Bees' O'Leary gets the call to AHL

HIDALGO - On a day when the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees' playoff hopes ended, the franchise at least had something to be happy about Tuesday.

After the Bees' 7-3 Kids Day loss to Bossier-Shreveport, forward Mark O'Leary was called up to the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League. O'Leary is the first Bees player to make the jump to the AHL, which is the main developmental league for the NHL.   

O'Leary, who found out he had been called up just minutes after the loss, was obviously conflicted.

"It's a bit of a surprise, actually," said O'Leary, who in 55 games with the Bees has 20 points and a minus-24 plus/minus rating. "It's a tough loss today but that's a little bit of good news."

Like many of his teammates, O'Leary's statistics have suffered this season. At first glance, his statistics don't seem to merit a step up. However, unlike CHL players such as Arizona's Tyler Redenbach who have been called up, O'Leary's role in the AHL will probably be the same as it was in the CHL.

Redenbach, who was a first-line player with the Sundogs, has scored only three points in 19 games with San Antonio and Grand Rapids. O'Leary will probably be a third or fourth-line player and expected to be a defensive forward like he was with the Bees.

"There probably isn't a more deserving person when you talk about commitment. Mark O'Leary is the most committed player on and off the ice," Fixter said. "I'm really happy for him, and I'm happy for the organization."

Both Fixter and O'Leary agreed that the timing, however, was odd.

"In a season full of disappointment, there's a bright spot," Fixter said. "Great news on a bad day and a really bad year."

O'Leary said, "I guess you could call it bittersweet. Your emotions are going all over the place. You're pretty down about a loss and you're feeling bad but you get a chance to go up."

Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.