Austin Ice Bats

November 30, 2007
Rayz Ice Bats Fall in Shootout, 4-3

(Austin, TX) - The last time the Ice Bats played at home in Chaparral Ice Arena, the team snapped a seven game losing streak with a shootout victory. Now in the middle of a three game skid, the team returned home for a contest against the Corpus Christi Rayz. It took another shootout to decide the winner, but this time the Ice Bats were on the wrong side of a 4-3 final.

Zech Klann put the Bats on the board first with a power play goal. It was his fifth of the year, John Ronan and Jason Tessier had the assists.

Corpus Christi wouldn't get on the board until the second period when Joe Blaznek banged home a power play goal to tie the game at 1-1. Austin would reclaim the lead on a shorthanded goal by Brendan Cook who created a turnover at center ice to give himself a breakaway. It was Cook's sixth goal overall, and his third shorthanded tally for the season. Refusing to go quietly the Rayz would force a 2-2 tie heading into the intermission after Kevin Watters scored on a Jon Jankus assist.

It wasn't until late in the third that John Ronan would push the Bats ahead with his fourth goal of the year, thanks to assists from Zech Klann and Jamie Thompson. But Corpus would stay alive with a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling their goalie while on a power play. :41 remained when Brent Howarth knotted things up at 3-3 on a power play goal. The game headed to overtime, and eventually a shootout.

In the shootout, Justin Quenneville scored the only goal in round one. Corpus won the shootout, 1-0, and the game 4-3.

Next up for the Ice Bats is a Saturday night contest at Chaparral against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The Ice Bats are 1-1 against the Bees this year, both games were on the road. Tickets are still available by calling 512-917-7825 or visiting icebats.com. The puck drops at 7:35.

The Ice Bats are the AA Affiliate of the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and the Houston Aeros (AHL). The team is currently in their 12th season in Austin. Season Tickets, Multi-Game Plans, and Group Discounts are available by calling 512-927-7825 or visiting icebats.com.

November 28, 2007
Ice Bats Team Up With Blue Santa for Holiday Drive

(Austin, TX) - The Central Hockey League's Austin Ice Bats have teamed up with Blue Santa to spearhead a holiday toy and food drive this year. Starting immediately, people are encouraged to drop off toys and canned goods at Chaparral Ice Arena in order to give back to the community this holiday season.

In exchange for their good will, the Ice Bats are offering ticket discounts to those who donate items. A donation of a new toy or five canned goods can be redeemed for a five dollar discount on ticket purchases to all the Ice Bats' December games. Limit one discount per person.

The Ice Bats December schedule is as follows:
12/1 vs. Rio Grande Valley, 7:35 PM
12/8 vs. Rio Grande Valley, 7:35 PM
12/14 vs. Arizona, 7:35 PM
12/15 vs. Corpus Christi, 7:35 PM

Team up with the Ice Bats and Blue Santa to make the holidays more enjoyable for those less fortunate.

The Ice Bats are the AA Affiliate of the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and Houston Aeros (AHL). The team is currently in their 12th season in Austin. Single Game Tickets, Multi-Game Plans, and Group Discounts are available by calling (512) 927-7825 or visiting icebats.com.

November 28, 2007
Tessier Tessier's Heroics Voted as CHL Performance of the Week

(Austin, TX) - The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Austin defenseman Jason Tessier's two shootout goals on November 17th in a 5-4 victory over Odessa has been voted by the fans as the winner of week five's Performance of the Week. The Ice Bats had tied the game with nine seconds remaining in regulation when Tessier set up Jamie Thompson for a power play goal. The game eventually went to a shootout where Tessier scored in the third and 13th rounds winning the game for Austin and ending a seven-game losing streak.

In what was the closest vote so far this season, Tessier received 31% of the votes, while the Mississippi RiverKings four-goal second period in a 4-3 win over Youngstown on November 16th was second with 27%. Tessier will be automatically considered for the 2007-08 CHL Performance of the Year which will be announced in April, 2008.

Tessier is the top scoring defenseman on the Ice Bats with 12 points (5 Goals, 7 Assists) and is a veteran of 232 career CHL games (37 goals, 113 assists).

