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Division Games Loom for Shorthanded Bats

November 4, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League have begun defense of their Governors' Cup title, opening the 2003-04 CHL season with a 3-3 record. This week, the Bats try to snap a three-game losing skid with a game Thursday at Corpus Christi, before returning for home games against Rio Grande Valley and Amarillo.

Winning their first ten games last season, the best opening streak in League history, the 2002-03 Ice Bats went on to record a franchise-best 46-14-4 record. In the process, the Bats clinched their second straight Southeast Division title, and the Governors' Cup for the league's top overall regular season record.

Defeating New Mexico and Laredo in the 2003 President's Cup Playoffs, the Bats earned their second straight Southern Conference crown and a berth in the Cup Finals. There, however, for the second straight year, the Ice Bats fell one step short of the CHL's ultimate prize, falling to the Memphis RiverKings in five games.

A look back: The Bats dropped a pair of games last week to fall back to the .500 mark. If one period constituted a hockey game though, the Bats would have been in good shape last Thursday against San Angelo. But they failed to sustain their effort and lost to the Saints at home, 4-2.

The Bats opened up a 2-0 first period lead, with Gerald Tallaire centering for Brett Seguin's flip upstairs just 1:29 into the game. Pat Brownlee added the second score midway through the period.

San Angelo's Trevor Weisgerber cashed in on a long rebound 3:21 into the second period, but just 22 seconds after that, the Bats appeared to retake command, only to have a would-be goal waved off on Joey Bastien's interference minor. The Bats never recovered from the bad break.

The Saints scored twice more in the second on the Bats' inability to clear or cover rebounds, and set the final score with a Chris Minard goal early in the third. Minard, Weisgerber and Ryan Finnerty each scored a goal and two assists in the Saints' comeback effort.

A look back, continued: On Halloween, the Bats made a return trip to Laredo, trying to avenge a 5-1 loss from the previous weekend. This time, the Bats were blanked, 3-0 in a game that ended in nasty fashion.

The Bucks scored single goals in each period. Patrick Nilson scored on the power play 3:19 into the contest, followed by a Jason Spence goal in the second and a Chris Grenville score off an Austin turnover in the third. The Bats mustered just 21 shots on net, just four in the final period.

In the final minute of regulation, a combination of Ice Bats frustration and bad blood from the previous game bubbled over. With just 13 seconds left, separate altercations degenerated into a line brawl between the teams. Eight players were penalized a total of 174 minutes, including ten game misconduct penalties. For the game, the teams combined for 234 minutes in penalties.

Mark Your Calendars: The Ice Bats continue their rivalry with Laredo in consecutive games next week, with the Bucks making their first appearance at the Bat Cave this season next Friday and Saturday, the 14th and 15th.

Miscellany: After Friday's game, Laredo and Austin are the top two teams in the league in average penalty minutes. Laredo averages 43.7 minutes per game, while the Bats now average 41.7 minutes.

The Bats continue to excel on the penalty kill, ranking 4th in the league at 90%. But their power play continues to lag, ranking last with just one goal on 31 power play attempts (3.2%).

Roster Flights:

Departures: Bats forwards Mike Olynyk and Shawn Legault have both been suspended by the CHL for their actions in last Friday's game. Olynyk will miss games this Thursday and Friday while on a two-game suspension. Legault will sit out four games total. The Bats may dress only 16 players for their next two games, 17 for the two games after that.

Wounded Wings: Bats goalie Peter Brady was injured in the game October 25th against Oklahoma City, and will not play this week.

Potential Bite Victims: Corpus Christi is 4-2-1, and has won three straight since thrashed at the hands of Laredo a couple of weeks ago. The Rayz are in second, three points behind the Bucks. Offense hasn't been a problem for Corpus, averaging 3.43 goals per game, third in the league. Ed McGrane and Brad Wingfield are tied for sixth in league scoring, with ten points each. A busy boy, Wingfield is also among the league leaders in penalty minutes, with 53. But the Rayz rank 16th of 17 teams on defense, allowing just over 3.7 goals per contest. With some help, goaltender Brent Belecki (3-1-1, 3.06 GAA) should find his form. Corpus Christi, 31-30-3 last year behind the Bats and Bucks, will try to overtake at least one of those teams in an effort to return to the playoffs.

Expansion Rio Grande Valley is off to a 3-1-2 start, third in the competitive Southeast Division race. The Killer Bees have been killer in a couple of areas, ranking second on the power play (24.3%) and 3rd on defense (allowing about 2-1/3 goals per game). Center Matic Kralj, obtained in a trade with Lubbock, leads the Bees with 3 goals and 3 assists. Former El Paso Buzzards Troy Linna and Mike Rees (Rees also a former Ice Bat) have contributed four points each. Winger Ryan Shmyr (30 penalty minutes) will play the tough-guy role in a division full of them. Goalie Jeff Levy is 3-1-1, with a fine 1.78 GAA.

Amarillo was 39-23-2 last year, earning the first playoff berth in franchise history. But after moving from the Northern Conference to the South, the Gorillas have found the sledding tough. Amarillo is just 1-4. They've scored just 9 goals in five games, and rank last in penalty killing (71.4%). Winger Derrell Upton leads the team with just 4 points in five games. Goaltender Shawn DeGagne is 1-3, with a 3.11 GAA. The Gorillas try to work out of the funk at Tulsa Tuesday. Then they'll host Lubbock Friday, before coming to Austin Saturday.

