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Ice Bats Face Toughest Road Test

March 8, 2006 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 30-24-3 on their 10th-Anniversary 2005-06 season, and have won five straight games, including the first four of seven straight games on the road. As a result, the Bats continue to hold second place in the CHL's Southeast Division race, and the third of four playoff positions in the Southern Conference. The Ice Bats are four points ahead of Rio Grande Valley, and six points above Amarillo in the Conference.

After wrapping up a ten-year run at the Travis County Expo Center, the Ice Bats began their "Rodeo Drive" with four wins on the road last week. This week provides the toughest test of the month, as the Ice Bats will visit Tulsa, Wichita and Bossier-Shreveport this weekend.

A look back: With the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo ending the Ice Bats' run at the Travis County Expo Center, the Bats went out and swept four games on the road last week. Tuesday, Ice Bats goalie Miroslav Kopriva stopped 37 of 38 shots faced, and winger John McNabb scored twice, as the Bats claimed a 4-1 win in the first of consecutive games in Youngstown.

Passing as crisply as they have on the road this season, the Ice Bats controlled the momentum through the first two periods. Forward Jeff Neufeld scored eight minutes into the contest on a power play backhander, and the Bats added goals 2:06 apart early in the second period. Dan Carney scored a rebound goal at 2:19, and McNabb jumped on a loose puck and pulled it to the middle for a 3-0 lead.

The Steelhounds came out aggressively in the third, and got on the board on Joey Sewell's goal just nine seconds into a power play. But McNabb closed the door on an odd-man rush, rebounding a Drew Otten shot for his second goal at 9:14. The Ice Bats scored twice on six power play chances to gain ground on their pursuers in the Southern Conference playoff chase.

It wasn't as easy as Tuesday's win, but the Ice Bats engineered a two-game sweep at Youngstown with a 5-4 victory Wednesday night. Each team scored once in a feisty first period, as the teams combined for 42 minutes in penalties. Youngstown forward Darryl Lloyd was in the middle of it, but also tipped in a power play goal at 14:36 for the game's first lead. The Ice Bats tied the score less than two minutes later on Darryl McArthur's shot from the left point through a screen.

Play settled down in the second period, and the Steelhounds reclaimed the lead 2:04 into the period. Winger J.F. Labarre centered to Chris Shaffer for an odd-man rush score. But again, the Bats came back less than four minutes later. Following up his shot, forward Drew Otten centered for a Julian Smith tap-in. The Ice Bats then took their first lead with about two minutes left in the period. Defenseman Aaron Schneekloth threw the puck into the slot, and it was tipped onto the right circle. Winger John McNabb snatched the puck and whipped a wicked shot into the upper right corner of the net.

The Bats built a two-goal lead on a Schneekloth goal, scored on a third rebound 1:24 into the final period. But the Steelhounds didn't quit, making it a one-goal game on a Matt Hanson goal at 6:35. It wasn't until Jeff Neufeld scored an empty net goal with 24 seconds remaining that the Bats had it won. Smith and Schneekloth led scorers with three points each, as the Ice Bats scored twice on seven power play chances.

Saturday, the Ice Bats won the first of two games at Fort Worth's Will Rogers Coliseum, 3-2. The nip-and-tuck affair was decided by an amazing Mike Tucciarone goal with eight minutes left.

The Bats opened scoring with winger John McNabb again rebounding a Drew Otten shot 9:33 in. The Brahmas tied the game on a Matt Reynolds shot from high in the right circle through the pads of Bats goalie Miroslav Kopriva. Kopriva made good with about a minute to go, sticking his right pad in the air for a save to keep it 1-1.

Fort Worth took the lead late in the second on a Wes Mason backhand wraparound, but the Bats retied the score with 33 seconds left in the period. Jeff Neufeld swiped a pass at his blue line, led a two-on-one rush and hit the trailing Aaron Schneekloth for a shorthanded goal.

Tucciarone then scored the winner at 11:50 of the third. Taking the puck from the left wing through the slot, Tucciarone fired it top shelf under the crossbar as he was bounced to the ice on the right circle. Kopriva then made two big saves on the next shift, finishing with 22 saves in the third period. For the game, Kopriva stopped 40 of 42 shots faced.

The Bats completed the four-game sweep Sunday, exploding for three third-period goals in a three-minute span to beat the Brahmas, 4-2. Winger Britt Dougherty scored twice to earn top star honors.

Forward Mike Tucciarone slapped the puck in off the back of Fort Worth goalie Andrew Martin's pads to open scoring eight minutes in. But Fort Worth tied the score on Matt Reynolds' rebound in the slot, then took the lead 25 seconds into the second on Ty Hennes' rebound goal. With 2-1/2 minutes left in the period, Martin robbed Dougherty on a point-blank shot, but Dougherty would get his revenge in the third.