November 24, 2007
Sundogs Sundogs Run the Ice Bats Out of Town, 8-3

(Prescott Valley, AZ) - The Ice Bats came into Arizona looking to build momentum following their previous win, but all they found was back to back losses at the hands of the Sundogs. Saturday night at Tim's Toyota Center was the third and final game of the Arizona road trip, and the Bats lost, 8-3.

The first period was the worst of this trip for the Bats as penalties would put Austin in a 4-1 hole. Karl Sellan opened up the scoring for Arizona to make the score 1-0. Later Tyler Redenbach would score the first of two goals to make a 2-0 lead, but Austin would answer right back with a power play goal by Jamie Thompson. The Sundogs have made it a habit to take runs at Ice Bats' Goalie Miguel Beaudry, and Beaudry snapped taking swings at Sundogs forward Karl Sellan to earn a roughing penalty. Redenbach used the power play to score his second goal of the game--3-1, Arizona. Dusty Collins added insult to injury to put the Ice Bats in a 4-1 hole at the first intermission.

The second period went from bad to worse for the Ice Bats as the Sundogs continued to pour it on offensively while the penalties continued to mount up for the Ice Bats. Mark Kolanos, Jonathan Bernier, and Patrick Levesque all scored for the Sundogs to make it 7-1.

In the third period, the Ice Bats showed a few signs of life netting two goals. John Ronan scored his third of the year and John Neal used a 5-on-3 advantage to score his first goal of the season. Ronan had the assist.

Next up, the Ice Bats return home to face the Corpus Christi Rayz on Friday at Chaparral Ice Arena. Game time is 7:35 PM, and tickets are still available by calling 512-927-7825 or visiting Icebats.com.

The Ice Bats are the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and the Houston Aeros (AHL). The team is currently in their 12th season in Austin. For single game, group, and season ticket packages call (512) 927-7825, or visit icebats.com for more information.

November 23, 2007
Sundogs Three Second Period Goals Beat the Bats

(Prescott Valley, AZ) - The Ice Bats were looking to bounce back after a loss in game one of their three game set against the Arizona Sundogs at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. Unfortunately things progressed the same way as their did in game one, and the Ice Bats fell 4-2 to the Sundogs.

The first period was similar to Wednesday night. Both teams traded blows offensively, but could not put the puck in the net. Then Zech Klann opened up the scoring late in the period banging home his fourth goal of the year. Brendan Cook assisted on the play. At the end of the first period the Ice Bats led 1-0, and outshot Arizona 10-7.

The second period was nothing shot of ugly for the Ice Bats, as the Sundogs would score three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead. Mark Kolanos, Chris Bartolone, and Michael Barlett were the goal scorers in the period. At the end of the second it was 3-1, Sundogs.

The third period started strong for the Bats as Brendan Cook scored to pull the Ice Bats within one, just :27 into the period. From there though things only got worse for the Bats frustration would boil over late in the third. A bench minor was called against the Ice Bats when Brent Hughes argued the placement of a faceoff. Tyler Redenbach would make the Ice Bats pay scoring a power play goal to put the Sundogs up 4-2. That would be the final score.

Next up for the Bats is the third and final game of this road trip against Arizona at Tim's Toyota Center. The puck drops at 8:05 CST and can be heard locally on 1530 ESPN Austin and espnaustin.com.

November 21, 2007
Sundogs Late Goal Cracks the Bats

(Prescott Valley, AZ) - Coming off one of the biggest wins in the franchise's history, the Ice Bats traveled to Arizona for three games against the Sundogs at the Tim's Toyota Center. Game one would be a close contest between both teams, but Austin came up short as a late goal would propel the Sundogs to a 4-2 win.

The first period was cleanly played between both teams, but Arizona controlled most of the momentum, initiating some big hits on the Bats and outshooting Austin 13-6 in the first frame. Both teams had a power play opportunity but came up empty. At the end of the first period, it was tied 0-0.

