Sports stats

Ice Bats on Road for Thanksgiving

November 22, 2006 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 3-5-4 on the young 2006-2007 CHL season, just one point out of third place in the Southeast Division. The Ice Bats have begun play at all-new Chaparral Ice Arena, located on I-35 between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway.

For Thanksgiving week, the Ice Bats take to the road, playing Arizona for the first time ever, then a pair of games after the holiday at New Mexico.

A look back: The Ice Bats fell one goal short in each of their three games last week. Last Thursday, Derrick McIver's power play goal propelled Corpus Christi past the Ice Bats, 3-2 in overtime.

The Bats opened scoring on a Henry Kuster power play goal 1:24 in, but the Rayz tied the score on Justin Quenneville's breakaway score late in the opening period. Corpus Christi then took a 2-1 lead on a Geno Parrish goal just 14 seconds into the second period. The Rayz nearly scored again 5-1/2 minutes later, but McIver fired wide on a penalty shot attempt.

Austin winger John McNabb tied the game with seven minutes left in the second, and the teams skated through a scoreless third period. After a penalty-free second and third period, referee Kevin Mallin whistled Austin's Mike Tucciarone on a dubious hooking penalty two minutes into overtime. The Rayz converted at 3:43, when McIver's shot from high in the left circle deflected in for the winner.

Friday night, the Ice Bats again weren't quite good enough, falling 2-1 at Bossier-Shreveport. With the Bats having killed a Bossier power play but still scrambling to clear their zone, the Mudbugs popped in the only score of the first period. Center Joseph Ori flipped Forbes MacPherson's centering pass upstairs from the right circle at 11:50. Bossier-Shreveport took a 2-0 lead on an odd-man rush, resulting in Cam Abbott's power play goal 5:36 into the third period.

The Ice Bats picked up the tempo and started to win one-on-one races to the puck. And they cashed in for a five-on-three power play goal, the first power play score given up by the Mudbugs in three home games this year.

Center Julian Smith rebounded a John McNabb shot to bring the Bats within one. And the Ice Bats kept the pressure on, but late penalties against Aaron Davis and Terry Virtue stalled their momentum.

Bossier goalie John DeCaro stopped 20 of 21 shots, outdueling Austin's Kevin Couture, who made 21 saves.

On Saturday, the Ice Bats lost a 3-0 lead at home to Odessa, rebounded to tie the game in the final seconds, then lost, 5-4 in a shootout.

The Bats played as physical as they have all season, finishing checks all over the ice. Winger John McNabb started scoring with a tip-in goal six minutes in, and Jason Kenyon slapped in a score off a face-off at 15:03 of the first. Austin forward Tim Earl made it 3-0, crashing the net for a delayed penalty score 2-1/2 minutes into the second.

Odessa got on the board midway through the second, then made it a one-goal game late in the period when center Mike Rutter blocked a shot and raced the other way for a breakaway goal. The Jackalopes came all the way back on Donnie Margettie's power play goal early in period three, and took their first lead on B.J. Pelkey's goal at 14:01.

With an extra attacker on in the final moments, Bats winger Henry Kuster brought the Chaparral Ice Arena crowd to its feet with the tying goal with five seconds remaining. But after a scoreless overtime, the Jackalopes scored twice in the shootout, while the Ice Bats were shut out on four shots. The loss came despite 52 Austin shots on net.

Roster Flights:

Arrivals: On Tuesday, the Ice Bats signed free agent forward John Ronan, after claiming him off waivers from the Rocky Mountain Rage. Ronan, who served as captain during a four-year stint at the University of Maine, played his rookie season with Florida of the ECHL last season, compiling 26 points in 68 games. This season, Ronan had five points in nine games with the Rage.

Departures: Also on Tuesday, the Ice Bats released rookie defenseman Ryan Lee. Lee had one assist in 12 games with the Ice Bats this season.

Wounded Wings: Ice Bats forward Britt Dougherty has been placed on 45-day injured reserve. Dougherty underwent knee surgery last week, and is out of the lineup for an undetermined period. Also on the shelf is defenseman Doug MacIver, who was injured Saturday against Odessa. MacIver is also out for an undermined period, but has not yet been placed on injured reserve.

Player Plaudits: Ice Bats winger John McNabb has vaulted among the league's top six scorers, with 9 goals and 9 assists. Forwards Aaron Davis and Mike Tucciarone are next in team scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively. In net, Miguel Beaudry (2-2-4, 3.27 GAA) and Kevin Couture (1-3, 3.00 GAA) have been splitting time.

Potential Bite Victims: The Ice Bats face two "new" teams this week-- Arizona, an expansion club, and New Mexico, which returns after a year off. Expansion Arizona has reaped considerable benefits from an affiliation with the Colorado Avalanche, and stands at 7-6, behind only Lubbock in the Southwest. One of the Colorado assignees, forward Brent Kelly is the real deal, with 10 goals and 8 assists. Veteran Daniel Laperriere ranks second among d-men with 15 points, and Cory Stillman, who played last year in Fort Worth, has 13 points. Rookie winger Martin Doyle is the hammer, among the league leaders with 59 penalty minutes. The lone player signed from the expansion draft, goalie Chris King is 3-1 with a 2.50 GAA. Arizona is 2-1 in their recently-opened new home, the Tim's Toyota Center.

Potential Bite Victims, continued: At 3-8, New Mexico is last in the Southwest, and has dropped five in a row. Defense has been the major issue, uncharacteristic for a Ray Edwards coached team. But the Scorpions rank last in scoring defense, allowing 4.36 goals per game, and on the penalty kill (71.6%). Rookie forwards Ryan McLeod (6 goals, 7 assists) and Lance Herauf (12 points) lead the team, while d-man Rob Guinn has also contributed 12 points. Goaltender Brad Smith is 2-3, with a 3.76 GAA. With their new building opening a little bit earlier than Arizona, New Mexico has played five home games, and is 3-2 at the Santa Ana Star Center. They'll host Odessa Wednesday.

The Series: The Ice Bats will face Arizona for the first time.

The Ice Bats are 10-13-4 lifetime against New Mexico. The teams did not play last season, as the Scorpions took a year off from operations to await the completion of their home rink.

Comments From the Coach:

On Last Week: "We have the skill to win some of these overtime or shootout games, but can't seem to get the job done. I thought we played hard throughout the week. It's disappointing to give up a 3-0 lead at home, as we did to Odessa. I thought we lost some focus and there were some missed defensive coverages. But we put 52 shots on net and played physical in that game. We just have to find a way to win it."

On This Week: "Hopefully, this road trip will build some chemistry. It's going to be tough though. We're not looking any further than Arizona. They're a real good team with a lot of quality kids from their affiliation. They've played a lot on the road, so they're already battle tested. It'll be a real tough game to start the week."

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. The Ice Bats will return home for games December 1st and 3rd.

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.

NOTE: Friday's game at New Mexico will be carried live, but on 1530's sister station, ESPN Deportes on 1260 AM. Fans may listen to the game on 1260, or catch the live web streaming at www.deportes1260.com.

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:

Wed., Nov. 22nd, 7pm (MST), vs. Arizona Sundogs, at Tim's Toyota Center, Prescott Valley, Arizona

Fri., Nov. 24th, 7:35pm (MST), vs. New Mexico Scorpions, at Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho, NM

Sat., Nov. 25th, 7:05pm (MST), vs. New Mexico Scorpions, at Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho, NM



Central Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2006


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.

Other Recent Austin Ice Bats Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central