Off a face-off win by Jeff Neufeld, Dougherty tied the game from the slot at 13:51 of the final period. Just 33 seconds later, Gerald Tallaire tipped in an Aaron Davis centering pass for the lead. And at 16:53, Dougherty crashed the net to tip in another Davis pass and ice the game. Bats goalie Miroslav Kopriva earned his fourth win on the week, stopping 35 of 37 Brahma shots.

Wounded Wings: Goaltender Matt Barnes was last weekend placed on the 14-day injured reserve list, retroactive to his last start on February 19th.

Player Plaudits: Winger John McNabb ranks in the top 20 in league scoring with 29 goals and 32 assists. Forward Aaron Davis (46 points) is second on the team in scoring. And Mike Tucciarone is fourth among all rookie scorers with 41 points, ranking second among first-year players in goals (24). Aaron Schneekloth ranks among the top ten defensemen with 15 goals and 23 assists, and is one of three players entering this week with a five-game scoring streak. Goalie Miguel Beaudry is 9-6-1 with a 2.65 GAA since joining the Ice Bats, and Miroslav Kopriva 12-3 with a 2.33 GAA.

Potential Bite Victims: The Ice Bats will tackle three of the toughest Northern Conference teams on the road this week. Eight points back of a playoff spot, Tulsa was the league's busiest dealer at the trade deadline, obtaining four new faces (including former Ice Bats Shawn Roed and Arturs Kupaks). Initially, the deals paid dividends as the Oilers won six of seven, but now they've won once in the last five games and enter this week at 27-23-5. Top rookie Jim Dahl ranks sixth in overall scoring with 33 goals and 42 assists. Injured just before the trade deadline, winger Jaroslav Cesky (30 goals, 34 assists) returned off injured reserve last week. Veteran Henry Kuster has 30 goals and 33 assists, and All-Star Mario Joly (50 points) ranks third among d-men. Scoring hasn't been a problem, but the Oilers rank 12th defensively, allowing an average 3.4 goals per game, and 13th on the penalty kill (82.1%). Experienced goalie Marco Emond is 20-15-1 with a 3.33 GAA. 13-10-4 at home, Tulsa has dropped three straight games on home ice.

Third-place Wichita currently holds the final playoff spot in the Conference, at 30-17-7. While just .500 in its own division, the Thunder is 18-5-4 outside of the tough Northwest, and is 5-0-2 over the last seven games. With the league's #3 offense (3.63 goals per game) and power play (18.2%), Wichita is explosive. Third in overall scoring, forward Joe Blaznek (38 goals, 46 assists, 19 power play goals) leads an All-Star line. Wichita lifers Jason Duda (25 goals, 49 assists) and Travis Clayton (21 goals, 50 assists) also rank in the top dozen in league scoring. Daniel Tetrault (50 points, 10 power play goals) ranks third among defensemen, and another former Ice Bat, forward Tab Lardner has 21 goals. Sebastien Laplante ranks among the top four goalies in minutes and total saves, and is 22-14-5 with a 3.01 GAA. A tough 19-3-4 at home, Wichita is at Colorado Wednesday before returning to host Amarillo and Austin.

Since late January, Bossier-Shreveport has been all but unbeatable. 34-13-7 overall, the Mudbugs are on a 15-0-2 tear. And they've already clinched the Northeast Division, with a 30-point lead over their closest division rival. Now just seven points back of Colorado, the ‘Bugs still have their eye on the top seed in the North. Helpful has been the return of forward Scott Sheppard (28 goals, 15 assists in 28 games), who spent two months in the American League before his return in early February. Spitfire Dan Wildfong again leads the team in scoring and penalty minutes, with 23 goals, 35 assists and 262 minutes in the sin bin. Center Blair Manning has 56 points (47 on assists) and Chad Spurr 55 points. Brett Smith's 28 goals include a league-most five shorthanded scores. Bossier is well rounded, ranking second on defense (2.67 average goals allowed) and in the top four in both specialty teams categories. The top goalie in the Conference, Ken Carroll ranks third overall, at 20-7-4 with a 2.31 GAA and four shutouts. Winners of six straight home games, Bossier is 17-5-3 at the CenturyTel Center. After playing the second of a two-game set at Rio Grande Valley Wednesday, they'll return to host Youngstown, Oklahoma City and Austin.

The Series: The Ice Bats are 4-2-2 lifetime against Tulsa, winning this season's only meeting, 3-0 November 5th in Austin. Goalie Matt Barnes made 34 saves in the shutout win.

The Bats are 5-0-1 lifetime against Wichita, and won this year's meeting, 4-2 January 21st in Austin. Barnes stopped 36 of 38 shots faced in that game, and the Bats scored three power play goals.

