Ice Bats 7-2-1 Since All-Star Break

February 1, 2005 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 21-16-3 on the 2004-05 CHL season, in second place in the league's Southeast Division. The Ice Bats trail first-place Corpus Christi by just two points, while opening up a seven-point lead over third-place Laredo in the division standings.

The Ice Bats have won seven out of ten games since the All-Star break, heading into a revised schedule for this week. The Ice Bats will travel to face Bossier-Shreveport on Thursday, before coming home for consecutive games against Memphis and Rio Grande Valley. Saturday's game against the Killer Bees had been previously scheduled for next Tuesday morning, but was moved up when the Saturday date became available.

A look back: The Ice Bats were 2-1-1 in four games last week to remain in the thick of the division chase. Defensive lapses and an ineffective power play cost the Ice Bats in a 6-5 Wednesday matinee loss in Laredo.

Both teams scored three times in a wild first period marked by quick counter-punches. Laredo defenseman Dion Hyman opened scoring 6:57 into the contest, but the Ice Bats retaliated 48 seconds later. Austin defenseman Jeff Alcombrack centered to winger John McNabb, who patiently waited for Laredo goalie Jeremy Symington to commit before sliding the puck by him for the tying goal.

Bats forward Mike Olynyk crashed the net to give Austin the lead midway through the first. Laredo's Jeff Bes tied the score at 13:32, only to have Austin winger Jared Dumba score 17 seconds later. Standing in front on the power play, Laredo center Scott Kelman retied the game with 3:35 remaining in the opening period.

The Bucks took command with consecutive goals on uncontested shots in the second. Defenseman Oriel McHugh scored from the high slot at 9:15, and a wide-open Kelman bounced the puck in off the arm of Austin goalie Matt Barnes at 13:59.

Twice the Ice Bats got within a goal in the third. McNabb scored 3:32 into the period on a shot from the right wing. But the Bucks' All-Star forward Brent Cullaton blasted a terrific shot into the upper right hand corner of the net with three minutes left, and an extra-skater goal by Kris Knoblauch with 21 seconds remaining wasn't enough to close the deficit.

The Ice Bats, who had scored at least one power play goal in eight of their previous nine outings, failed to score on 13 power play chances Wednesday, including two five-on-three advantages in the third period. And they mustered only 26 shots for the game. Kelman's two goals and James Hiebert's three assists led Laredo. McNabb scored twice and Chris Richards had three assists to lead Austin scoring.

Last weekend, the Ice Bats stormed back with consecutive routs of Fort Worth and Lubbock. Friday night, the Bats dominated Fort Worth, 6-1.

The game's first stoppage came on a goal by Austin's John McNabb at 5:02. The Brahmas evened the score six minutes later on Jorin Welsh's blast from the point through traffic. The Ice Bats opened it up with three goals in the second from Dallas Anderson, Mike Mohr and McNabb. Mohr's goal on a rebound kicked out to the left circle came with three minutes left in the period, followed by McNabb's power play goal with four seconds left.

A Jeff Neufeld goal and a Jonathan Jolette power play goal in the third capped scoring. McNabb scored twice with an assist, while Jeff Alcombrack had three assists to lead Austin. Bats goalie Matt Barnes stopped 29 of 30 shots faced for the win. Austin specialty teams were back on track, scoring twice on four power play chances, while shutting out the Brahmas on six man-advantage chances.

Saturday night, the Ice Bats earned a big Southern Conference road win with a 7-3 rout in Lubbock. Picking up where they left off Friday, the Bats scored three times in the first period, jumping on the Cotton Kings for goals 55 seconds apart early in the first. Jeff Neufeld ripped a shot to the upper left corner of the net at 5:17. Then a Lubbock turnover at center led to a two-on-one rush and a give-and-go score from Kris Knoblauch to defenseman Mike Mohr. The Bats took advantage of a clumsy line change for the third goal, Jared Dumba scoring wide open from the slot at 9:01.

The Ice Bats upped their advantage 39 seconds into the second, as winger John McNabb shook off a defender, and poked the puck out for a Chris Richards score from the left wing. Lubbock got on the board on a Nolan Graham redirect at 2:19, but the Ice Bats regained a four-goal lead amid controversy at 11:55.

After coming up with a turnover at center, Richards lost the puck on a breakaway chance and collided with Lubbock goalie Lance Leslie. McNabb scooped up the loose rebound and flipped a shorthanded score over the fallen Leslie.

Two minutes later, burly Lubbock winger Paul Fioroni took a run at Austin goaltender Matt Barnes, flattening the Ice Bats' netminder and touching off a melee. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 230-pound Fioroni received minor penalties for charging and roughing, and a game misconduct penalty. Barnes appeared ready to continue, but was taken from the game as a precaution.

