Amarillo didn’t have the best series falling in both games without scoring a goal. The Wranglers dropped Friday night’s game 5-0 before falling 4-0 on Saturday night.
Amarillo is now sitting at 9-9-0-2 overall with 21 points, which puts them in fifth place in the North American Hockey League South Division, one point behind the El Paso Rhinos.
With approximately a third of the season completed, the Lone Star Brahmas and reigning NAHL champions lead the South Division with 29 points.
The Wranglers look to rebound against the El Paso Rhinos at the Budweiser Bullpen on Friday and Saturday night with the puck dropping at 7:14 p.m.
Friday’s game
Fresh off the bus after a six-hour early morning bus ride, the Amarillo Wranglers hit the ice after splitting the previous weekend series with the Odessa Jackalopes, looking to create a winning streak from their win off the Odessa Jackalopes from last week’s game.
With both teams wearing dark colored jerseys, the cumbersome feel of this game was apparent from the start.
In front of a sold out and enthusiastic crowd, at the 8:22 mark of the first period Brahmas forward Leo Bergstrom started off the scoring in this one-sided affair. The highlights for Amarillo were limited as the Brahmas went on to score four additional unanswered goals in this lackluster game.
Amarillo goalie Charlie Zolin, stopped 29-of-34 shots, taking the loss. Zolin is 6-5 in the season.
Saturday’s game
Saturday night’s game saw a rested Amarillo Wranglers hit the ice, looking to stop the momentum of what some say is the best hockey team in the NAHL.
The reigning champions looked to continue their four game-winning streak.
Thus far in the season, the Brahmas have only been outshot by three teams in all of the NAHL. Amarillo was one of those teams. With Charles-Antoine Girard between the pipes for the Wranglers, Girard was on a mission to garner his first victory of this season.
The first two periods of this hockey game were the typical physical rivalry battle between these two teams. At 19:00 of the first period, the Brahmas drew first blood as Denver Damphousse lasered one past the right ankle of Amarillo goalie Girard, giving the Brahmas a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.
The second period saw sick physical hockey between two good programs as the Amarillo Wranglers outshot the Brahmas through the first two periods. However, the Brahmas held onto a 1-0 lead going into the final intermission.
As the third period started with a skirmish at every whistle, the Lone Star home crowd saw blood in the water. At the 5:51 mark of the third, Noah Lasker scored on a breakaway, giving the Brahmas a 2-1 lead. With seismic-shifting momentum, the Brahmas went on to score 2 more unanswered goals as this game got away from the Wranglers with a 4-0 loss.
Amarillo goalie Girard stopped 25-of-29 shots and is still looking for that elusive first victory. Amarillo and Lone Star were tied with shots on goals with 29 each.
Changing landscape in Junior League Hockey
The NCAA announced they will be allowing Major Junior players in the Canadian Hockey League (OHL/QMJHL/WHL) to be able to play NCAA D1 Hockey starting in 2025.
New Rules
Any player playing as high as the Major Junior level who didn’t receive more than reasonable expenses in their career. Reasonable expenses still to be clearly defined by the NCAA.
A player can sign a pro contract but only remains eligible if they don’t receive more than reasonable expenses.
As of now, NIL/sponsorship rules remain the same. However, this will likely evolve with time as more specific rules are released.
Effective August 1st, 2025. Players who play Major juniors can commit before this date, with some already doing so.
Other eligibility rules have not changed as of now.
Academic standing, doping, gambling rules, etc. apply as before.
Note that if you play Major Junior, cannot play at the NCAA Division II or Division III levels as of now.
Impacts on Junior Leagues
Major junior league teams will benefit from this.
Jr. A league caliber and NCAA D-I commitments will likely experience a trickle down effect.
Top leaks like the US HL, PCL and the NAHL will continue to produce good players.
Commits should end up, trending in the below mentioned direction.
Major Junior: NCAA D-I & pro feeder, bottom mid players go USports.
DI1 and Pro feeder, bottom-mid players: USHL, NAHL, & BCHL: Top Players D-I, others NCAA D-III & USports. Remaining Tier 2 CJHL Leagues: Mainly NCAA D-III feeder. Low end Tier 2 Leagues & Tier 3 Jr. A Leagues: Mainly ACHA feeder.
The jury is still out on this huge change in junior league hockey and the above impact statement is just opinion.
The landscape of College hockey is also on the verge of changing. Tennessee State University in Nashville will field a Division I hockey program in the 2025-2026 season.
In the next few years, you could see SEC schools like the University of Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M and the like starting Division I college programs.
Also look for ACC programs like Georgia Tech, Florida State University, etc. starting programs.
I had an opportunity to speak with the Athletic Director of the Ivy plus and prestigious Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Candice Storey Lee. She told me that Division I college hockey is on the radar screen for Vanderbilt, and she recently had meetings with USA Hockey, the governing body of the NAHL.
Vanderbilt University is also a member of the Southeastern Conference. I do not believe that the changes with the NCAA and the CHL are not coincidental relative to the anticipated growth in D1 college hockey.
Amarillo Wranglers head coach Taylor Harnett was on the ‘Drive at Five” (102.9 FM The Panhandle Sports Star) with Lance Lahnert last week talking about this subject.
He cautiously explained that this is a cumbersome situation and it is too soon to tell what the lasting impact will have on junior league hockey. From this writer’s perspective and with the anticipated growth of Division I college hockey in non-traditional hockey markets, I believe this will give more opportunities for players moving forward.
This is a work in progress and a major shift in the hockey landscape. There are many unanswered questions for both players and coaches. We at Press Pass Sports will keep you updated as to the progress of this historic change in junior league hockey.
Editor’s Note
Please listen for Tommy Tee’s weekly recap of the Amarillo Wranglers hockey on the “Drive at Five” with Lance Lahnert every Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. exclusively on 102.9 FM the Panhandle Sports Star.