Bats Near Division Title

Published on February 26, 2003 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 41-10-3 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, and again won ten in a row coming out of the Christmas break. The Bats not only have the CHL's top record, but boast the best winning percentage in all of professional hockey, the NHL included.

Having already clinched a berth in the 2003 President's Cup Playoffs, the Bats now turn their attention to trying to win their division, the Governors' Cup, and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. With an 11-point lead over Laredo, the Bats need ten points to clinch their second straight division title. This week, the Bats travel to Oklahoma City, before returning for weekend games against Lubbock and Corpus Christi.

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: The Bats started last week strongly, winning a pair of divisional games before fizzling in consecutive losses. Last Wednesday, the Bats battled for a 2-1 win at Corpus Christi. The Rayz scored their only goal just three minutes into the game. After Corpus Christi's Cosmo Dupaul hit the crossbar on a power play chance, the Rayz' John Sicinski made good for a man-advantage goal at 3:08. But four minutes later, the Bats countered on a wicked slapper from Gerald Tallaire, blasted into the upper right corner of the net. The Bats failed to cash in on several chances after that, including a 5-on-3 power play midway through the first, and a 2-on-0 rush early in the second period. Kelly Smart's goal midway through the third period finally gave the Bats the lead. From there, both goalies were terrific, but Austin's Peter Brady held the fort as Corpus pulled Brent Belecki for an two-skater advantage in the final minute. Brady stopped 25 of 26 shots faced, Belecki 42 of 44 in the loss.

Last Friday night, the Bats had a chance to put a serious dent in Laredo's division title hopes, as the teams met at the Bat Cave. The Bats and goalie Matt Barnes handed the Bucks their first shutout loss, 2-0.

The teams combined for just ten shots in a less-than-artistic first period, but the pace picked up in the second. Matt Sharuga slammed in a centering pass 5 ½ minutes into the period to give the Bats a 1-0 lead. Among a group of Bats providing traffic in front of Laredo goalie Marc-Andre Leclerc, Austin's Gerald Tallaire scored with 7:20 left in the third to make it 2-zip.

Barnes merrily went about his business, stopping all 23 Laredo shots faced. With his 8th shutout of the year, Barnes tied the league record, set by Grant Sjerven of Odessa in the 2000-01 season, and equaled by Tulsa's Rod Branch this season.

In a game that set up as a matchup of two of the league's top goalies, the Bats and Tulsa met Saturday night in Austin. But the Oilers exploded for five second-period goals en route to an 8-5 win.

Tulsa gained the first advantage six minutes in, when Jorin Welsh took a pass at the blue line, split the Austin defense, and went top shelf for a breakaway goal. But the Bats retaliated with two pretty scores. Jeff Greenlaw tipped the puck straight down for a power play goal, and at full stride, Gerald Tallaire deflected the puck straight upstairs under the crossbar. The Bats nearly took a 3-1 lead, but a power play goal with 22 seconds left in the first was waved off on a goaltender interference call on Dan Price.

Still, the Bats appeared to be on their way, when Pat Brownlee scored an odd-man rush goal just 42 seconds into the second period. But Tulsa ignited for four unanswered goals on Matt Barnes in less than six minutes. Brownlee shut off the string with a rebound goal with five minutes left, but Todd Marcellus scored Tulsa's fifth goal of the period on the power play with 1:31 left.

The Bats closed the gap to one on Price's goal early in the third. But it was the last goal scored on Tulsa's Rod Branch, and the Oilers added a couple of empty-netters in the final minutes. Marcellus scored a hat trick and two assists, while Welsh and Justin Ossachuk each had two goals and a helper. Brownlee had two goals and two assists in a losing cause.

Tulsa's offensive explosion was a disappointment for Barnes on "Matt Barnes Mini-Bobblehead Doll Night," as well as for most of the 5,843 fans, the 3rd largest home crowd of the season.

Sunday, a tired Austin team had little to offer, as the Bats dropped their second straight home game, 4-1 to Corpus Christi. The Rayz scored the only goal of the first period, with Kenny Goetz crashing the net to poke home a loose rebound four minutes in.

