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Scorpions Split Pair of Games

December 9, 2002 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
New Mexico Scorpions News Release


SCORPIONS ON THE RADIO – The Scorpions are teaming up this season with SportsRadio 610 The Sports Animal to bring you all of the Scorpions action on the radio. Mike Sheehan is in his first season as the Voice of the Scorpions. Both games this weekend are scheduled to air on SportsRadio 610 The Sports Animal.

SCORPIONS HOCKEY TALK – The Scorpions' weekly radio talk show continues this Wednesday night from 6 to 7 p.m., live on location at the Corner Pocket, 9603 Lomas NE just west of Eubank. Scorpions Hockey Talk features Scorpions coach Pat Dunn and the "Voice of the Scorpions" Mike Sheehan, along with special guests each week.

SCORPIONS TICKETS AND EVENTS – Friday night at Tingley Coliseum is Half-Price Beer Night as the Scorps host Austin. Draft beer will be available for as low as $2. The Scorpions' home game on Saturday against Indianapolis is Arby's Puck Night to the first 1,500 fans. It will also be Teddy Bear Toss Night. Fans are asked to bring a teddy bear to the game and toss it onto the ice when the Scorpions score their first goal. The teddy bears will be donated to area children's hospitals.

SCORPIONS RECAP –

SCORPIONS 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 – Each member of the Scorpions' "College Line" came through as New Mexico continued their supremacy over Oklahoma City with a 3-2 road win on Friday. The Scorpions are now perfect in four all-time meetings with the Blazers, although all four games have been decided by one goal. Mike O'Malley scored and added two assists, while Nate Mauer tallied and chipped in a helper. Tyler Baines scored the game-winning goal with 8:37 left in the third period and also had an assist. Luciano Caravaggio made 32 saves in goal for the Scorps.

EL PASO 4, SCORPIONS 0 – The Buzzards held on to a one-goal lead for most of the game before finally recording a 4-0 victory over the Scorpions on Saturday night, including two empty-net tallies in the game's final 1:10. Luciano Caravaggio made 26 saves in goal for the Scorpions.

SCORPIONS MATCH-UPS –

AUSTIN – The Ice Bats make their first and only appearance of the season at Tingley Coliseum this Friday. The Southern Conference leaders were one of the CHL's hottest teams but have lost their last three games, scoring just once in all three. However, the Ice Bats are the league's stingiest team, allowing just 1.75 goals per game. Goalie Matt Barnes (13-4-1) leads the way with a 1.50 GAA and .947 save percentage and is second with 13 wins and four shutouts. Austin is led offensively by Kelly Smart (12g-12a-24pts) and Dan Price (10g-10a-20pts). The Scorpions return the visit to Austin on Feb. 15. The Ice Bats took a 5-4 overtime win at home on Jan. 12 in the only meeting between the teams last season.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Ice have been one of the CHL's hottest teams, having won seven in a row and going unbeaten in 11 straight until a 3-0 loss in Memphis last night. The Scorpions took last season's lone meeting with Indy, a 3-1 home win on Feb. 20. Like Austin, the Ice's calling card has been between the pipes, as goalie Shawn Silver (8-3-3) is second in the CHL with a 1.54 GAA and ..945 save percentage. The Ice doesn't score many goals, ranking just 14th of 16 teams by averaging 2.5 goals per game. Jason Baird leads Indy with 21 points (8g-13a), followed closely by Kevin St. Jacques (10g-10a) with 20 points. The Ice host Bossier-Shreveport on Wednesday before visiting Amarillo on Friday. After Saturday, the Scorpions won't play the Ice again until the second-to-last game of the season, on Saturday, March 15 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

CALL THEM THE "COLLEGE LINE" – The unit of center Mike O'Malley and wingers Nate Mauer and Tyler Baines has been one of the Scorpions' strongest trios of late. The line accounted for all three goals and seven points in Friday's 3-2 win at Oklahoma City. O'Malley, who played college hockey at Colgate just an hour from his hometown of New Hartford, N.Y., had a career-best night with a goal and two assists. Mauer scored the Scorpions' first goal and assisted on O'Malley's tally while Baines scored the game-winner and set up Mauer's goal. Mauer and Baines were teammates for three seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato, thus the birth of the "College Line."

RATCHETING UP THE "D" – After allowing 13 goals in losses to Tulsa and Laredo last month, the Scorpions have been making things tougher for opponents. The Scorps have allowed 11 goals in their last four games, although two goals in Saturday's loss to El Paso were scored into an empty net, meaning the Scorps are allowing an average of 2.25 goals in their last four games if you take out the empty netters.

BREEN JOINS SCORPS – The Scorpions added rookie Neil Breen to their roster on Saturday after claiming him off waivers from Laredo earlier in the week. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound center recorded two goals and six points along with 29 PIM in 19 games with the Bucks. The 24 year-old native of Spokane, Wash. played college hockey for four seasons at Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn. Last year he tied for fifth on the team with 11 goals and 28 points. Breen was teammates with current Scorps winger Nate Mauer during the 1997-98 season with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. To make room on the roster, rookie defenseman Dominic Plenzich was waived.

STINGERS – The Scorpions' record for wins to start a season is still intact, although Friday's opponent Austin made things interesting... The Ice Bats won their first nine games before losing in overtime to Corpus Christi in their tenth outing... The Scorps won their first ten games during their inaugural season in 1996-97... The Scorpions face the CHL's top two penalty killing teams this weekend in Indianapolis (92.1%) and Austin (90.6%)... Center Chris Richards leads the league among full-time players in shooting percentage, connecting on 24.1 percent of his shots (14 goals in 58 attempts).



Central Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2002


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