Ice Bats Get "Reckless" and "Free(scale)"

Published on December 6, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 8-10 on their 10th-Anniversary 2005-06 season, but have won five of their last seven games, and six of their last nine outings. As a result, the Ice Bats are just one point behind 3rd-place Rio Grande Valley in the Southeast Division race, and just two points back of 2nd-place Corpus Christi.

This week, the Ice Bats hop up I-35 for a game against Fort Worth on Wednesday, then return home to host Bossier-Shreveport and Rio Grande Valley. After Friday's game against Bossier, "Reckless Kelly" will perform as part of the "Bud True Music Concert Series." Saturday, the Ice Bats raise money to help purchase bikes for deserving children, as Freescale Semiconductor presents "Bikes for Kids Night."

A look back: The Ice Bats swept a home-and-home series against Corpus Christi last week, before finishing with a lopsided loss at Rio Grande Valley. On Thursday, the Bats survived a wild finish to eke out a 3-2 win at Corpus Christi. Mike Tucciarone scored two of the Ice Bats' three power play goals in the game.

The Ice Bats opened with an 8-1 shot advantage, and jumped on the Rayz for a power play goal nine minutes into the contest. Tucciarone's shot from the slot glanced off Corpus defender Matt Frick and under the crossbar. The Rayz hung tough and tied the score with six minutes left in the period on a Ryan Carter power play goal from low in the right circle.

Both goalies held the line in the second period. The Ice Bats again opened up an 8-1 shot advantage to start the period, but Rayz goalie Scott Reid made several big stops. Corpus Christi countered with power play chances late, but Ice Bats goalie Miroslav Kopriva kept the Rayz off the board.

The Ice Bats built a 3-1 lead in the third period. Winger Shawn Roed scored from the right hash mark off a pretty pass from defenseman Darryl McArthur at 9:11. Then following a controversial delay of game call on the Corpus goalie Reid, Tucciarone rebounded his own shot for his second power play goal with 4:20 left.

But the Bats then let up a bit, and the Rayz nearly pulled even. Corpus forward Jon Foster rang the crossbar with 3-1/2 minutes left, and the Rayz' Derrick McIver made it a one-goal game with 2:47 remaining. Corpus Christi Coach Ken McRae pulled Reid for an extra attacker with 1:46 left, and it appeared to work when the Rayz crashed the net for a would-be game-tying goal with 70 seconds left. A rebound shot covered by Kopriva's left pad escaped the view of referee Paul DePuydt, and he blew play dead just before the puck was poked across the goal line.

The Rayz had one more chance when Roed was whistled for tripping Reid with 55 seconds left. But despite the Rayz' ensuing power play onslaught, the Ice Bats held on for the win. Tucciarone's two goals led scoring, as the Ice Bats power play clicked for three goals on seven chances.

The Ice Bats moved into a second-place tie with a 1-0 shutout of the Rayz Friday night at the Expo Center, sweeping both ends of the home-and-home series. Austin goalie Miroslav Kopriva stopped all 34 shots faced for the shutout win, his first and the team's third of the season.

The Ice Bats scored the only goal of the game with the slimmest of margins on the first period scoreboard clock. After a potential rebound goal by Dave MacIntyre was waved off with ten seconds remaining, Austin forward Shawn Roed scored with four-tenths of a second left in the period.

After that, the goalies controlled the show. Among Kopriva's stops was a sliding save with 1:30 remaining to preserve the shutout. Corpus Christi goalie Brent Zelenewich stopped 39 of 40 shots faced in a losing effort.

Fresh legs won out over momentum Saturday night, as Rio Grande Valley blasted the Ice Bats, 11-2 at the Dodge Arena. The Killer Bees, laying in wait since a Wednesday loss at Laredo, faced an Ice Bats team playing their third game in as many nights and coming off consecutive emotional one-goal wins. The loss snapped Austin's three-game winning streak and Rio Grande Valley's four-game losing skid.

