Ice Bats Acquire Veteran Defenseman
December 2, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release
The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League today announced completion of a trade with the Amarillo Gorillas, acquiring the rights to defenseman Brandon Carper in exchange for forward Joey Bastien and future considerations. Carper has joined the Bats and will suit up in time for this weekend's games.
The 31-year-old Carper, a native of Highland Park, Illinois, is in his 9th pro season. He joins the Ice Bats after starting the current season playing in Germany.
A 9th-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 1992, Carper played four years at Bowling Green State University, and his first four pro seasons in the East Coast and West Coast Hockey Leagues. He then blossomed as an offensive-minded defenseman in two seasons with Lubbock in the Western Professional Hockey League. Carper scored 49 points en route to All-Star honors with the Cotton Kings in 2000-01.
After one season in Germany, Carper returned to the Texas Panhandle, scoring 18 goals and 32 assists in a full 64 games with Amarillo last year. This year, Carper scored 6 goals and 7 assists in 19 games with ETC Crimmitschau in the German "Bundesliga."
"Brandon is a proven All-Star caliber defenseman," said Jeff Greenlaw, Ice Bats Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. "Playing against him, I always admired him, and I'm happy to have him on our team. He'll quarterback our power play... he's great with the puck and has a cannon for a shot. He's durable, a great skater, a great athlete and individual."
"I knew I wanted to get back to North America, I just had to decide when and where to go next," Carper said. "Playing three years in this league, I saw Austin as a team that has had a lot of success. They beat us in the playoffs my first year in Lubbock. It was always a disadvantage as a team coming in to play Austin in their building-- home ice advantage is very key for this team. So I wanted to be a part of it. I just didn't know if I could work my way in as a veteran, but I'm happy things turned out."
Carper will play his first game in an Austin uniform this Friday night against Division rival Laredo. After a quick trip to Lubbock, the Ice Bats return home Sunday to face Wichita.
Tickets to both 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 prorated 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.
• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...
Central Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2003
- RiverKings Lose, 8-6, to Scorpions - Mississippi RiverKings
- Jr. StreetKings 10 & Under Championship Run Comes to Close - Mississippi RiverKings
- Bucks Weekly Update - Laredo Bucks
- CHL Comes Down Hard on Rayz - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Kings Kick off Stick With Reading Program - Lubbock Cotton Kings
- Ice Bats Acquire Veteran Defenseman - Austin Ice Bats
- Inglis fired as Brahmas head coach - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Airwave Dave! to Entertain Crowds at RiverKings Game - Mississippi RiverKings
- Bees on TV with Televisa - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- So You Want To Be A CHL All-Star? Dodge Can Make It Happen - CHL
- Colts Cheerleaders to Appear at Ice Game - Indianapolis Ice
- Nilson Reassigned To Bucks - Laredo Bucks
- McGrane Called Up - Corpus Christi IceRays
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.
