ALLEN, Texas – The Allen Americans hosted an Open House Saturday at the Allen Event Center where fans were treated to bounce houses and popcorn, autograph sessions with the players and ticket agents on hand to answer questions about season ticket packages.

While fun was had by all, the main focus of the day was the live broadcast by Americans' radio host and announcer Tommy Daniels, who was taking a very important phone call at high noon. The topic, Chris Whitley’s decision as to whether or not he would return to the Americans crease for the upcoming campaign.

It’s no surprise there was great concern about whether or not Whitley would decide to play in Allen again this season. The rookie goaltender was a major factor in the Americans' success last season, posting a 31-8-1 record, just two wins short of the Central Hockey League record for a first year netminder. Whitley also started in every Americans playoff game and broke three playoff records in doing so; most saves (636), most appearances (20) and most minutes (1205).

Whitley also received a call up to the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters twice, where he recorded his first AHL victory against Grand Rapids in a 6-5 shootout win. Reflecting on his accomplishments last season, Whitley was named Goaltender of the Week three times (Nov. 23, Jan. 4 and Jan. 22) and was a CHL finalist for Rookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Goaltender. With his impressive work in the net and an easygoing, fan friendly demeanor off the ice, Whitley quickly became a fan favorite.

Many rumors have been making the rounds regarding Whitley's return. Some had him playing in Europe or possibly elsewhere, but the most persistent one had Whitley staying home in Oshawa, Ontario to pursue a career in teaching, a strong passion of his.

When the broadcast began, the tension in the arena mounted as the Americans fans waited for the answer they’d been hoping for. Tommy Daniels allowed the tension to simmer a bit longer by first inquiring about how Whitley’s off-season had been. After some more banter back and forth about last season and Whitley's new goaltending school, Daniels got to the question at the forefront of Americans fans minds the most.

“It’s come down to that time, we’ve got a building full of people here waiting to know, Chris Whitley - are you coming back to Allen or what are your plans for this year?” Daniels inquired.

Whitley proved some of the rumors true, stating that after he came home he had done some teaching and it’s something that he really wants to do but, and there was a big but in there.

“But, I think that after last year, it would be pretty hard to walk away," Whitley said. "We had a great team and a great city and a lot of fans in that building really appreciate what we do. It wouldn’t be fair to them if I didn’t come back for one more year.”

With the affirmation of his return, the gathered fans erupted in applause before taking a collective sigh of relief. With the recent signings of Bruce Graham, Nino Musitelli, Colton Yellow Horn and Tobias Whelan to join steady backliner Erik Adams and now Chris Whitley in net, the Americans lineup for the coming season is again looking solid.

The Americans will open their second season with back-to-back home games against their cross-town rival, the Texas Brahmas, on Friday, October 15^th and Saturday, October 16^th.

Contact the author at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com

Contact the photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com