At 35-22-7, Odessa won its third straight division title last year. But like Amarillo, they've struggled-- and they've struggled to score. The Jackalopes are 2-5-1, third in the Southwest, and they've scored just 13 goals in eight games. Four players lead the effort with 5 points each so far. Under Coach Don McKee, the Jacks are known for their outstanding defense and penalty killing. And if goalie Jeff Blair (2-3, 2.45 GAA) can get some offensive help, his numbers have been good enough to get the job done. Odessa gets some home cooking this weekend, hosting San Angelo and Tulsa before a "Kids Day" game against the Bats Tuesday.

The Series: The Bats are 40-16-2 lifetime against Corpus Christi, and were 7-3-1 against the Rayz last season. That includes a 4-1-1 mark in Corpus last year.

Friday's game marks the first meeting for the Bats against Rio Grande Valley.

Austin is 15-6-2 lifetime against Amarillo, but won just one of the three meetings last season.

The Bats are 11-1-3 lifetime against Odessa, with a 2-0-1 mark against the Jackalopes last year.

The "New" Guy: Jeff Greenlaw enters his first year as the Ice Bats' Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. Serving as a player and Assistant Coach for the past five seasons, Greenlaw played an integral role in building a team that reached the CHL President's Cup Finals in each of the last two seasons, and won the Governors' Cup with the best regular season record in 2002-03.

A former first round draft pick and NHL player, Greenlaw enters the coaching ranks after a 17-year pro career. Greenlaw played with the Canadian National Team in 1985, and was a first round draft selection of the Washington Capitals in 1986. After seven years in the Capitals organization, he signed as a free agent with Florida in 1993—in total, appearing in 57 NHL games over five seasons with the Capitals and Panthers. Greenlaw then spent five seasons with Cincinnati in the International League before coming to Austin in 1998.

After finishing his career with five years in Austin, Greenlaw ranks among the Ice Bats' career leaders in several categories—fourth in games played, sixth in goals and points scored, and third in all-time penalty minutes. The 35-year-old Toronto-area native lives in Austin full-time with his wife Tiffany, and daughter Lindsey.

Comments from the Coach:

On last week: "That first period against San Angelo was the best period we've played as a team. Everything was flowing and everything was right. They scored, and we thought we had come right back to score, only to get a tough break on the penalty. It would have been 3-1, and the momentum would have been right back with us. Instead, we got a couple bad breaks and then couldn't catch up. Then against Laredo, we played a decent game, a hard-fought game. Haun played solid enough in net. We just didn't score, and we need some guys to step up offensively.

On this week: "We've got to get off our heels and start playing with confidence again. Everything was rolling along when Peter Brady got hurt. Since then, we've struggled, and it comes down to confidence.

One player shouldn't make that much difference. We're just making uncharacteristic mistakes that cost us goals and chances to score goals. We've got to eliminate those mistakes and play with confidence.

Cave, Sweet Cave: The Bats play two games at home this weekend, Friday and Saturday night. Saturday is Boy Scout Night, with free mini-hockey sticks to go to 3,000 fans, courtesy of Texas Orthopedics. The Austin High School band will also play, as part of the Austin Community College "High School Marching Band Series." And after the game, fans can meet their favorite Ice Bats players at a post-game party at Lavaca Street Bar, 405 Lavaca, downtown.

Tickets to all Ice Bats home games are now available at all Texas Box Office locations, including the Ice Bats ticket office and all Austin-area HEB stores. On-line ordering is available through www.TexasBoxOffice.com. To charge by phone, fans may call Texas Box Office at (512) 477-6060, or the Ice Bats ticket office at (512) 927-PUCK.

Individual game tickets range in price from $10 to $30, depending on section, with discounted rates for groups of 15 or more. In addition to group tickets, season tickets remain on sale at the Ice Bats office, in full-, half-season, or 10-game plans. Free Belfry Club membership is still included for all new full season packages, as well as free parking for all full-season and half-season plans.

For more information, fans may call the Ice Bats ticket office at (512) 927-PUCK, or log onto the team's website at www.icebats.com.

Stars Road Trips: Fans are invited to join Ice Bats players and coaches on bus trips to see the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The cost of $100 per person includes Stars game ticket, bus transportation and food and beverages while en route. Trips will depart from Chaparral Ice Center, 14200 North IH-35 near Wells Branch. Fans may choose from two games: Sunday, November 30th against the Los Angeles Kings (bus departs at 1pm, game time is 6pm), or Sunday, March 7th against the San Jose Sharks (bus departs at 10am, game time is 3pm). Fans may call 927-PUCK to reserve a spot or for more details.

In the Air: For the second straight season, all Ice Bats away games will be broadcast on News Talk 1260, KWNX-AM. The station will broadcast all road games during the 2003-04 regular season and CHL Playoffs. All road games will also be available live on-line, through www.SportsJuice.com. The Texas Dodge Dealers Warm-up Show begins 20 minutes prior to game time. Ice Bats Director of Broadcasting, Media/PR Glen Norman will handle play-by-play duties for a sixth straight season.

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 newly re-designed by BeyondBeyond Design and constructed by webmaster Nathan Jones. 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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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.

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