The Rayz padded the lead on back-to-back goals by defenseman Mike Tilson in the second, a wrist shot from the right wing, and a power play blast from the point that caromed in off the left post. Dan Price scored the Bats' only goal midway through the second, rebounding the puck off the end boards and tipping it through the crease. But that was it for Austin scoring, and Corpus Christi's Ken Richardson set the final score with a power play goal with six minutes remaining.

Tilson's two goals and one assist led scoring. Corpus goalie Brent Belecki stopped 35 of 36 shots in the win.

Player Plaudits: The Ice Bats are blessed with the CHL's top goalie tandem. Three times the CHL Goalie of the Week, and the November Goalie of the Month, Matt Barnes leads all league goalies with a sparkling 1.87 goals-against average, and .938 save percentage. At 29-8-3, he also leads the league in wins and with eight shutouts.

Meanwhile, counterpart Peter Brady continues to climb the ladder, now 4th among league goalies, at 12-2, with a 2.20 GAA and .929 save percentage (2nd behind Barnes).

Center Kelly Smart ranks in the top dozen league scorers, with 27 goals and 34 assists. Dan Price (25 goals, 32 assists) and Gerald Tallaire (21 goals, 34 assists) are also in the CHL top 20. Price carries an 11-game point streak into the week, and is tied for the league lead at +32. Defenseman Darryl McArthur and forward Tab Lardner are right behind him at +31. And forward Shawn Legault leads the team with 197 minutes in penalties, but also has 24 points in 31 games.

Roster Flights: Departures: Bats winger Shawn Legault was called up last Tuesday by the Houston Aeros of the American League. Legault, earning a AAA call-up for the third straight season, will be in Houston for an indefinite period.

Arrivals: With Shawn Legault on call-up, forward Keith O'Brien was signed last Saturday. O'Brien has appeared in a fill-in capacity with the Bats in each of the last five seasons.

Potential Bite Victims: The Bats continue a tough February schedule against teams battling for playoff spots. Oklahoma City has moved into a first place tie with Tulsa, two points ahead of Amarillo in the wild Northwest Division. At 32-18-3, the Blazers feature the CHL's 3rd rated offense (3.60 goals per game), and 5th rated power play. In his final pro season, Joe Burton (36 goals, 36 assists) is having a renaissance year, ranking 6th among CHL scorers. Former San Antonio Iguana Blair Manning is right behind him, with 22 goals and 48 assists. And first in the league in assists, Hardy Sauter is in a familiar place, leading league defensemen with 59 points. The Blazers will entrust their playoff goaltending to rookie Boyd Ballard (24-11-1, 2.72 GAA).

Oklahoma City is 19-7-1 in their new home, the Ford Center.

While winning just four of its last ten games, Lubbock remains in the playoff hunt, two points behind Corpus Christi for the last Southern Conference slot. The Cotton Kings, 23-24-6, could use a jolt of offense, and their power play ranks 15th of the 16 teams, at 12.5%.

Blaz Emersic is a top 15 scorer, with 26 goals and 34 assists. Wingers Dave MacIntyre and Paul Fioroni have 44 points each. Goalie Mike Brusseau is 20-19-5, with a 2.97 GAA. 7-16-4 as a road team, Lubbock hosts Odessa Thursday before coming to the Cave Friday.

For now, Corpus Christi holds the last Southern Conference playoff spot in a tight battle with Lubbock and New Mexico. At 26-26-2, the Rayz have lost key performers like forwards Layne Roland and Alex Kholomeyev to season ending injury. Some of that star power returned with this week's signing of three-year fan favorite Geoff Bumstead, the team's #2 career scorer. Of course, Corpus also has Cosmo Dupaul, who leads the team with 23 goals and 35 assists. Winger John Sicinski has 28 goals and 26 helpers, including 13 power play goals. Kenny Goetz' 319 penalty minutes rank 4th in the league in that category. Goalie Brent Belecki (24-22-2, 2.81 GAA) sure hasn't gotten rusty, leading the league in minutes in net. The Rayz, 9-18 on the road, host Bossier-Shreveport Friday before coming to Austin.

Next Tuesday's opponent, Laredo is close to clinching a playoff spot, at 33-14-6 going into their game this Tuesday at Odessa. The CHL's top offense, Laredo averages 4.06 goals per game. But they take on a different look without Eric Schneider, the prolific winger currently on call-up with San Antonio (AHL). Schneider ranks 2nd in the CHL in goals and overall scoring, with 38 goals and 43 assists. At +32, he's also tied with Dan Price for the top spot in the league. Teammate Chris Grenville ranks 4th with 35 goals, 43 assists, and a league-leading 14 power play goals. Michel Periard has 52 points, 3rd among defensemen.

