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Ice Bats Begin Playoff "March"

March 1, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 19-21-11 on the 2006-2007 CHL season, a close fourth in the Southeast Division. The Ice Bats trail Rio Grande Valley by just one point in the race for the sixth and final playoff position in the Southern Conference. The Bats have begun play at all-new Chaparral Ice Arena, located on I-35 between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway.

For the first time ever, the Ice Bats play seven home games in March, and will begin the month with four of their first six games at home. This week, the Ice Bats try to snap a four-game winless streak with a Thursday game at Oklahoma City, before returning home to host Laredo and Odessa on the weekend. Then next Tuesday, the Ice Bats play the first of five remaining games against their closest rival in the standings, at Rio Grande Valley.

A look back: The Ice Bats earned just one point from their three games in the division last week. Last Friday, Corpus Christi scored twice in the third period to earn a 3-1 win over the Ice Bats at the AmericanBank Center.

The Ice Bats opened scoring about eight minutes into the contest, as winger John McNabb's shot from near the left boards glanced off Corpus goalie Ron Vogel's glove, then off the right post. The Rayz tied the game six minutes later on a give-and-go from Todd Paul to Nicklas Lindberg.

After an uneventful second period, the Ice Bats had two chances in short order to retake the lead early in the third. Winger Henry Kuster fired wide from just outside the crease, then moments later was denied by Vogel's left arm as the Rayz goalie sprawled across the ice to make the save.

Rayz forward Derrick McIver patiently waited before centering for the game-winner, a Geno Parrish one-timer from the right circle at 9:27. Corpus Christi's Jason Baird added an insurance goal on a power play rebound of Parrish's shot with 6:32 left.

Vogel did the rest, stopping 20 of 21 shots faced for the game. The Rayz connected twice on seven power play chances, while the Ice Bats failed to score on five opportunities.

Last Saturday, Rio Grande Valley took sole possession of the final playoff position with a 5-4 shootout win at Chaparral Ice Arena. The Killer Bees got off to an early 2-0 start within the first 15 minutes, but the Ice Bats roared back with two goals in the final 2:18 of the first period. Center Aaron Davis scored from low in the right circle, then John McNabb tied the game on a power play blast from the wing with just 16 seconds left. The Bats peppered the Rio net with 19 shots in the second, but could net only one goal, from Jason Kenyon.

Killer Bee Dennis Maxwell scored his second goal to tie in the third, and Rio Grande took the lead when Jason Cirone's shot glanced off Austin goalie Tony Quesada's shoulder and over his back into the net. The Ice Bats came right back 39 seconds after that though, Henry Kuster flipping a second rebound upstairs for the tie.

After a scoreless overtime, the Killer Bees scored twice on five shootout attempts, while the Ice Bats could only muster a McNabb goal. Rio defenseman Matt Medley was credited with the winner. Medley also had two assists, while Maxwell and Cirone each scored twice.

On Sunday, the Ice Bats had enough gas to put on a good showing at Laredo, but not enough to avert a 4-3 loss in a bruising physical battle. The Bucks tried to apply a knockout blow in the first period, jumping on the Bats for an early 10-1 shot advantage and Serge Dube's hard backhander for a goal from the slot seven minutes in. Ice Bats winger Chris Murphy quickly retaliated at 8:35, jumping on a loose puck on the left circle and throwing it by Laredo goalie Kevin Reiter. But the Bucks kept Austin goalie Miguel Beaudry in their crosshairs, outshooting the Ice Bats, 27-5 in the opening period and retaking the lead on Igor Pohanka's power play deflection late in the first.

With three fights in the first period, including a lengthy bout between heavies Marty Doyle of Austin and Laredo veteran Kris Mallette, the teams continued to throw everything they had at each other in the second. The Ice Bats tied the game 44 seconds into the period on a Terry Virtue goal, then took their first lead at 5:23. Center Aaron Davis tipped in Chad McIver's centering pass for the go-ahead power play score. Just 1:40 later, Laredo retied the game on Leo Thomas' power play goal.