The second period started out well for the Ice Bats as Ted Vandermeer opened the scoring with his second goal of the season. John Neal and John Ronan tallied the assists on the play. Arizona would tie it up though with a power play goal by David Schlemko. Two minutes later, Arizona would go on the power play again.and capitalize again. This time it was Mark Kolanos for the Sundogs who banged home the go-ahead goal. At the end of the second period it was 2-1, Arizona.

The third period was a close one for both teams, as Austin tied the score back up 2-2, thanks to a deflection goal by Kurtis Kisio. Both teams would stay tied until less than three minutes in the third when Chris Greene banged home the game winning goal on an assists from Tyler Redenbach. Arizona added an empty net goal to make the final score 4-2.

Next up for the Ice Bats is game two on this Arizona road trip. The Ice Bats and Sundogs square off on Friday night at 8:05 PM. The game can be heard on 1530 ESPN Austin and espnaustin.com.

November 17, 2007
Jackalopes Ice Bats Snap Skid in a Marathon

(Austin, TX) - It's been a long and frustrating stretch for the Ice Bats, who would not be denied of their third win Saturday night at Chaparral Ice Arena against the Odessa Jackalopes. After sending the game into overtime with nine seconds left in regulation, the Ice Bats gutted out the victory in a 13 round shootout. 5-4 was the final.

Jamie Thompson sparked the scoring in the first period off assists from Zech Klann and Henry Kuster. Odessa tied things back up on a Mike MacDonald goal. Then with less than two minutes remaining John Ronan would put the Bats back up 2-1, with his first goal of the season.

In the second period Odessa came right back with a goal of the stick of Nathan Ward to tie the game at two. John Ronan netted his second goal of the game on assists from Brendan Cook and Tamas Lencses to put the Ice Bats right back up at 3-2. Dominic Leveille used the power play to keep the game even, scoring with :90 remaining in the middle frame. Heading into the third it was knotted up at three.

The third period became a tale of the power play, as Odessa pulled ahead 4-3 with a power play goal from Sebastian Thinel. It gave the Jackalopes their first lead of the game. Ice Bats Head Coach, Brent Hughes pulled Miguel Beaudry with a minute and a half remaining in regulation. Then the Ice Bats were awarded a power play for one last shot. Jamie Thompson would take that one last shot and connect on his second goal of the game as 0:09 remained on the game clock. Jason Tessier and Kuster were the assist men on the power play goal. The Jacks and Bats were heading to overtime tied at four.

Neither team could net the golden goal in OT, so the game proceeded to a shootout that turned into a marathon. Dominic Leveille scored Odessa's only goal in the shootout in round two, but Jason Tessier answered right back in round three to tie the shootout at one. It wasn't until round 13 that a winner was decided. Jason Tessier was the hero scoring his second goal of the shootout, sealing the victory for the Ice Bats, 5-4.

The win snaps a seven game losing streak for Austin who now travels to Arizona for three road games against the Sundogs. The first comes on November 21st at 8:05 locally. The game can be heard on 1530 ESPN Austin and espnaustin.com.

November 16, 2007
Killer Bees Late Goals Topple The Bats

(Hidalgo, TX) - It's been a tough stretch for the Central Hockey League's Austin Ice Bats, suffering from a six game losing streak. Their last win was on the road against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Friday night the Ice Bats traveled to the Dodge Center to take on the Killer Bees for the second time this season, but it was too much offense by Rio Grande as they won 5-2.

The first period was back and forth between both teams. Although Rio Grande Valley led in the shot category, 24-8, both teams had quality scoring chances throughout the first. Taylor Raszka put the Ice Bats up 1-0 with his third goal of the year. Darryl McArthur and John Neal had assists on the play. Near the 5:00 mark, Jon Hedberg knotted the game back up for the Bees to make the score 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

In the second period tensions began to boil between both teams, as a number of words were exchanged after each stoppage in play to go along with pushing and shoving. Dennis Maxwell gave the Bees a 2-1 lead on a power play goal, 1:04 into the period. A few minutes later Jamie Thompson would tie things back up with a power play goal of his own. John Neal had the assist on the goal, it was Thompson's fifth of the year. Shortly before the period ended, Rio Grande would jump out to a 3-2 lead on a TJ Eason goal. That's how the second period would close.

