Ice Bats Sign D-man to Replace Virtue
February 27, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release
The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League today announced that veteran defenseman Terry Virtue has been recalled for the remainder of the season to the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League, top affiliate of the NHL Ottawa Senators.
To replace Virtue on the roster, the Ice Bats have signed veteran free agent Adam Davis, who will rejoin his brother, Ice Bats center Aaron in Austin.
"I'd like to thank the Austin fans for their support during the season," said Virtue, who scored 33 points in 51 games as the Ice Bats' player-assistant coach. "I have some long-time ties to the Binghamton organization and I'm looking forward to seeing where this opportunity takes me toward a future in coaching."
The 26-year-old Adam Davis is a native of Dearborn Heights, Michigan and will play in his sixth professional season. A junior product of the highly-successful Frisco-based Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League, Davis played his first four pro seasons with the nearby Fort Worth Brahmas. Davis played alongside his brother Aaron for two of those seasons before moving on to Laredo last season. With the Bucks, Adam Davis scored ten points in 50 games and helped lead Laredo to the President's Cup championship.
"We certainly hate to lose someone who has the ability and logs the ice time that Terry Virtue did," said Brent Hughes, Ice Bats Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations.
"But we're very fortunate to have a player like Adam Davis available to step in and fill that spot on our roster," Hughes said. "He's a durable guy that has championship experience. He's a solid all-around player, excellent defensively and capable of scoring some points as well. We'll be able to use him in any situation-- on the power play, penalty kill, you name it. And like Aaron, he's got a great attitude and quality character."
The Ice Bats are 19-21-11 on the current season, just one point back of Rio Grande Valley for the final playoff spot in the Southern Conference. After a Thursday game at Oklahoma City, the Ice Bats return to Chaparral Ice Arena for games this Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday night, the Ice Bats face Adam Davis' former team, Laredo, on "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 host Odessa and 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.
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