The Killer Bees opened up a 2-0 first period lead on goals by defenseman Jeff Mushaluk and winger Daymen Bencharski. Mushaluk fired a shot from the high slot that glanced off the crossbar, then off the back of Austin goalie Matt Barnes for a power play score at 14:41. Four minutes later, Bencharski screened off Bats defender Trevor Read in a race for the puck, and scored a breakaway backhander.

Bencharski jumped on loose pucks to complete the hat trick within the first nine minutes of the second period. And Killer Bees winger Aaron Phillips outraced a stumbling Mike Tucciarone for a shorthanded breakaway with three minutes left in the period.

The fatigued Ice Bats didn't quit, and winger Gerald Tallaire scored twice within 70 seconds late in the second period. Tallaire's second goal came with 49 seconds left, on a shot from the left circle that clanged in off the right post.

But the Bees put the game away with a six-goal third period, including two power play goals and two shorthanded scores. Bill Newson completed the hat trick with a final goal with two minutes left. For the game, the Killer Bees scored four power play goals on ten chances. And the Bees racked up three shorthanded goals in blanking the Ice Bats on seven power play opportunities. Bencharski led scoring with three goals and two assists. Mushaluk and Trevor Weisgerber scored four points each.

Roster Flights:

Arrivals: Last Wednesday, goaltender Miroslav Kopriva was assigned to the Ice Bats for the second time by the team's AHL affiliate in Houston. The 21-year-old Kopriva (pronounced Kop-CHEEV-ka) was a sixth round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2003, and is the third goalie ever drafted by Minnesota. Kopriva played the past two seasons in his native Czech Republic, competing on a team that last year included NHL names such as Jaromir Jagr, Tomas Kaberle and Jan Hrdina. Kopriva has now won all four Ice Bats starts, allowing just five goals total on 125 shots.

Departures: To make room on the roster for Kopriva, goaltender Bryan Worosz was released last Thursday. Worosz was 1-2 in three Ice Bats appearances, with a 4.37 GAA.

Player Plaudits: After allowing just two goals total in consecutive wins over Corpus Christi last week, goalie Miroslav Kopriva was named Oakley CHL Goalie of Week. Kopriva is now 4-0 with a 1.25 GAA and .960 save percentage. Winger John McNabb leads the Ice Bats in scoring with 13 goals and 8 assists, ranking 5th in the league in goal-scoring. Forwards Aaron Davis and Dave MacIntyre are next on the team with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Aaron Schneekloth ranks among the top eight league defensemen with 6 goals, 9 assists (all 6 goals scored on the power play).

Potential Bite Victims: At 8-9-2, Fort Worth is in second place, in the thick of the fight in the Northeast. The Brahmas have leaned heavily on goaltender Larry Sterling, who leads the league in minutes, and ranks 5th at 8-7-1 with a 2.78 GAA. Scoring has come from Cory Stillman (7 goals, 11 assists), former San Angelo Saint Bret Dececco (12 goals, 5 assists) and Wes Mason (17 points). The Brahmas are seeking to improve on a power play that has converted just 9.2% of its opportunities, last in the league. Fort Worth is 5-7-1 at home.

Two points ahead of Fort Worth in the Northeast is Bossier-Shreveport at 9-7-2. The Mudbugs rank in the top five on offense (3.44 goals per game) and defense (averaging three goals allowed). Bossier would be further ahead if not for movement by players in and out of the lineup. For example, top scorer Scott Sheppard, who has 18 goals and 5 assists, including 10 power play goals. The league's 2nd-ranked goal-scorer was recently recalled to Rochester of the American League. Others leading the Bugs include veteran spitfire Dan Wildfong (22 points, 74 penalty minutes), veteran center Blair Manning (20 points, 19 on assists) and Brett Smith (13 goals). Goalie Ken Carroll was granted emergency leave for a time, but is back and ranks 2nd at 4-3-1 with a 2.27 GAA. Once ahead, the Mudbugs put you away-- outscoring opponents 23-13 in third period play. 5-5-1 as a road team, Bossier hosts Colorado Thursday before coming to Austin.