The Ice Bats had chances to tie the game in the third period, but could not convert on a couple of power plays, one of which was a 5-on-3 advantage. Rio Grande Valley weathered the storm, and then pulled away with two third period goals by Rob Voltera and Josh Bonar. The final score was 5-2.

The Ice Bats return home Saturday night, where they'll take on the Odessa Jackalopes at 7:35 PM at Chaparral Ice Arena. Tickets are still available for that game, call 927-7825 for more information.

November 14, 2007
Ice Bats Hoping for Déjà Vu

(Austin, TX) - Heading into their Friday contest it will have been almost three weeks since the Ice Bats won a game. That last win came on October 27 on the road against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, 4-1. The Ice Bats are hoping history can repeat itself this Friday, when the team faces Rio Grande Valley on the road again.

The last six games (all losses) have not been easy for the Bats. Three of those games were against Youngstown and Laredo who have a combined record of 22-1-1 on the year, and another was against Bossier-Shreveport who has not given up a goal in their last three games.

"Losing is losing. It doesn't pertain to who you're playing. Yeah, we're playing the top teams and it's hard to win when you have to play a perfect hockey game," said Coach Brent Hughes, "but there's no excuses in hockey. The bottom line is we're not getting a lot of breaks and a lot of bounces, but we still have a lot of work to do as a team."

The Killer Bees are another team looking for a turnaround with just three wins on the year and having lost their last four.

"We kept that game simple and I thought we worked together as a team that game. It's one of the few times this season we've worked together as a team. It was 0-0 at the end of the first but didn't get frustrated. We just kept coming and coming and it paid off."

While the team is on the road Friday, the Ice Bats return home on Saturday for a date with the Odessa Jackalopes. Odessa defeated the Bats 5-2 earlier this year, in Odessa. Friday's game can be heard live on 1530 ESPN Austin and espnaustin.com. The game can also be seen online at centralhockeyleague.com on CHL-TV.

Saturday's game begins at 7:35 and tickets are still available starting at just $9. It's "Turkey Night" on Saturday against Odessa.

November 10, 2007
Mudbugs Ice Bats Blanked by Mudbugs, 3-0

(Bossier City, LA) - The Ice Bats traveled to Shreveport, LA Saturday night looking to bounce back against the Mudbugs at the CenturyTel Center. Power plays would continue to haunt the Ice Bats as they were the difference in the game.

Bossier-Shreveport jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on a Joe Ori goal. That would be the only scoring the period, but the Mudbugs controlled the play for most of the period outshooting the Bats, 22-7.

The second period was much of the same and the Mudbugs controlled the majority of play in the Bats zone, and converted two more goals out of it, a second goal by Ori and a power play goal by Justin Aikins. The Ice Bats had an opportunity with a 5 on 3 power play at the end of the period, but they could not convert. The second period ended with a 3-0 lead for the Mudbugs.

It was a quiet third period for both teams. Any chance the Ice Bats had in the Mudbug zone was cleared the other way by Shreveport. The Ice Bats fell short in Shreveport, 3-0.

Next up for the Ice Bats is a Friday road contest against Rio Grande Valley on Friday November 16th, at 7:35. The game can be heard on 1530 ESPN Austin and espnaustin.com.

November 9, 2007
SteelHounds Top Ice Bats, 7-2

(Austin, TX) - Friday night marked the second meeting between Austin and Youngstown when the two teams squared off at Chaparral Ice Arena. The game was delayed eight minutes due to a scoreboard malfunction, but it was also was an early sign that the night would be one to forget for the Ice Bats. The SteelHounds offense was the story of night with a 7-2 victory.

Youngstown jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead with two power play goals from Adam Smyth and Kurtis Dulle. Things continued to spiral downward as Ice Bats Head Coach, Brent Hughes was ejected from the game midway through the first period.

Jamie Thompson pulled the Ice Bats within one with his fourth goal of the season. Zech Klann and Henry Kuster tallied the assists on the goal. But less than two minutes later, Jeff Alcombrack rebuilt the two goal lead for the Hounds with a power play goal of his own, the third of the night for Youngstown. The Hounds added two more goal in the second period from Petr Pohl and Chris Richards, while both teams continued to rack up penalty minutes. Ice Bats defenseman, Jason Tessier, was ejected from the game for a major elbowing penalty, while the two teams combined for 24 penalties through two periods.