The Bats spent the rest of the second period in shock, and Lubbock's Anders Strome scored a power play goal against replacement goalie Peter-Emmanuel Brady with three minutes left in the period. But the Bats regrouped in the third, getting consecutive goals from Gerald Tallaire and Ryan Leasa to put it away.

Brady stopped 25 of 27 shots faced in replacing Barnes, who stopped 26 of 27 shots faced. Richards and McNabb had a goal and two helpers each.

The Ice Bats ended the week with another classic first-place showdown against Corpus Christi, falling to the Rayz in overtime, 4-3. Corpus Christi's Ryan Carter scored the only goal of the first on a five-on-three power play, but the teams woke up the Sunday Bat Cave crowd with five goals in the second period.

The Bats' Jeff Neufeld tied the score 2:04 into the period on a backhanded rebound, but the Rayz' Frank Werner countered just 23 seconds later. Midway through the period, Austin defenseman Mike Mohr dug out a rebound for his third goal in as many games. And Dallas Anderson gave the Bats the lead with a power play goal off a Neufeld centering pass at 18:10. But with just 12 seconds left in the period, Corpus Christi forward Dave Gilmore tied the game with a power play goal of his own.

The third was scoreless, so both teams earned a precious standings point from the regulation tie. Corpus Christi sniper Jason Baird won the game at 3:23 of overtime, walking in from the left wing and firing a shot between Matt Barnes' pads. Baird and Neufeld had a goal and two assists each to lead their respective teams.

Wounded Wings: Ice Bats defenseman Brian Pasko has missed the last five games to injury, and is listed as doubtful to return this week.

Iron Man: Assuming he plays all three games this week, center Kelly Smart will become the Ice Bats' career leader in games played. On Saturday, Smart would pass Ryan Anderson, who played 389 games over six seasons in an Ice Bats sweater. Smart also needs just 12 goals to overtake Dan Price as the Ice Bats' top career goal-scorer.

Player Plaudits: Ice Bats winger John McNabb ranks among the top six in league scoring, with 28 goals and 27 assists. With 5 goals and 3 assists in four games last week, McNabb was named CHL Player of the Week on Monday. Center Chris Richards is also in the top 15, with 12 goals and 37 assists. Jeff Alcombrack is among the top seven defensemen with 6 goals, 22 assists, while Kris Knoblauch is among the top 11 rookies, with 12 goals and 13 helpers. Forward Dallas Anderson ranks second in the CHL with 254 penalty minutes. And goalie Matt Barnes ranks in the top ten at 17-9-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Potential Bite Victims: Once again, Bossier-Shreveport is among the top teams in the league. The three-time champions and last year's runner-up, Bossier is 24-10-4. Like the Bats, they've won seven of their last ten to build a five-point lead in the Northeast. A lot of things about the Mudbugs sound familiar. They rank third in the league defensively, allowing just 2.66 goals per game. Per usual, Dan Wildfong leads the team in scoring and penalty time, with 22 goals, 25 assists and 178 minutes in penalties. Chris Brassard has 21 goals and 17 assists. The ‘Bugs always come up with a couple of quality rookies, like this year's Scott Sheppard (18 goals, 14 assists) and Brett Smith (31 points). And second-ranked goalie Ken Carroll (17-5-1, 2.23 GAA) is already in playoff form. Bossier-Shreveport, 13-3-2 at home, has won ten straight at the CenturyTel Center. And they close well, outscoring opponents 46-26 in the third period this year.

Memphis has begun to play a little better, coming off an 8-0 thrashing of Laredo. The RiverKings are 17-22-2 on the season, fifth in the Northeast. As long as veteran winger Don Parsons is alive, the ‘Kings will score. Parsons again leads the league in goal-scoring, ranking 4th overall with 38 goals and 24 assists. And his 15 power play goals lead a unit that ranks 5th in the league (19.1%). Top rookie scorer Phil Aucoin (18 goals, 31 assists) will battle Colorado goalie Tyler Weiman for Rookie of the Year honors. Derek Landmesser leads defensemen with 44 points, including 38 assists. And after serving a lengthy suspension to start the year, d-man Ted Crowley has 21 points in 16 games, including 6 power play goals. Scott English is third in the league with 246 penalty minutes. Goalie Jean-Francois Racine (7-6-1, 3.86 GAA) has been recalled for the third time to the American League, leaving netminding to David Lemanowicz (8-11, 3.03 GAA). 8-13-1 as a road team, Memphis visits San Angelo Tuesday.

