Experienced Coach in a New Arena: McDonald Returns, Finalizes Trade Deals
Published on May 19, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release
The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League today officially announced the return of Bill McDonald as the team's Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. Under McDonald, the Ice Bats finished 34-27-3 in their 10th-Anniversary 2005-06 season, including a 24-10-1 record over the season's second half.
The 53-year-old McDonald will enter his 16th season as a professional head coach, with four championships to his credit. McDonald, named Coach of the Year in three different leagues, narrowly missed receiving a fourth such honor this past season, finishing second in the balloting among CHL coaches.
"Macker did a terrific job in his first season with the Ice Bats," said team President Jeff Buch. "After coming in late in the off-season, he made some key moves to improve our team, got them to buy into his system, and had them in the playoff chase until the very last day. We look forward to having him assemble a quality team built to win at our new home, the Chaparral Ice Arena."
McDonald said the team's move to the Chaparral Ice Arena will give the Ice Bats a definite home ice advantage.
"It'll be fun to coach and to play there, to be honest with you," McDonald said. "It's going to be loud and an intimidating place for opponents to come into. We're going to build a young, physical, aggressive team to take advantage of our new arena. We had the makings of a good hockey team last year, and we'd like to keep a number of players from that group. With a couple of additions, we think we'll be able to compete with anybody."
The Ice Bats also today announced completion of two trades left pending at the conclusion of the season. The Ice Bats received from Oklahoma City second-year forward Tim Earl as compensation still due in the deal that sent forward Jared Dumba to the Blazers last August. Earl scored 12 goals and 18 assists in 59 games in his rookie season with the Blazers last year, after also appearing with Wichita in the 2005 CHL Playoffs. Earl began his pro career after four seasons at SUNY-Cortland, leading that school with 17 goals and 17 assists in 27 games during his senior season.
In addition, the Ice Bats traded the rights to defenseman Jonathan Jolette to Wichita, as compensation for forward Aaron Davis. Davis, obtained from the Thunder last September, finished second in Ice Bats scoring with 17 goals and a team-leading 38 assists last season.
The Ice Bats will begin their 11th season in October in a new home-the Chaparral Ice Arena, located on I-35 between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway. Season tickets and corporate partnerships for the 2006-07 season are currently available, with full-season and half-season ticket plans on sale now. 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.
Central Hockey League Stories from May 19, 2006
- Martino to guide Killer Bees - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- Experienced Coach in a New Arena: McDonald Returns, Finalizes Trade Deals - Austin Ice Bats
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.