The third period was much of the same as Youngstown banged home another power play goal, and a shorthanded one as well. Zech Klann scored a power play goal for the Ice Bats late in the third, making the final score 7-2. Anger between the two teams continued to flow through the third as more penalties were handed out. At the end of the game, both teams combined for 41 penalties and 157 penalty minutes.

Next up for Austin is a road game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs Saturday night at 7:05 PM. The game can be heard locally on 1530 ESPN Austin and espnaustin.com.

November 8, 2007
Ice Bats Look For Revenge Friday vs. Youngstown

(Austin, TX) - The Central Hockey League's Austin Ice Bats will be looking for some revenge this Friday night at Chaparral Ice Arena, when the Youngstown SteelHounds make their second visit this season at 7:35. The last time these two teams faced off, Youngstown walked away with a 5-2 victory and both teams recorded a combined eight Major Fighting penalties and two 10 Minute Misconducts.

Special Teams was a major factor in the game and Youngstown scored two of their goals on the power play.

"Well, I'm looking for improvement from our club," said Head Coach Brent Hughes, "We've worked hard this week on solving a lot of our issues, and we should see great improvement."

The Ice Bats will enter the game with a 2-7-0 record and looking for answers to pick up another win. Since winning back to back games on October 26th and 27th the team has lost four straight.

The Ice Bats are the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and the Houston Aeros (AHL). The team is currently in their 12th season in Austin. For single game,group, and season ticket packages call (512) 927-7825, or visit icebats.com for more information.

November 6, 2007
Ice Bats Austin's Record-Setting Short-Handed Effort Voted by Fans as Week Two's Performance of the Week

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that the Austin Ice Bats penalty killers have been voted by the fans as the winner of week two's Performance of the Week for their outstanding game on October 26th versus the New Mexico Scorpions where they tied a CHL record with three shorthanded goals. The Ice Bats won the game 5-2 with Zech Klann, Henry Kuster and Jason Tessier scoring while a man down.

The Ice Bats penalty killers received 277 votes (31.4%) with the performance of Laredo goaltender Dustin Traylen on October 26th (a 7-0 shutout of Corpus Christi) finishing second, 41 votes behind. In all, 880 votes were received. Austin's performance will now be automatically considered for the 2007-08 CHL Performance of the Year which will be announced in April, 2008.

The penalty killing of the Ice Bats has been one of their strengths this year leading the CHL with five shorthanded goals scored. Brendan Cook, who did not score in the game on October 26th, leads the team with a pair of shorthanded strikes.

Fans can vote for their choice as the CHL Performance of the Week at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

November 4, 2007
Bucks Bucks Blank the Bats, 4-0

(Austin, TX) - It was the second consecutive night that the Ice Bats tried to play the spoiler role to an undefeated team as the 8-0-0, Laredo Bucks came to Chaparral Ice Arena, Sunday evening. Unfortunately for the Bats, the Bucks are undefeated for a reason, their offense...and Laredo displayed that offense for a 4-0 shutout victory over the Ice Bats.

It only took 1:06 from the drop of the puck for Laredo to take a 1-0 lead when Jeff Bes banged home a pass from Steve Simoes. Physical play between both teams occurred throughout the period until just 1:30 was left on the clock and Paul Elliott made it a two goal lead for the Bucks on a power play goal. Bes and Rane Carnegie were credited with the assists. At the end of one, it was 2-0, Bucks.

The second period looked similar to the first preseason meeting between the two clubs, as both teams combined for 17 penalties and two game misconducts. Laredo, however, was not phased by the aggressive response from the Ice Bats and banged home two more goals in the second. Bes scored his second of the game from Adam Rivet and Simoes; and Chris Korchinski scored to make the score 4-0, Bucks at the end of the second.

The third period was a stalemate as neither team scored, and only four penalties were recorded. Laredo improved to 9-0-0 on the year with a 4-0 win.

