Fixter to return next season

HIDALGO — Despite his team’s 12-32-7 record, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees owner Troy Nelson has confidence in the direction of the team. So much, actually, that he said coach Paul Fixter will return next season.

“Coach Fixter will be back next season,” Nelson said Wednesday, indicating the team has decided to pick up the option on the coach’s contract, which expires after next season. “I don’t think it was that hard of a decision. A lot of the things that happened this year are out of his hands. I don’t think that the things that happened were the fault of Paul Fixter.

“I have confidence in Paul Fixter.”

Nelson said “it’s been awhile” since he and Fixter agreed that the coach would return for a third season, and that Nelson approached Fixter about coming back. It doesn’t sound like Fixter needed too much persuasion to return for another season.

“I think he started a project here and I think he wants to finish the project,” Nelson said. “I think we both have goals and they’re similar goals. We want to put the best team on the ice that we can.

“I know I see the disappointment in his eyes. I think some other people would quit, whereas I don’t think Paul Fixter is a quitter.”

Fixter could not be reached for this story.

In his first two seasons with the Bees, Fixter has an overall record of 40-60-15, not including RGV’s five-game loss to Laredo in the 2007 playoffs.

This season, Fixter and the Bees had loftier goals than just making the playoffs. However, after starting the season 7-6-2, the Bees crumbled, winning just five of their next 36 games. Their defense has become the CHL’s worst, once allowing 28 goals in a three-game span. The offense has also struggled, generating only 138 goals, the second-fewest in the league.

Yet, it doesn’t sound like Nelson will hold Fixter responsible for the team’s decline.

Instead, Nelson is willing to give Fixter what amounts to a mulligan on the 2007-2008 season. During the year, the Bees have dealt with the departure of leading scorer David Masse, the disappointing performance of former 50-goal scorer Adam Edinger and the inconsistency of goalie Jeff Van Nynatten, all three of whom will end the season away from the Valley.

“Some of the things that have happened this year… players that aren’t here, players that didn’t come. We had some players bail on us the last minute, I don’t think this is all and totally the team we recruited,” Nelson said. “It’s a good team, a talented team. It’s a more talented team that we have right now that we started the year with. I think that’s due to the moves Paul Fixter’s made.”

And, it looks like Fixter will get the chance to make more moves.

“Some of the things that have gone on are out of his control. We’ve tried to react as best we could to the situations,” Nelson said. “We’ve made some trades to upgrade our team. I honestly think Paul Fixter’s the guy to take us into next year.”

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