Goal-Parched Bats Search for Offense
December 11, 2002 - 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 15-4-1 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, but are just 5-4-1 since, and have lost three straight coming into this week.
After consecutive losses to Amarillo last week, the Bats' Division lead over Laredo has shrunk to four points. And the travel doesn't get any easier. With just two remaining home games in December, the Bats play nine of their next 11 games on the road. This week, the Bats travel West to New Mexico and El Paso, before returning home for a Sunday afternoon game against Memphisâa rematch of last year's President's Cup Finals.
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 have managed just a single goal in each of their last three games, dropping both ends of a home-and-home series with Amarillo last week. Last Friday, all the scoring took place in the opening period, as the Gorillas edged the Bats 2-1 at the Cave. Austin's Brett Seguin opened scoring just 1:31 into the contest to give the Bats early momentum. But Amarillo's Ben Gustavson tied the game on a tip-in with three minutes left in the period, and Henry Kuster scored a 5-on-3 power play goal with just 54 seconds left in the first.
The Gorillas nearly took a two-goal lead on a second period power play, hitting the post at the buzzer. The Bats spent much of the final two periods killing penalties, until the final seconds. Goaltender Matt Barnes was pulled, and the Bats got another extra skater on an illegal stick penalty against Amarillo's David Rattray with eight seconds left.
But they couldn't tie the game. Gorilla netminder Shawn Degagne stopped 28 of 29 shots to outduel Barnes, who stopped 30 of 32.
A look back, continued: Saturday morning, the teams arrived within minutes of each other in Amarillo. And in another close affair that evening, the Gorillas nipped the Bats 3-1.
After a scoreless first, the Bats drew first blood for the second straight night. Jeff Greenlaw scored shorthanded on a second rebound 1:16 into the second period. But Greenlaw was hurt later in the period blocking a shot, and the Bats' fire started to die out.
Amarillo's Mark DeSantis banked a shot off Bats goalie Matt Barnes from a sharp angle with six minutes left in the second. And, snuffed on an attempt to jam the puck in short-side, the Gorillas' Eric Andersen took it behind the net, and walked out left wing for the winning backhander early in the third. The Gorillas added an empty net goal to sweep the weekend series, with their goalie Steve DeBus stopping 28 of 29 shots.
Hope Santa Brings Batteries: The Bats' power play continues to struggle, going 0-8 in their two games against Amarillo last week. The Bats have now failed to score on 27 power play chances over their last six games.
Wounded Wings: Bats winger Shawn Legault has missed the last nine games to injury, but is expected to return this week. Legault's return could give the Bats a full line-up for the first time since he was injured.
Player Plaudits: Twice honored as CHL Goalie of the Week, Bats goalie Matt Barnes was also this week named CHL Goalie of the Month for November. Barnes' 9-2-1 November record included three shutouts. Barnes continues to lead the league with a sparkling 1.50 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. At 13-4-1, he ranks second in wins and shutouts.
Center Kelly Smart ranks among the top 20 league scorers, with 12 goals and 12 assists. He's also second in the league with 4 game-winning goals. Winger Dan Price is second in team scoring with ten goals and ten assists. Forward Tab Lardner is third in the league at +17, while Pat Brownlee ranks third among d-men at +13. And forward Randy Ponte has taken over the team lead with 62 minutes in penalties.
Potential Bite Victims: At 11-10-1, New Mexico is in third place in the Southwest, but just three points out of second. With help from their 3rd ranked power play (19.5%), the Scorpions are an explosive offensive team. October Player of the Month Chris Richards ranks 5th in the league with 14 goals and 18 assists, including 7 power play goals.
"Peters" Brearley and Ambroziak have 23 points each, and winger Tyler Baines has 20. When veteran defensemen Arturs Kupaks (18 points) and Mario Dumoulin (16 points) get into the act, the Scorps truly have sting. Back in a New Mexico sweater after a two-year hiatus, goalie Luciano Caravaggio is 9-5, with a 2.71 GAA. The Scorpions are 6-5 at home.
With a 6-14-1 record, struggling El Paso is last in the Southwest, and the Buzzards rank 13th on both offense and defense. Center Jeff Scharf leads the team with 21 points, while wingers Derrell Upton and Russ Guzior have 17 each. The crowds in El Paso love their tough guysâand Josh Tymchak obliges, ranking 4th in the league with 132 penalty minutes. With goalie Matt Carmichael (5-11-1, 3.21 GAA) leading the league in losses, Coach Pat Dunn has found another answer: former Mighty Duck farmhand Blaine Russell is 1-1 in two starts, after shutting out New Mexico last week. 4-8 at home, El Paso hosts Amarillo Thursday, jumps over to Odessa Friday, then comes back to welcome the Bats.
