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Ice Bats Big Weekend Vaults Them Into Playoff Spot

February 11, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


The Austin Ice Bats (19-26-1) seem to be the only CHL team that welcomes playing the Laredo Bucks and it is very possible the two could see each other again in the playoffs. The Ice Bats have come from nowhere to take over the fifth and final Southern Conference playoff spot on the heels of their three game weekend sweep of the Bucks. The Bats have beaten Laredo four consecutive times. This past weekend saw Austin outscore the high-powered Bucks 13-6 and saw them win in a shootout in Laredo on Sunday.

The Bats are now sitting with 39 points one more than Corpus Christi and Amarillo. The great play this weekend started in net with Miguel Beaudry earning all three wins and turning away 108 of 114 shots (.947). He is 9-2-0 in his last 11 decisions including two shutouts. On the season, Beaudry is 13-14-0 with a .913 save percentage.

The play of Brendan Cook and Mike Bartlett has also been one of the keys to Austin's second half turnaround. Cook has scored 13 goals (24 points) since December 28th and Bartlett (started the year with Arizona) has 13 goals (24 points) in the 24 games he has played with Austin.

The Ice Bats play Rio Grande Valley on Friday night and then have a home-and-home series with Bossier-Shreveport on Saturday and Sunday.

BRAHMAS HOT PLAY ENDS MUDBUGS STREAK

The Texas Brahmas used several ex-Mudbugs to make a statement this past weekend against the current Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs as they took both games of a home-and-home series. The Brahmas win ended a 24-game point streak for Bossier-Shreveport that saw them go 23-0-1 over that stretch. It also ended an 18-game home winning streak for the Bugs. Of course, the Brahmas are led by first-year head coach Dan Wildfong (the Mudbugs all-time leader in almost every category). When he took the job in North Richland Hills, he brought former Bossier-Shreveport players Scott Sheppard, Blair Manning, Craig Minard and David Cacciola with him. The Brahmas are 10-3-0 in their last 13 games and are now just seven points out of a playoff spot.

SOUTHWEST DIVISION RACE AS CLOSE AS IT GETS

The Southwest Division race has narrowed to where just two points separate the three top teams. Arizona earned three points during their two-game swing through the state of Colorado beating the Rage on Friday night and losing in overtime to the Eagles on Saturday night. Arizona has 57 points leading the way in the division by two points over both Odessa and New Mexico. The Scorpions are the division's hottest team winning each of their last five games and sitting 5-0-1 on their current seven-game home stand. The division's fourth place team, the Amarillo Gorillas, have also won five straight games but sitting 19 points out of first place, they are in a different race trailing the fifth and final playoff spot by just one point.

TRADE DEADLINE YIELDS SEVEN DEALS

The CHL trade deadline came and went on Monday afternoon with seven deals being made. The biggest name making the move is the 2005 CHL Outstanding Defenseman Paul Esdale who moves from Colorado to Corpus Christi in exchange for future considerations. Laredo acquired forward Alex Goupil from Wichita in exchange for Rane Carnegie and David Victor. The Thunder then dealt Carnegie to Mississippi for defenseman Peter Kennedy. The SteelHounds acquired hard-hitting defenseman David Simoes from New Mexico as part of a previous deal that sent Erik Johnson to the Scorpions. For all the trade activity, visit the CHL's Trade Tracker at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

TUESDAY'S CALENDAR

A handful of games make up Tuesday's schedule with several top showdowns with streaking teams and teams in the playoff hunt. Amarillo heads to New Mexico where each team has won five straight games. The Scorpions are two points out of first place in the Southwest Division and the Gorillas are one point behind Austin for a playoff spot. Two other streaking teams meet with Tulsa hosting Texas (both have won three straight games). The two top teams in the Northwest Division meet with the Rage hosting the Eagles with just five points separating the two teams. Tuesday's other action includes Wichita at Oklahoma City and Laredo at Rio Grande Valley.

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Central Hockey League Stories from February 11, 2008


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