Ice Bats Welcome Stanley Cup, Winning Ways

Published on January 18, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release


THIS WEEK: Wed., Jan. 18th, 7:30pm, CHL All-Star Game, at Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas Fri., Jan. 20th, 7:00pm, vs. Amarillo Gorillas, at Amarillo Civic Center, Amarillo, Texas Sat., Jan. 21st, 7:30pm, vs. Wichita Thunder, at Travis County Expo Center, Austin, Texas

Setting the Stage: The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League are 14-18-3 on their 10th-Anniversary 2005-06 season. After winning six out of eight games, the Ice Bats won just once over their last ten games of 2005. However, the Ice Bats are off to a 4-1-1 start to begin the New Year, overtaking Corpus Christi for third place in the Southeast Division race, and moving within four points of playoff position in the Southern Conference. After breaking for Wednesday's CHL All-Star Game, the Ice Bats will play a key game against one of the teams they're chasing, Friday in Amarillo. The Bats will then return home to play Wichita Saturday, an evening highlighted by an appearance from the NHL Stanley Cup.

A look back: The Ice Bats won two of three games last week. Last Wednesday, the Laredo Bucks scored twice in the third period to claim a 2-0 victory over the Bats at the Laredo Entertainment Center, snapping the Ice Bats' two-game winning streak. The contest was a matchup of star prospect goalies, with Laredo's Dov Grumet-Morris stopping all 27 shots faced, to outduel Austin goalie Miroslav Kopriva. Neither team scored in a listless first period, during which the best scoring chance was a centering pass by Austin defenseman Darryl McArthur, which deflected off traffic and off the left post. The teams generated more chances in the second period, the Ice Bats effectively crashing the net late on a power play midway through the period. And the Bucks almost took the lead in the final minute on a two-on-one rush when a Jeff Bes pass deflected off a sliding McArthur on net, but Kopriva stuck with the play to make the save. The Bucks finally picked up the first goal on Ladislav Kouba's drop pass to a trailing Adam Rivet 8:11 into the final period. Laredo forward Steve Simoes scored the second goal with 3:44 remaining, his shot glancing off Kopriva's pads, after the Bats goalie had lost his goal stick. Kopriva finished with 33 saves on 35 shots.

The Ice Bats returned to make sure Friday the 13th was an unlucky one for Fort Worth, scoring five first period goals in a 9-4 grilling of the Brahmas at the Travis County Expo Center. Forward Mike Tucciarone recorded his first pro hat trick plus two assists, and winger John McNabb scored six points to lead the Austin attack. The Bats wasted no time getting on the board, as Tucciarone scored 1:48 into the contest. After Brahmas winger Wes Mason tied the score at 6:13, the Ice Bats ripped off four unanswered goals. Julius Halfkenny scored a power play goal at 10:24, and Tucciarone added his second score 23 seconds later. That brought Larry Sterling into the Fort Worth net, replacing starting goalie Chris Davidson. But the Ice Bats kept up the onslaught with a McNabb power play goal and Dave MacIntyre's score off a pretty give and go with McNabb. Brahmas forward Jimmy Sokol scored with less than a second left in the first period, but the Bats countered with a Gerald Tallaire goal 19 seconds into the second. McNabb added his second power play goal midway through the period to produce a 7-3 lead. MacIntyre earned his second goal early in the third, and Tucciarone completed the hat trick on a power play with 2:08 remaining. In addition to big nights from Tucciarone and McNabb, the Bats got three points from MacIntyre and three assists from Jeff Neufeld. The Ice Bats converted four of ten power play opportunities.

On Saturday, the Ice Bats closed out the week with a thrilling 2-1 shootout win over Rio Grande Valley. Goaltenders Miguel Beaudry of Austin and Terry Dunbar of the Killer Bees put on a show, as the teams went to overtime for the third straight meeting. Neither team scored through the first two periods, but not due to a lack of quality chances. Dunbar robbed Bats forward Jeff Neufeld from his back midway through the second period, while Beaudry exhibited quick glove work on a late Bees power play. With two minutes remaining in the second, Killer Bees forward Daymen Bencharski boarded Bats defenseman Aaron Schneekloth, receiving a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct. A subsequent Rio Grande bench minor at the buzzer gave the Ice Bats a full two-minute five-on-three power play to start the third, but the Bats failed to convert. Nine minutes into the third, Dunbar stacked his pads to take away a Dave MacIntyre shot from point blank range. But the Bats finally broke through on Schneekloth's rebound goal with 5:30 left in regulation. The Killer Bees stormed right back two minutes later though, Trevor Weisgerber gloving a clearing attempt and scoring the tying goal. After a scoreless overtime, both teams got goals in Round Three of the shootout. Austin's Aaron Davis potted the winner in Round Four, as Beaudry stopped four of the five Rio shooters. For the game, Beaudry stopped 40 of 41 shots faced, getting the nod over the 34-save effort of Dunbar.