Rio Grande Valley snapped a four-game losing skid with their win over the Bats on Saturday. The Killer Bees are in third, just one point ahead of the Bats at 8-9-1. The Bees rank in the top four on offense, averaging about 3-1/2 goals per game. Trevor Weisgerber leads the team with 8 goals and 14 assists. After his big night against Austin, Daymen Bencharski has 21 points, and veteran Dwayne Hay has 19. Winger Matic Kralj (8 goals, 7 assists in 13 games) could be getting ready to come back from injury. Goalie Evan Lindsay ranks 5th in minutes played, and is 7-6-1 with a 3.26 GAA. Prior to their big six-goal third against the Bats, the Bees had been outscored 24-11 in third period play. 3-4 away from the Hive, the Killer Bees lost the first of consecutive games in Youngstown, 4-3 on Tuesday. They'll play the second on Wednesday, then again have off until Saturday's rematch in Austin.

The Series: The Ice Bats are 44-23-2 lifetime against Fort Worth, with the Brahmas claiming the season's only prior meeting, 4-1 November 4th in Austin.

The Bats are 13-18-8 lifetime against Bossier-Shreveport, after they were blanked 5-0 at Bossier back on October 28th, the season's only prior game between the teams.

Austin is now 12-13-1 lifetime against Rio Grande Valley, 2-2 this season. All four games have been high scoring, with the Ice Bats scoring six goals in each of their two wins, the Bees seven and 11 goals in their two victories.

Comments From the Coach:

On Last Week: "We've got a lot to feel good about. We've won five out of seven, and played two good games against Corpus Christi. I'd still like to see a little more offensive production, but up until Saturday, the defensive side of our game had been coming around pretty good. We knew Saturday would be a tough game, it just turned out tougher than we thought. But I don't want our guys dwelling on that game. You just take the tape and throw it in the garbage and move on. We've got as many shutout wins as any team in the league. Barnesy has a couple and now Kopriva has one. I have the utmost confidence in either goalie at this point, and that's a good position to be in."

On This Week: "The guys understand the system, and now we just need to be a little more creative when we have the puck offensively. Fort Worth and Bossier are great tests for our team, but we're looking forward to the challenge. And I'd imagine we'll be inspired to play Rio again. The thing about this month, with so many road games and the holiday season too, you really have to keep your focus. That makes the home games that much more important. But you just can't say you're going to go out and win your home games automatically. There's so much parity in the league, that home or away, you're in for a battle every night."

Cave, Sweet Cave: Friday night, country rockers "Reckless Kelly" perform after the game, part of the "Bud True Music Concert Series." The band, which seamlessly blends country, rock and bluegrass, has again won critical acclaim with the early release of its fifth album, "Wicked Twisted Road." The Sugar Hill Records recording artists are in the midst of an ambitious tour of the South and West, appearing with the likes of Los Lobos, Joe Ely and Robert Earl Keen.

Then Saturday is "Bikes For Kids" Night, presented by Freescale Semiconductor. The Ice Bats will be helping to raise money to purchase bicycles for deserving children. After the game, there will also be an auction of the team's game-worn NASCAR-themed jerseys, as well as several other unique auction packages.

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. For on-line orders, fans may visit www.TexasBoxOffice.com or www.GetTix.Net. To charge by phone, fans may call the Ice Bats ticket office at 927-PUCK, Texas Box Office at (512) 477-6060, or Get Tix at 1-866-4-Get Tix.

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.

Shuffle Up & Deal: The Ice Bats will hold their second annual Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament to benefit Ice Bats Children's Charities this Sunday, December 11th at Carlos ‘N Charlie's on Lake Travis. Prizes include Dallas Stars club seats, autographed merchandise and more, with Ice Bats players either dealing or playing at every table. For more details, call 927-PUCK.

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.

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Central Hockey League Stories from December 6, 2005


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