ODESSA, TX– Brien Rea, the Odessa Jackalopes’ radio voice of the last three years, is leaving the Permian Basin and heading west. Rea will be departing the Jacks organization later this month for employment in Arizona.
The 28-year-old, St. Louis native replaced original play-by-play man Bob Hards in the summer of 2008.
“The original plan when we hired Brien was for him to get two or three years under his belt, and then move on,” said Jacks General Manager Joe Clark. “We would prefer to have Brien stay, but in his line of work, and at his age, he needs to put himself in a position to keep moving up.”
“Brien has demonstrated great passion and loyalty to the Jacks during his time here. He’s a class act, and has an NHL voice. We will miss him,” Clark said.
Prior to his time in Odessa, Rea spent the 2007-08 season with the CHL’s Austin Ice Bats and also called two seasons of hockey for Lake Forest College in Chicago, IL from 2003-05.
“It’s important for me to say ‘thank you’ to everyone in the organization,” said Rea. “The owners and coaching staff, the players, our clients with the radio broadcasts, and the fans. I could not have asked for a better experience with this team over the last three years, but it’s time for me to move on.”
Clark said he has already begun a search for the Jacks’ next broadcast voice, and expects to have someone in place within two weeks.
“We will hire someone with experience, and the same passion and love for the game that Bob and Brien have had over the years,” Clark said. “There are a lot of strong candidates out there.”
The Odessa Jackalopes will celebrate their 15th Anniversary this season and their inaugural campaign as a member of the North American Hockey League. Season tickets, mini-plans, and single game tickets are available by calling (432) 552-7825 or visiting jackalopes.org.
Follow the Jackalopes all year long on Facebook and Twitter — Twitter.com/ODEJackalopes.