Next up for the Ice Bats will be a rematch against the Youngstown SteelHounds on Friday at 7:35 out at Chaparral. The Hound topped the Bats 5-2 on Saturday.

November 3, 2007
SteelHounds' Offense Too Much for Ice Bats

(Austin, TX) - The Central Hockey League's Austin Ice Bats were hoping to play the role of spoiler on Saturday night when the 6-0-0 Youngstown SteelHounds visited Chaparral Ice Arena. Unfortunately, the Hounds provided too much offense for the Bats to handle, defeating Austin 5-2.

Youngstown opened the scoring :91 into the first period when Petr Pohl scored on an unassisted goal to give the Hounds a 1-0 lead. Later on in the first, Adam Smyth made it a two goal lead with a power play goal from Eric Przepiorka and Jeff Alcombrack at 11:04. The Ice Bats tried to jump start their offense thanks to two major fighting penalties in the period assessed to Daniel Veenema and Ashlee Langdone of the Ice Bats...and the aggressive play seemed to work. Jason Tessier pulled the Bats within one when he scored a power play goal with 2:00 remaining in the first. Henry Kuster and John Ronan tallied the assists, it was Tessier's fourth goal of the year.

The aggressive play was the highlight of the second period, as only one goal was scored. Erik Johnson put the Hounds up 3-1 with assists coming from Steve Birnstill and Przepiorka. Also in the second the Ice Bats picked up their third major fighting penalty when John Ronan entered into a scrum with Kevin Jarman. The Ice Bats found themselves down two heading into the third.

The SteelHounds power play proved to be the difference in the third as Kevin Jarman pulled the game out of reach with a power play goal to make the score 4-1, Hounds. Ted Vandermeer scored his first goal of the season on a deflection from Tessier to make it a two goal deficit again, but that's as close as Austin would get. With one minute remaining, Chris Richards added an empty net goal to make the final score 5-2 in favor of the SteelHounds.

The Ice Bats are right back it Sunday when the Laredo Bucks come to Chaparral for a 4:05 meeting. This will be the first regular season contest between Laredo and Austin. The two teams met in the preseason at Chaparral in a game which the Bats won 4-3, but both teams racked up a combined 249 penalty minutes and 12 misconducts.

November 2, 2007
Brahmas Late Goal Downs the Bats

(Ft. Worth, TX) - The Central Hockey League's Austin Ice Bats traveled to the NYTEX Sports Centre Friday night looking to bounce back against the Texas Brahmas, a team which they fell to in their season opener in Austin. It was a tightly played game, tied going into the third, but a power play goal by the Brahmas proved to be the difference, 3-2.

In the first period, Texas tried to set the physical tone early, but it ended up in four Ice Bats power plays. The Ice Bats were able to capitalize on their second power play when Brendan Cook banged home his fourth goal of the season. Taylor Raszka and Kurtis Kisio recorded the assists. A little over two minutes later, the Brahmas would tie things up when Kevin McLeod banged home a loose puck in front of the net. Grant Jacobsen and Chris Thompson had assists on the goal. The Ice Bats had two other power plays but could not take advantage, and the first period ended in a 1-1 tie.

The second period had a similar look to it as the first. Texas continued to try and create opportunities off physical play, while the Ice Bats were given plenty of chances on the power play. Midway through the second Henry Kuster deflected a Jamie Thompson shot from the point for his fourth goal of the year. It was a power play goal, Thompson and John Neal assisted on the play. Less than three minutes after Kuster's goal, the Brahmas found themselves on a power play and took advantage of the situation. Scott Sheppard scored a power play goal of his own on assists from Mike Vellinga and Blair Manning. Robin Big Snake was ejected from the game midway through the second period for an Abuse of Official's Rule 41. The second period ended in a 2-2 tie.

The third period remained gridlocked until Greg McConnell broke the tie with a power play goal for the Brahmas. The Ice Bats pulled the goalie with 1:00 remaining but could not muster a decent scoring chance, and the gamed ended with a 3-2 victory for Texas.

Next up for Austin is a home contest against the Youngstown Steelhounds, 7:35 PM at Chaparral Ice Arena. Tickets are available by calling 927-7825 or visiting icebats.com.

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