Up and down the lineup, Rio Grande Valley just hasn't gotten the anticipated scoring. Winless in their last eight games, the Killer Bees are 11-25-3 and out of the playoff chase. Rio ranks last offensively (2.15 goals per game), on defense (3.74 average goals against) and on the penalty kill (74.2%). Bill Newson (12 goals, 21 assists) hasn't been able to equal last season's numbers. Matic Kralj has 11 goals and 13 assists, Joe Guenther 10 goals and 11 assists, and All-Star defenseman Jason Tessier 20 points. It's hard to imagine goalie Jeff Levy (10-17-1, 3.16 GAA) ranking second in the league in losses. 3-15-2 on the road, the Killer Bees have dropped nine straight away from home. And they have to visit an angry Laredo team for back-to-back games Wednesday and Friday before coming to Austin.

The Series: The Ice Bats are 13-16-8 lifetime against Bossier-Shreveport. The Ice Bats came back from a 3-1 first period deficit to edge the Mudbugs, 4-3 December 28th in Austin, the only previous meeting this year.

The Bats are 5-3 lifetime in regular season play against Memphis, after a 5-2 loss in Memphis on November 4th.

Austin is 7-8-1 in two years of play against Rio Grande Valley, 3-1 this year. The Bats have won both meetings in Austin by a combined score of 10-2.

Comments From the Coach: On Last Week: "We played good teams last week, so yes, we have to be happy with a 2-1-1 record. Fort Worth and Lubbock are two teams that have spent a lot of time in first place this year, and it was great to get two pretty convincing wins against them. It was a really big road win in Lubbock. We have to key on that especially, with all the road games coming up. Our road record needs to continue to improve."

"It could have been an outstanding weekend, but I felt like we gave away a point against Corpus Christi. That team capitalizes on your mistakes. Their ‘d' jump in, and if you lose your man coming back into your zone, or give up an odd-man rush, they make you pay."

On This Week: "Bossier's one of the best teams in the league, and although we beat them here, they gave us a pretty good wakeup call in the first period right after Christmas. We came back in the second and third period, stepped up and played grittier than I thought we were. I imagine they were pretty disappointed to lose that game, and they'll be gunning for us this time."

"Then we come back and play Memphis, which is always tough. Parsons has 38 goals, Landmesser's always among the top d-men in the league... their rookies have stepped up, and Crowley's back running their power play. We also know that Rio Grande Valley can turn it around at any time. Confidence is huge. We saw that earlier in the year."

Cave, Sweet Cave: After Friday's game, the "Budweiser True Music Concert Series" continues, with a performance from "Wideawake." Named "Best Pop Band" at the 2004 Austin Music Awards, "Wideawake" had the title track of their newest album, "Bigger Than Ourselves" recently featured on the 100th episode of TV's "Dawson's Creek." The band was also honored at one of their recent Austin appearances with a visit from Sheryl Crow, who joined the group in performing onstage.

Saturday night, free cheerstix go to 3,000 fans, courtesy of Woods Fun Center.

Individual game tickets are available now through the Ice Bats office at 927-PUCK, on-line at www.GetTix.Net, or at any of a dozen Pinky's Wireless locations in the Austin area, including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Killeen and San Marcos. Tickets are also available at all Texas Box Office locations, including all Austin-area HEB stores, or on-line at www.TexasBoxOffice.com.

To charge by phone, fans may call the Ice Bats ticket office at 927-PUCK, Get Tix at 1-866-4-Get Tix, or Texas Box Office at (512) 477-6060.

Individual game tickets range in price from $10 to $35, depending on section, with discounted rates for groups of 15 or more. 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.

Speaker Series: The Ice Bats "Speaker Series" returns to Legends Sports Bar and Grill on Tuesday, February 8th starting at 6:30pm. Coach Greg Gatto and Ice Bats players will be on hand to address fans and answer questions about the team's run for the playoffs. There will be happy hour specials for the duration of the event at Legends, at the Southwest Corner of MoPac and Research Blvd.

Maple Leafs TV: Ontario-based Maple Leafs TV will join the Ice Bats on their trip to Bossier-Shreveport this week, then will be at the Expo Center for this weekend's home games. The network is taping segments for their reality series "On The Bus." The 12-part series gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the CHL, league rivalries, and Ontario-native players. The final three installments of the series, focusing on the Austin vs. Bossier-Shreveport rivalry, will air beginning in mid-March.

In the Air: Once again, all Ice Bats away games will be broadcast on ESPN Radio, 1530 on the AM dial. The station will broadcast all road games during the 2004-05 regular season and CHL Playoffs. The games will also be available on-line, through the station website at www.espnaustin.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 seventh straight season.

Bats in Cyberspace: Bats fans can learn the latest about their team by logging on to www.icebats.com. Home or away, Bats fans can also 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.



Central Hockey League Stories from February 1, 2005


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