The Bucks got the winner 9:36 into the third period, center Jeff Bes centering back to the doorstep for Adam Rivet's goal. Reiter stopped 26 of 29 shots faced, while Beaudry made 47 saves on 51 Laredo shots.

Power Plug: The Ice Bats' once-dormant power play now has averaged a power play goal per game over the last 15 contests.

Roster Flights:

Departures: On Tuesday, the Ice Bats announced that player-assistant coach Terry Virtue has been recalled for the remainder of the season to Binghamton of the American League. Virtue scored 33 points in 51 games for the Ice Bats this season.

Arrivals: Taking Virtue's place on the roster, the Ice Bats have signed veteran free agent defenseman Adam Davis. Davis, the brother of Ice Bats center Aaron, enters his sixth professional season, having played four years in Fort Worth, then winning a championship last season with Laredo.

Wounded Wings: Ice Bats winger Mike Tucciarone will not play Thursday at Oklahoma City, but is set to return off the injured reserve list for the weekend. Defenseman Adam Holmgren remains on injured reserve, and will be out an unspecified period. Also out is defenseman Chris Ovington, who remains with the AHL Houston Aeros while conducting rehab.

Player Plaudits: Winger Henry Kuster has taken over the team scoring lead with 23 goals and 25 assists. John McNabb is next with 20 goals and 21 assists. Center Aaron Davis has 35 points, and Mike Tucciarone has 14 goals and 20 assists. Goalie Miguel Beaudry is 12-8-8 with a 2.92 GAA in net, and ranks among the league's top dozen goalies. Despite just a 2-6-3 record, goalie Tony Quesada has an even better 2.82 GAA.

Potential Bite Victims: At 28-14-7, Oklahoma City is as capable as anyone of doing damage coming out of the Northern Conference. Winners of four straight, the Blazers have capable offense, stable goaltending and plenty of toughness. Leading scorer Mike Burgoyne ranks fourth among d-men with 18 goals and 33 assists. Veteran Marty Standish has 15 goals and 32 assists, and Garrett Prosofsky 20 goals and 22 helpers. Goalies Sebastien Centomo (16-8-1, 3.00 GAA) and Sean Connors (12-6-6, 3.09 GAA) return from last year's club, which gave Colorado a run before losing a first-round series to the Eagles in seven games. Oklahoma City averages nearly 31 minutes in penalties per game, second in the league, and they lead the league with 68 major penalties. A league-most 22 of those belong to Graham Dearle, who has 196 individual minutes. Oklahoma City is 14-9-3 at home.

Winner of six straight, Laredo is 34-13-5 for the top spot in the Southern Conference. The Bucks are an excellent defensive team, allowing 2.73 goals per game, third best in the league. Goalie Eric Marvin has seen the bulk of the time in net, and is 17-5-4 with a 2.59 GAA. But Kevin Reiter (12-5-1, 2.44 GAA) is earning his spot in an excellent rotation. Center Jeff Bes now has 22 goals and 31 assists in 40 games, and Bobby Chaumont leads all rookies with 23 goals and 29 assists. Serge Dube has 48 points and is +26, and Adam Rivet (18 goals, 29 assists) ranks fifth among d-men. 17-6-2 as a road team, Laredo hosts Rio Grande Valley Friday before coming to Austin.

At 20-26-6, Odessa has won two straight, and along with Lubbock, is trying to creep back into the playoff race. The Jackalopes don't have a ton of scoring, but they are balanced. Center Mike Rutter has 12 goals and 31 assists, Blaine Bablitz 11 goals, 28 assists and Jay Latulippe 12 goals and 25 helpers. Massive Jeff Ewasko's 269 penalty minutes are tied for the league lead. Goalie Derek Dolson has allowed 2.5 goals per game, has three shutouts and his .928 save percentage is tied for the league lead-- but he's just 7-10-1. Mike Gorman is 13-15-5 with a 3.29 GAA. 10-14-4 on the road, Odessa hosts Corpus Christi and Arizona this weekend before finishing the week at Austin.