Defending President's Cup champion Memphis may not be quite as dominant as last year, but they're getting there. Now 16-7-1, the RiverKings have won five straight games, and lead the Northeast Division by eight points. With their active affiliation in the Toronto organization, Memphis returns between 12 and 14 players off last year's squad, depending on who's been assigned. And they again rank in the CHL's top six on offense, defense and both specialty teams categories. Last year's regular season and playoff MVP, Don Parsons is off to another fine start, leading the league with 19 goals, along with 16 assists.
Holdovers Jay Neal and Kahlil Thomas have 23 points each, and defenseman Derek Landmesser (20 points) leads the league at +19. Memphis goalie Sebastien Centomo made it all the way to the NHL as a rookie last year, and it appears the RiverKings have found another good one in young Jean-Francois Racine (8-2-1, 2.15 GAA). Veteran Mark Richards (8-5, 2.69 GAA) also returns. 8-6 as a road team, Memphis sets out on a 10-day, 6-game swing through Oklahoma and Texas, with games at Oklahoma City, Lubbock and Austin this week.
The Series: The Bats are 7-12-4 lifetime against New Mexico, but did win the only game between the teams last year, 5-4 in overtime on January 12th in Austin.
17-5-2 lifetime against El Paso, the Bats split a pair of regular season home games against the Buzzards last year, then came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat them in six games in the Southern Conference Finals.
The Bats won two of three regular season games in their first year of play against Memphis, before the RiverKings defeated the Bats in five games in the President's Cup Finals.
Comments From The Coach:
On last week: "We're obviously finding it hard to put the puck in the back of the net. As a group, everything came easy for us our first ten games or so. This is a situation we haven't found ourselves in before. It's just a matter of time before we start scoring some goals. We have the personnel to do it. We just haven't found the back of the net, and our power play has hurt us. I think our struggles there have started to carry over into our five-on-five play.
On this week: "We have some tough travel this week, sure, but I think we just have to have the right mindset approaching the week. New Mexico and El Paso are teams we can't take lightly, but we should go in believing we have a good chance to win those hockey games. I guess the marquee matchup of the weekend is the game Sunday against Memphis. We can't let it get to us mentallyâwe have to get beyond being tired, get through the game, and rest up for the next week. Other teams like Indianapolis have travel like this every week, so I guess we'll know how they feel after the weekend.
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 Sunday, free yo-yo's go to 3,000 fans, and it's Time Warner Cable Family Day. Fans may purchase a package of four tickets, Pepsis, hotdogs and a game program for just $48. There will also be a post-game skate with Ice Bats players. In addition, a post-game party will take place at Lavaca Street Bar, 405 Lavaca, downtown.
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.
Hit the Road, Jack: Fans are invited to stop in at Henna Chevrolet, North I-35, and register to "Hit the Road" with the Ice Bats. One Grand Prize winner will receive two seats on the Bats' player bus to Fort Worth on Sunday, January 12th, and two tickets to that day's game, in addition to a team-autographed jersey, an autographed hockey stick of their favorite player, and a game program. Runners-up can win an autographed stick or tickets to future home games.
Just For Kids: Youngsters are invited to join the Ice Bats for Pizza Hut Kids Day, Sunday, January 19th from 3-6pm. Participants will be able to watch an Ice Bats practice, skate with the players, get free Pizza Hut pizza and Pepsi, and tour the Bat Cave. Registration is open to kids ages 5-15, but is limited to just 250 participants. Registration forms are available at Austin-area Pizza Hut locations, and must be signed by parent or guardian to participate.
The VIP Treatment: For aspiring Donald Trumps, Diamond Shamrock is giving away a "VIP Night with the Bats." On Saturday, January 25th, contest winners will be treated to dinner at a local restaurant, a limo ride to the Bat Cave, four glass seats for that night's game against San Angelo, an autographed jersey and a chance to drop the ceremonial first puck. Fans may register at any participating Austin-area Diamond Shamrock location.
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. Just in time for the holiday season, the complete selection of Ice Bats merchandise is available for ordering on-line, or via mail, fax or e-mail.
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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