Ice Bats Are Playoff Boun
March 19, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release
(Austin, TX) - Without ever dropping a puck, the Ice Bats punched their ticket to Central Hockey League Playoffs on Tuesday night thanks to a little help from the Odessa Jackalopes...
Austin currently holds a seven point advantage over the Amarillo Gorillas for the final playoff spot in the CHL's Southern Conference with 58 points on the season. Amarillo suffered a 5-4, shootout loss in Odessa Tuesday, leaving the Gorillas seven points out with three games left in their regular season, and mathematically eliminated from the playoff chase.
The Bats' last playoff appearance was in 2003 when they lost to the Mississippi RiverKings, for the President's Cup Championship, in five games. That 2003 run happened to be the last year Brent Hughes was behind the bench as head coach of the Bats. After a four year hiatus, Hughes returned midway through last season to lead the Bats once again. Since joining the CHL in 2001, the Ice Bats have never played a postseason game without Hughes as the head coach.
Austin's opening round opponent will either be Arizona, New Mexico, or Odessa. The team won't find out until the end of the regular season this weekend. This season the Bats are a combined 3-11-0 against Arizona, New Mexico, and Odessa, but the team has been one of the league's hottest in 2008 going 22-10-1 since January 1st.
The Bats are on the road in Amarillo on Thursday then return home for their season finale against the Texas Brahmas at Chaparral Ice Arena on Saturday. Saturday's game is Fan Appreciation Night with the Bats, the puck drops at 7:35 PM.
The Ice Bats are the AA Affiliate for the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the AHL's Houston Aeros (AAA). The team is currently playing its 12th season in Austin. Single game tickets and mini-plans are available by calling 512-927-7825 or visiting icebats.com.
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Central Hockey League Stories from March 19, 2008
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- Brahmas Clinch Playoff Birth, Beat Thunder 5-2 - Fort Worth Brahmas
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- Eagles Drop First of Three to 'Hounds, 3-2 - Colorado Eagles
- Scott Muscutt Named CHL Coach Of The Year - CHL
- RiverKings To Highlight Special Olympics On Fan Appreciation Night - Mississippi RiverKings
- CHL Announces The Final Mosaik MasterCard Top Ten Rankings For The 2007-08 Season - Week 25 - CHL
- Nimmo Captures CHL Rookie of the Year Award - Amarillo Gorillas
- Amarillo's David Nimmo Wins CHL Rookie of the Year - CHL
- Mudbugs to Welcome Jacob Hester on Saturday - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Bucks Still Need One Point To Clinch South - Laredo Bucks
- RiverKings Hit the Road - Mississippi RiverKings
- Bats Are Playoff Bound - Austin Ice Bats
- Arizona Beats Scorpions For Division Crown - New Mexico Scorpions
- Ice Bats Are Playoff Boun - Austin Ice Bats
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