Roster Flights: Departures: Due to a knee injury sustained by Houston star goalie Josh Harding, Ice Bats goaltender Miroslav Kopriva was recalled to the AHL Aeros last Friday. Kopriva is expected to remain in Houston for at least a couple of weeks.

Player Plaudits: Winger John McNabb and defenseman Aaron Schneekloth will represent the Ice Bats on the Southern Conference roster for the CHL All-Star Game, to be played Wednesday night at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo. The pair was also to participate in Tuesday's Skills Competition. McNabb ranks among the top dozen league scorers with 21 goals and 20 assists. Forwards Aaron Davis (28 points) and Dave MacIntyre (13 goals, 13 assists) are next on the team. And Mike Tucciarone is fifth among all rookie scorers with 24 points, leading all first-year players in goals (16), power play goals (8) and game-winners (4). And goaltender Miroslav Kopriva continues to excel, now with a 7-2 record, an even 2.00 GAA and .945 save percentage.

Potential Bite Victims: Both of the Ice Bats' opponents this week feature explosive and balanced offenses. After starting 5-10-2, Amarillo started putting it together in early December. Now the Gorillas are 4-0-1 in their last five, and sit 16-13-3 on the season, second in the Southwest. The Gorillas lead Lubbock by two points and the Ice Bats by four in the race for the final Southern Conference playoff berth. MVP frontrunner Derek Hahn is having a ridiculous season, leading the league with 26 goals and 41 assists. He has scored 22 points over the course of an active eight-game scoring streak. Behind him is forward Scott Wray, who has 19 goals and 17 assists, including four shorthanded goals. Former Ice Bat Brent Hughes and Rich Hansen have 27 points each, Hansen ranking third among rookies. And Amarillo gets solid leadership from veterans like defenseman Mark DeSantis and forward Dave Rattray. The Gorillas are in the top five on offense and the power play, but if there's one chink in their armor, it's team defense. Still, goalie Shawn Degagne is 13-7-2 with a 3.09 GAA. Amarillo is 12-5 at home, and you better stay with them early-- the Gorillas are 9-0 when leading after just one period.

Also winners of four of their last five, Wichita is 20-10-5, eight points behind Colorado in the rugged Northwest. The Thunder features the league's #3 offense (3.69 goals per game) and #2 power play (19.1%). Joe Blaznek is second in the league in goals, third in overall scoring with 27 goals and 24 assists, including 15 power play goals. Wichita lifers Jason Duda (14 goals, 37 assists) and Travis Clayton (14 goals, 31 assists) help Blaznek form one of the league's most lethal trios. Former Ice Bat Daniel Tetrault ranks third among d-men with 35 points. Rookie Chris Bain (172 penalty minutes, 16 major penalties) is the top enforcer for a team that ranks second in overall penalty time. Back after a quick call-up to AHL Iowa, goalie Sebastien LaPlante is 14-8-4 with a 3.07 GAA. 6-9-2 as a road team, Wichita begins a post-All-Star Game swing through Corpus Christi on Friday.

The Series: The Ice Bats are 16-9-3 lifetime against Amarillo, after losing the season's only meeting, 5-3 just after Thanksgiving in Amarillo.

The Bats are 4-0-1 lifetime against Wichita, heading into this season's first meeting.

Comments From the Coach: On Last Week: "That makes two weeks in a row we've played with a little bit of consistency. It's a matter of believing in the system and working hard, a pretty simple formula. We're in it now, in the chase for the next couple of months. We just need to keep doing the things we're doing. I thought Beaudry played pretty good, especially on Saturday in what turned out to be the marquee game."

On This Week: "I don't think it's necessary to tell our guys that every game is a big game now. Certainly Amarillo and Lubbock are the teams we're chasing, and it's important to beat them to stay close. The Southwest Division teams see a lot of each other, and we don't see a lot of them, so we have to take advantage of our chances." "It's great for our fans to get the chance to see the Stanley Cup. I haven't seen it in awhile, since the Stars camp in Kalamazoo the year after they won it. It's a special thing for people to see it and take photos with it. It's the oldest and most prized trophy in the world."

Cave, Sweet Cave: The Ice Bats will host the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup at the Travis County Expo Center Saturday night. The Cup will be on display during the Ice Bats' game against Wichita, and fans may bring their cameras to take their picture with the Cup. Ice Bats season ticket holders will have an exclusive opportunity to take photos with the Cup from 5:30 to 6:30pm. The Cup will then be available to the general public starting at 6:30pm. In addition, it's "Guaranty Win Night," sponsored by Guaranty Bank. If the Ice Bats fail to knock off the Thunder, all fans in attendance will receive a free ticket to a future home game. Free "Cheerstix" go to 5,000 fans, and the evening begins with the University of Texas hockey team facing Texas A&M beginning at 4pm. 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.

Schedule Reminder: The Ice Bats' home game against Corpus Christi originally scheduled for 11:30am this coming Monday has been moved. The game will now be played at 7:30pm on Tuesday, February 21st at the Travis County Expo Center.

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 January 18, 2006


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