Coach Gatto, Defensive Leaders Return For Ice Bats 10th Anniversary Season

Published on May 20, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League today announced that Greg Gatto (GAT-oh) will return as Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the team's 10th-Anniversary 2005-06 season. The team has also re-signed goaltender Matt Barnes and defenseman Ryan Leasa.

Gatto began last season as the team's Assistant Director of Hockey Operations before taking the reins as bench boss on November 9th. The Ice Bats finished the 2004-05 season with a 28-27-5 record, remaining in playoff contention until the final week of the regular season.

The 34-year-old Gatto, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, played six seasons of professional hockey, including three seasons in the CHL. He appeared for two seasons as a Player-Assistant Coach with the San Antonio Iguanas from 2000 to 2002, and was with Odessa for one season prior to his retirement as a player in 2003. Gatto also served one season as full-time Assistant Coach in Odessa.

"I believe Greg proved himself well in his first season as a head coach last year," said Ice Bats President Jeff Buch. "His leadership and motivational skills are excellent, and his work ethic is second to none. We are confident that he will be able to assemble a team that values hard work and defensive effort, attributes that are paramount for a successful hockey team."

"I feel like I got a chance to establish myself last year and learned a lot," Gatto said. "I'm looking forward to putting my own stamp on things. Consistency is a word we used a lot last year. I want to put together a team that will consistently work hard on every shift and shoot the puck more. I'd like to have more team speed. It took us awhile to get it last year, but once we did, we were a better hockey club. And I want team-oriented character guys that will throw themselves into the community and get involved. I think that's important."

"We have a lot going for our organization," Gatto said. "Austin is a great city and we have outstanding fans. That will help attract quality players to our team."

Two of those quality players have already re-signed to lead the team's defense. Barnes, a two-time Most Outstanding Goaltender award winner, returns for his sixth pro season, his third in Austin. The 30-year old Barnes, a native of Brantford, Ontario, was twice named Oakley CHL Goalie of the Week last season while posting a 22-17-3 record with a 3.23 goals-against average and four shutouts.

In 2002-03, Barnes was named the league's Most Outstanding Goaltender after compiling a 33-10-4 record and league-leading 1.96 GAA and .934 save percentage. Barnes tied a league record with eight shutouts that season. He then took a season off to complete a degree in Secondary Education at Western Michigan University, before returning to the Ice Bats last year.

Barnes, who also received Most Outstanding Goaltender honors in his rookie season with the Belton-based Central Texas Stampede of the WPHL, is a two-time WPHL and CHL All-Star as well.

"Great hockey teams are built from the goaltender out, and that made it imperative to have Matt back," Gatto said. "Barnesy kept us in a lot of games last year. We're going to give him a lot more help this year, and I think having played a full season after taking a year off, he'll be back to ‘Goaltender of the Year' status."

"There's no place I feel at home more than Austin," Barnes said. "I'd like to finish my career here, if possible. And I want us to have a winning season. It's not good enough just to try to qualify for the playoffs. I want to be on a team that's a championship contender from day one, and that's what we're trying to build here."

"Even though we weren't a great defensive team last year, I didn't play as well as I'd have liked to either," Barnes said. "Now I have the entire summer to get mentally prepared, so that I can play to the level of my own expectations."

"Obviously, no one player can carry a team by himself," Gatto said. "Barnesy comes as close as anyone. But I think you'll see numbers that are more indicative of the kind of goaltender he is, once we're done revamping our defense around him."

The 25-year old Leasa should be a big piece of that puzzle. A steady second-year defenseman, he scored 19 points in 44 games in 2004-05, before an ankle injury suffered February 11th prematurely ended his season. The loss of Leasa was hard felt, as the Ice Bats struggled defensively in the final month. The Sarnia, Ontario native played four years of Division I hockey at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, twice winning Conference championships, before turning pro in 2003.

"You could argue that Ryan was our number-one defenseman all year," Gatto said. "His true value was felt after he got hurt. We hadn't been outright beaten all year until he went down, and after that we struggled. That's indicative of his value to our club."

"As a developmental player, Ryan is going to continue to get better and better," Gatto said. "He can fill any role, and can rush the puck when we need him to. His biggest asset is, he's such an effortless skater. If he gets caught rushing the puck, he's outracing guys on the way back."

"Both Ryan and Matt are quality individuals too," Gatto said. "That's what we're looking for more than ever-- quality guys who can be great leaders."

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The Ice Bats will begin their 10th-Anniversary 2005-06 season in October at the Travis County Expo Center, before relocating to a new facility in Cedar Park in the Fall of 2006. Season tickets and corporate partnerships are currently available for the upcoming season. Fans may call the Ice Bats ticket office at (512) 927-PUCK, or log onto the team's website at www.icebats.com for more information.

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