Bats 12-0-1 Into Corpus Series
Published on November 20, 2002 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release
Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League have started the 2002-03 CHL regular season at 12-0-1 in defense of their Southeast Division and Southern Conference titles. The Ice Bats won their first ten games, the best opening streak in League history, before suffering their first loss in overtime last Saturday.
The Bats enter weekend play with a seven-point lead over Laredo in the Division race. The Bats play a home-and-home series against Division rival Corpus Christi this weekend, at Corpus on Friday and home on Saturday.
With a 44-15-5 regular season record last year, the Ice Bats defeated San Antonio and El Paso en route to the team's first-ever appearance in the President's Cup Finals. There, the Ice Bats fell just one step short of the CHL's ultimate prize, falling to the Memphis RiverKings in five games.
A look back: With a stingy defense and stalwart penalty killing, the Bats won their first ten games this season, before suffering a letdown in both aspects in their first loss. But the Bats have won their last two, and at 12-0-1, have earned standings points in every game this season.
Last Friday night, the Bats posted their tenth straight win, a surprisingly easy 4-0 shutout of San Angelo. The Bats outshot the outmanned Saints 16-3 in the opening period, and led 1-0 on Shawn Legault's power play rebound. With the Bats enjoying a 17-8 shot advantage in the second, Kelly Smart and Dan Price added goals 68 seconds apart early in the period.
Legault added a rebound goal with 7 ½ minutes left in the third. Meanwhile, Bats goalie Matt Barnes merrily went about his way, making 22 saves for his third shutout of the season. The Bats number-two line scored three of the four goals, with Smart scoring a goal and two assists. The Bats also killed all six San Angelo power plays.
Last Saturday, the Bats tasted defeat for the first time this season, surrendering four power play goals in a wild 6-5 overtime loss at Corpus Christi. The teams traded goals back and forth for 61 minutes.
The game started promisingly enough, with Mike Rees' goal from the point coming three minutes into the game, and six seconds into the Bats' first power play. It was the Bats' first road power play goal of the season.
But two minutes later, Brett Colborne provided the first counter-punch, tying the game with a power play goal of his own. Austin's Pat Brownlee took the lead back with an unassisted goal 3 ½ minutes into the second period. Brownlee gloved the puck at his blue line, pushed it forward through the defense, and threw it straight across the goal line behind Brent Belecki just inside the left post.
Corpus' Trent Brandvold tied the game midway through the second period, on a power play goal deflected off Rees' stick. But the Bats appeared to be on their way, when Brett Seguin backhanded a shot off the right post with 48 seconds left in the period.
But all night long, momentum was short-lived. The IceRays' John Sicinski was left wide open for a game-tying goal 1 ½ minutes into the third period. Then at 5:16, Ken Richardson gave the âRays the lead on a hard wrister deflected upstairs off Bats defender Scott McCallum.
Kelly Smart tied the game from the slot at 7:04, then retook the lead on a shorthanded breakaway 1:19 later. But 34 seconds after that, on the same power play, Corpus' Matt Munro scored to make it 5-5 with 11 minutes left. The teams wrested the game into overtime, where Sicinski ended it quicklyâcentering to Shaun Fairweather for the winner 42 seconds into OT. Fairweather also had four assists for the âRays, who went 4 for 10 on the power play.
On Sunday, the Bats were back to form in a 5-0 whitewashing of Fort Worth. The Bats' power play roared to life, with three goals on their first four chances. Darryl McArthur got it started with a power play rebound 2:15 into the game. Brett Seguin added an even strength goal late in the first, then jumped on a loose puck and slapped it top shelf for a power play goal 1:40 into the second.
Austin's Tab Lardner scored the third power play marker on a pretty upstairs wrister with 16 seconds left in the second. And Kelly Smart set the final score from the slot in the third. Bats forward Randy Ponte capped a successful afternoon, pounding on Fort Worth's John Murphy with seven seconds left. Barnes stopped all 24 shots faced for his fourth shutout.
This past Tuesday, the Bats got by a hot goalie for their 12th win, 3-2 at San Angelo. Playing three skaters short, the Saints were outshot 21-2 in the first period. But San Angelo goalie Scott Reid stopped all 21 shots faced in the barrage, keeping the Saints in the game. San Angelo's Troy Mann scored the first goal, a 5-on-3 power play goal 4 ½ minutes into the second period. Austin's Matt Sharuga tied the game shorthanded with about four minutes left in the period, throwing in a rocket from the left circle.
The Bats took their first lead early in the third, with Gerald Tallaire slamming in a goal just nine seconds into a power play. Mann responded with a power play deflection at the six-minute mark, but Austin's Brett Seguin scored the game-winner on the man-advantage, on a backhanded rebound at 8:44. The Bats had to kill off another 5-on-3 power play midway through the third before stowing the game away. Seguin and Sharuga had a goal and an assist each, as the Bats converted on two of three third-period power play chances.
Wounded Wings: Bats winger Shawn Legault has missed the last two games to injury, and will not play this weekend. Legault's long-term return is uncertain.
Special Update: The Bats power play has sprung to life, scoring five goals on 14 chances (35.7%) in the last two games. But the penalty kill, untouchable through the first ten games, has allowed six goals on 24 chances over the last three outings, a kill percentage of just 75%.
Player Plaudits: Already twice honored as CHL Goalie of the Week, Bats goalie Matt Barnes continues to lead the league with staggering numbers. Barnes' 1.33 goals-against average leads all goalies, and he ranks second in wins, shutouts, minutes and save percentage. Center Kelly Smart is tied for the league lead in goals, 8th in overall scoring, with 12 goals and 8 assists. He also leads the league with 4 game-winning goals. Winger Dan Price is second in team scoring with eight goals and seven assists. Forward Tab Lardner is 4th in the league at +16. And forward Shawn Legault leads the team with 57 penalty minutes, but is also +10 with eight points.
