fan Fest will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Events Center on Sept. 8. Thiessen said the entire CHL schedule would be announced in the near future.
The team is also hosting an “Insider Dinner Series,” where fans can eat with members of the Mavericks staff and team in the locker room every Tuesday during September. The series is $200 and includes dinner, a personalized practice jersey, a binder to contain information for that night’s series, a season-in-review DVD, a $20 gift card to the team store and a souvenir mug.