Also winners of two straight, Rio Grande Valley is 22-24-6 and has jumped ahead of the Ice Bats in the playoff race. Several moves in January were designed to add punch to the team's offense, which ranks 16th in the league (2.75 goals per game). Import David Masse ranks among the league's top ten, with 29 goals and 32 assists. Veteran Jason Cirone has 23 goals, 27 assists and forward Dennis Maxwell 46 points, but there's not a lot of scoring depth beyond that. Forward Rob Voltera has scored in seven straight games. Splitting time in net have been Jeremy Symington (15-12-4, 2.96 GAA) and Jeff Van Nynatten (7-11-1, 2.98 GAA). 12-10-4 at home, Rio Grande has visits to Laredo and Corpus Christi this weekend.

The Series: The Ice Bats are 9-2 lifetime against Oklahoma City, heading into the season's only meeting between the teams Thursday.

The Bats are 16-30-2 lifetime against Laredo, 2-6-1 this season. The Ice Bats are 1-2-1 in series games played in Austin, but have dropped the last five in the series overall.

Austin is 16-7-4 lifetime against Odessa, 1-1-1 this season. Odessa claimed a shootout win and a 2-1 victory in two games in Austin, but the Ice Bats won the last meeting, 5-2 January 26th in Odessa.

The Bats are 20-15-3 lifetime against Rio Grande Valley, 6-0-1 this season after Saturday's shootout loss. In games played at Rio, the Ice Bats have an overtime and a shootout win.

Comments From the Coach:

On Last Week: "Last week was a disappointment for me. I thought we'd get more out of it than we did. I know the games were close, but the bottom line is you have to get points. We've definitely put more pressure on ourselves. The good thing is that we'll get to see how guys react to that and who steps up."

On This Week: "We're not playing any slouches. Oklahoma City and Laredo are very good hockey clubs, making our first two games very difficult this week. Odessa is closing fast with points over their last five or six games, and Rio has overtaken us. So every game is important. We have to worry about ourselves, do what we need to do, and hopefully end the week back in a playoff spot."

The "New" Bat Cave: This season, the Ice Bats begin a new era at Chaparral Ice Arena, located on I-35 between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway. Saturday night is "Full Moon Howling Night." The Blood Center of Central Texas will be on hand with their mobile collection unit from 4:30-7:30pm, taking donations to help defray Central Texas' low blood supply. All fans will also receive free foam hockey sticks, courtesy of Guaranty Bank.

Sunday at 4pm, the Ice Bats celebrate with "Fang's Birthday Party." Fang and his furry mascot pals will mark the occasion with free cake for youngsters and a free post-game skate with the Ice Bats players.

In addition to providing tickets through the Ice Bats office at 927-PUCK, the Bats are for the first time utilizing Front Gate Tickets as the team's ticket outlet. Fans may conveniently purchase tickets at any Front Gate Tickets location, including Stubbs BBQ, Waterloo Records and Encore Video & CD.

Fans may order on-line through the Ice Bats website at www.icebats.com. Phone orders may be placed by calling (512) 927-PUCK, or 1-888-512-SHOW. Individual game tickets range in price from $15 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.

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 2006-07 regular season and CHL Playoffs. The games will also be available on-line, through the station website at www.espnaustin.com. Ice Bats VP of Broadcasting, Media/PR Glen Norman will handle play-by-play duties for a ninth 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.

In addition, the CHL has partnered with industry leader ONEsite to launch 'myCHLteam.com', a new digital community designed to increase and enhance fan, player, team and league interaction. ONEsite is a leading provider of private labeled social networks and communities, and provides individual websites, blogs, photo galleries and much more to fans at no cost. Fans may log onto www.MyIceBats.com to sign up or for more details.



Central Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2007


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.

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