Goaltending is split between veteran Lance Leslie (25-11-3, 2.76 GAA) and newcomer Marc-Andre Leclerc (8-3-3, 2.68 GAA). 22-4-2 at home, Laredo has a busy week. After their game at Odessa, they'll host El Paso, travel to Fort Worth, and return to face Bossier-Shreveport this weekend.

The Series: The Bats are a perfect 4-0 lifetime against Oklahoma City, and have not allowed the Blazers to score in two meetings this year. The Bats won 1-0 in the season opener October 18th at Oklahoma City, and 2-0 November 9th in Austin.

The Bats are back to .500, at 5-5-2 lifetime against Lubbock, with all three meetings this season decided by a single goal. The Bats won 3-2 in overtime October 25th in Austin, and 4-3 in a shootout December 28th at Lubbock. The Cotton Kings won the last meeting, 5-4 February 7th in Austin.

The Bats are now 39-16-2 lifetime against Corpus Christi, and 6-3-1 this season. The Bats are 2-2 against the Rayz at the Cave this season. Last Sunday's loss to Corpus snapped the Bats' four-game winning streak in the series.

The Bats are 7-2 in their first season of play against Laredo, including a 3-2 mark at Laredo. The Bats have won the last three games in the series.

Comments From The Coach:

On last week: "I thought we played our poorest weekend of hockey last weekend. And that's mostly due to the fact that we've played a lot of games, and we already clinched a playoff spot. The other teams just wanted it more. I didn't think either team played particularly well on Friday. Saturday, we played well offensively, but our defense was bad.

We're not going to win a lot of games giving up four or five goals. And Sunday, it looked like we were playing our tenth game in a row—there was no jump or intensity. But we're still working for first overall, and I want to build momentum into the playoffs. So I'm not happy with our effort. And I told our guys this week that we need to play defense first.

On this week: "I'm looking forward to our final ten games. Nine of the ten teams we play are playoff teams or battling for spots. We need to rebound Thursday at Oklahoma City with a big effort. They haven't scored on us this year, and I want to keep it that way.

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. This season, the Bats again rank among the league attendance leaders, with 21 of their 32 home games after January 1st.

Friday is "Turn Back the Clock Night," as the Bats celebrate the heroes of old-time hockey. Souvenir pucks go to 3,000 fans, courtesy of Dollar Rentacar. The Bats will wear special "old-time" jerseys, to be sold during the game on March 8th. And there's concession specials, trivia contests, and old-time hockey memorabilia for auction.

Saturday is "Mardi Gras Night," sponsored by Carlos N Charlies. Fans can avoid the craziness of Sixth Street by celebrating at the Cave. The Bats will wear Mardi Gras jerseys, to be auctioned Sunday evening at the team's exclusive season ticket holder party. Fans can compete for beads, and $100 goes to the winner of the Mardi Gras costume contest.

For the first time in franchise history, the Ice Bats play all 32 home games on weekend dates—Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. For this season, improvements at the Travis County Expo Center include all-new glass surrounding the rink, 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. Individual game tickets are 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.

Fang's Gang: Youngsters now have a chance to sign up for "Fang's Gang" at their nearest Austin-area Wendy's location. Club members receive an ID tag and membership perks, like tours of the locker room, watching practice sessions, free tickets and merchandise discounts. Each month, "Fang's Gang" members will also be selected to go to lunch at Wendy's with their favorite Ice Bats players. The program is free to join.

Service with a (Dentally Reconstructed) Smile: Instead of serving up passes, Ice Bats players will be serving up pasta on Celebrity Waiter Night, at Buca di Beppo. The event will take place Wednesday, March 5th from 6-8pm, with all proceeds from tips to benefit Ice Bats Children's Charities. Buca di Beppo is located at 3612 Tudor Blvd. (Mopac just North of Hwy. 183, next to Dave & Buster's).

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. In addition, Thursday's game at Oklahoma City will be offered in a live video webcast, via www.chltv.com.

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 can 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.

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Central Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2003


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