Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2008

Resilient Brahmas shed dismal past

By KELLY MORRIS

Special to the Star-Telegram

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS -- Change can go a long way in making a situation better.

In the Texas Brahmas' case, it's what helped them revive their struggling franchise and put together an almost storybook season that their fans aren't soon going to forget.

The Brahmas -- usually bottom dwellers in the league -- turned out to be anything but in their first Central Hockey League season since suspending operations in June 2006.

It started with first-time head coach Dan Wildfong and assistant coach Forbes MacPherson, along with new minority ownership (Frank and Dr. Salvatore Trazzera), a new name (Texas Brahmas) and a new venue (NYTEX Sports Centre).

"The last six weeks of the season people were coming up and telling us, 'I can't believe this is happening,'" MacPherson said. "We were like, 'Why?'

"Right from day one, Dan and I believed we could win a championship this year. That's just the kind of people we are. Everybody knows Dan is a relentless person as far as his work ethic. A group takes on the characters of the leader. That's basically what the team did. If everyone has that belief, it's not such a daunting task."

By going 20-5-1 during the last two months of the regular season, the Brahmas (49-27-2) advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. They swept Bossier-Shreveport, the league's top team, in four games in the Northern Conference semifinals and were one win from advancing to the President Cup finals.

They faced a 3-1 deficit against Colorado in the best-of-seven Northern Conference finals, but staved off elimination twice to force Game 7.

"Teams get down 3-1 and think it's over, but we didn't think that," Wildfong said. "Every time we faced adversity I think we responded really well. We're definitely not satisfied until we win a championship, but these guys poured their hearts out. They never gave up."

Wildfong and MacPherson, who were named coaches May 22, were forced to build their team from scratch. But after extensive recruiting, they formed a team that played remarkably well together.

"We had guys who took pride in what they did and acted at a professional level," Brahmas captain Blair Manning said. "It was a team everyone needed to contribute for us to be successful. We were fortunate enough to keep most of the group together all year. It's been quite a ride."

North Richland Hills Mayor Oscar Trevino said he's looking for even more success next season.

"They sure exceeded my expectations," Trevino said. "We watched the crowd grow every game. They filled it up. We had parking issues. That's a good issue to have."

A CHAMPIONSHIP EFFORT

A few highlights from the Texas Brahmas' season:

They finished the regular season with a 40-22-2 record. The 40 victories tied for second in franchise history. The record is 41 by the 1997-98 team.

They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

The team's longest winning streak this season was seven games (Feb. 6-17)

Texas' 82 points was fifth-best in the league.

Defenseman Justin Kinnunen was named to the CHL All-Star team.

Forward Tyler Skworchinski was named to the CHL All-Rookie team.