Potential Bite Victims: Corpus Christi has made it exciting for the fans, participating in a lot of wild offensive affairs. But the 6-7 IceRays need to get the defense figured out to improve on their 4th-place position. For Corpus, it's a classic story of half-full, half-empty. The IceRays rank 3rd in the league on offense (3.62 goals per game) but 15th defensively (4.08 goals allowed per game). Their top ranked power play has scored on 26.7% of chances, but their last-place penalty kill (72.8%) has allowed as many power play scores to the opposition. Layne Roland and Rob Giffin both rank in the Top 20 scorers, with 17 points each. Winger John Sicinski and d-man Brett Colborne have 14 points each. Kenny Goetz ranks 3rd in league penalty minutes, with 101. Goalie Brent Belecki is 4-5, with a 3.89 GAA.
Another good vs. bad: Corpus is 5-3 at the Igloo, 1-4 on the road. They'll play at Bossier-Shreveport Thursday before starting their home-and-home series against the Bats.
The Series: The Bats are 34-13-2 lifetime against Corpus Christi, and have claimed 11 of the last 13 meetings. The Bats are 1-0-1 against the âRays this year, with both games played in Corpus Christi. The Bats won 2-1 November 2nd, then had their 10-game opening win streak snapped with last Saturday's overtime loss.
Comments From The Coach:
On last week: "Last Saturday, we played an uncharacteristic hockey game for us. I don't know if our club was looking to produce more offensively, or we just pressed when we got down a goal, but we had more breakdowns on the defensive side than normal. I really couldn't fault Matt Barnes for any of the goals they scored.
"But I thought we bounced right back and played a textbook hockey game on Sunday, and kind of put the train back on the tracks.
On this week: "Last night's game in San Angelo was one of the hardest we've had to play this year. They were shorthanded, and there weren't that many fans there, so it was kind of a dead atmosphere. Then smoke started billowing out of the vents into our dressing room, and we had to spend intermissions in the hallway. It made it difficult to relay messages back and forth between periods to tell the guys what I wanted them to do.
"We came out of the gates really quick, and their goalie stood on his head to make saves. If we'd scored two or three goals in the first, it would've been much easier, but that gave San Angelo life. But I told our guys between periods that these are the hard games to win, but the games you have to fight through.
"Corpus Christi has played us tough this year. We've had to earn everything we've gotten. We need to have a good game against them. We're not so much thinking revenge, as we are just getting the four points out of the weekend. We want to make some headway in the division this weekend, and again next week with back-to-back games in Laredo.
Cave, Sweet Cave: After winning the WPHL attendance title four times in five seasons, the Bats placed second in the CHL last season, averaging nearly 5,000 fans per home game. Saturday night, free souvenir stadium cups go to 3,000 fans, courtesy of the Texas Dodge Dealers.
For the first time in franchise history, the Ice Bats will play all 32 home games on weekend datesâFriday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. For this season, improvements at the Travis County Expo Center include all-new glass surrounding the rink, safety netting in end zones and corners, and climate control for the first time ever. In addition, the team has unveiled its "Kids Zone," an all-new interactive fun center for kids.
Season tickets and corporate partnerships for the 2002-03 Ice Bats season are on sale at the Ice Bats office. Season tickets are available in full season, 16-game and 10-game plans. Free Belfry Club membership is included with all full season packages, and free parking with all full season and 16-game plans.
Individual game tickets are also available through the Ice Bats office or through all Star Ticket outlets, including all Austin-area Albertson's locations. Ticket prices remain the same as last season, and range from $11 to $21, depending on section, with discounted rates for groups of 15 people or more. To charge by phone, fans may call the Ice Bats office at 927-PUCK, or Star Tickets at 469-SHOW. On-line ordering is available through www.startickets.com.
Cool Cash: Ice Bats fans can get their hands on a grand, with State Farm Bank's "Shot of a Lifetime" promotion. Fans who stop by their participating Austin-area State Farm agent can register to be on the ice at an Ice Bats game, with a chance to skate away with $1000 or other Ice Bats prizes. The contest takes place once a month, with the next on December 6th at the Expo Center. And by the way, the Ice Bats congratulate Julie Myers of Austin, who won $1000 in the first running of the contest on November 15th.
Taco Bell Sidekick: Youngsters are invited to stop in at their nearest Austin-area Taco Bell location and register to be the "Taco Bell Sidekick" at the next home game. Winners will have access to the ice to help the Bats set up for the game, and will receive PA name recognition, four reserved tickets, an official T-shirt, and a team autographed hockey stick. The contest is open to all kids ages 7-15.
In the Air: All Ice Bats road games will be broadcast on News Talk 1260, KWNX-AM, presented by State Farm Bank. The Texas Dodge Dealers Warm-up Show begins 20 minutes prior to opening face-off. The broadcasts are also available on the worldwide web, through the Ice Bats website. Ice Bats Director of Broadcasting, Media/PR Glen Norman is in his fifth busy season providing all the play-by-play action.
Bats in Cyberspace: Bats fans can learn the latest about their team by logging on to www.icebats.com. The official website of the Bats was designed and built by Syndetic Design.
Home or away, Bats fans will be able to follow the action with real-time scoring on the website, courtesy of Pointstreak.com. Fans will be able to access a game box score in real-time, as well as those of all other CHL games being played.
Central Hockey League Stories from November 20, 2002
- Bats 12-0-1 Into Corpus Series - Austin Ice Bats
- Buzzards Ready to Dethrone Cotton Kings - El Paso Buzzards
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