Austin is 14-18-8 lifetime against Bossier-Shreveport. The teams have split two games this season, with the home team winning each. The Mudbugs won 5-0 October 28th in Bossier, the Ice Bats 2-1 December 9th at the Bat Cave.

Comments From the Coach:

On Last Week: "Like I said before, people look at our opponents and their position, and figure we're supposed to win. But nothing is guaranteed on the road, and it's easier said than done. The teams we played are really playing for next year, but they still want to win and they played desperate. We hung in the games and the guys found a way to win. Hopefully we'll get some nicks and bruises healed up in time for this week."

"Aaron Schneekloth is among the guys that have really stepped up. He takes care of his own end, and knows the right time to jump into the play. Really, it's the same as last season. From the middle to the end of the year last year, I thought he was one of the best three d-men in the league."

On This Week: "It's good that we've already won four on the road, because this will be our toughest weekend in March. It's just about earning standings points now. We just want to stay in games, play disciplined and worry about ourselves and our game. It'll be tough in every one of these rinks to get points out, though."

Cave, Sweet Cave: Including this season's 19-10-1 mark, the Ice Bats finished 209-97-22 in ten years of play at the Travis County Expo Center. In February, the Ice Bats announced they will vacate the Expo Center and move to Chaparral Ice Center, located on I-35 South between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway. The Ice Bats will begin play at Chaparral Ice during the 2006 President's Cup Playoffs, should the team qualify for post-season play.

Because of the unavailability of the Expo Center, the Ice Bats played four playoff games at Chaparral Ice in 2003, hosting New Mexico and Laredo en route to the President's Cup Finals. After the conclusion of this season, permanent seating will be installed to bring the building's capacity to close to 2,000 fans, with other improvements to include a renovated club area upstairs overlooking the ice and an expanded concession area downstairs. In addition to a raucous, energetic environment for fans, Chaparral Ice will give the Ice Bats greater scheduling flexibility, a superior location, and the ability to provide corporate partners the year-round display of their message. Chaparral Ice will remain the team's home arena until construction is complete on a new facility, currently under study.

The Ice Bats will also host two more regular season "home games," to be played March 17th and 18th at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton. With seating for about 6,300 fans, the Bell County Expo Center will host professional hockey for the first time since the departure of the Central Texas Stampede of the Western Professional Hockey League in 2001.

To help promote the games, the Ice Bats will conduct a free "RollerBats" youth in-line hockey clinic from noon to 2pm, this Saturday, March 11th at the Academy Sports & Outdoors location at Marlandwood Road and South 31st in Temple. Ice Bats goaltender Matt Barnes is scheduled to appear, joining Ice Bats General Manager and former player David Moore.

The clinic is free of charge and open to all children ages 6-13, accompanied by a parent or guardian. No pre-registration is necessary. The Ice Bats will conduct skills and safety demonstrations and in-line hockey scrimmages, with an autograph signing to conclude the session. Participants are asked to bring their own in-line skates, stick and helmet. Additional equipment will be available on a limited basis.

Ice Bats representatives will also be at the Killeen Mall at 2100 South W.S. Young Drive, next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 14th and 15th to promote ticket sales for the games.

Tickets for Ice Bats home games are on sale now through the Ice Bats office at 927-PUCK, or at any Texas Box Office location, including all Austin-area HEB stores. In Bell County, fans may visit the Bell County Expo Center box office, Renaissance Records in Killeen, the Temple HEB store or the ITR Building at Fort Hood. For on-line orders, fans may visit www.TexasBoxOffice.com. To charge by phone, fans may call the Ice Bats ticket office at 927-PUCK, or Texas Box Office at (512) 477-6060.

Individual game tickets range in price from $11 to $35, depending on section, with discounted rates for groups of 15 or more. In addition to individual game tickets and group outings, season tickets and corporate partnerships are currently available for the upcoming season, with full-season, half-season and 10-game ticket packages on sale now. 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.

Best of the Best: For the sixth straight time, Austin was selected "Best City" in the annual "Best of the Best Poll" of CHL players, coaches and broadcasters. "Fang" placed second in the voting for "Best Mascot." Complete poll results can be seen at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

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 2005-06 regular season and CHL Playoffs. The games will also be available on-line, through the station website at www.espnaustin.com. The Bud Light Warm-up Show begins 20 minutes prior to game time. Ice Bats VP of Broadcasting, Media/PR Glen Norman will handle play-by-play duties for an eighth 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.

THIS WEEK:

Fri., Mar. 10th, 7:35pm, vs. Tulsa Oilers, at Maxwell Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Sat., Mar. 11th, 7:05pm, vs. Wichita Thunder, at Kansas Coliseum, Valley Center, Kansas

Sun., Mar. 12th, 7:05pm, vs. Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, at CenturyTel Center, Bossier City, LA

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