Ice Bats Bananas After Shootout Win Over Gorillas, 4-3

(Austin, TX) – It was as close as you could get to a playoff atmosphere in a regular season game.  The Central Hockey League’s Austin Ice Bats and Amarillo Gorillas have been neck and neck for the final playoff spot in the Southern Conference since January.  Friday night at Chaparral Ice Arena to two teams met at center ice separated by just a point in the standings, with the Ice Bats currently occupying the fifth and final playoff spot.  Regulation and overtime were not enough to decide the victor.  Instead the Ice Bats used their seventh shootout of the season to pull out a 4-3 victory, and move two points ahead of the Gorillas in the standings.

The Bats wasted no time getting the early edge, as John Ronan scored in the games first 18 seconds to make it 1-0, Bats.  RG Flath and Henry Kuster tallied the assists.  That was the only goal of the opening frame.

In the second, Brendan Cook scored his 27th goal of the season on assists from Jason Tessier and Mike Bartlett to give the Bats a 2-0 lead.  A minute later, rookie of the year candidate, David Nimmo, put Amarillo on the board scoring his 30th goal of the season with helpers from Bill Vandermeer and Austin Sutter.  The Ice Bats held a 2-1 edge heading into the third period.

It was a crazy third period as the Bats made it a two goal lead again on John Ronan’s second goal of the game and his 16th of the year on an RG Flath helper to make it 3-1 Bats.  Amarillo would come storming back however with two shorthanded goals.  Matt Miller closed the game to one with a goal on assists from Chris Lipsett and Trevor Read.  Then with less than four minutes remaining, Austin Sutter tied the game up at 3-3 with a goal.  Bill Vandermeer was the assist man, giving Amarillo five shorties in their last two games.  The game headed to overtime in a 3-3 tie.

Neither team could score in overtime sending the Ice Bats to their seventh shootout of the season.  Austin entered the game with a 5-1 shootout record this season.

Amarillo’s Chris Martini and Austin’s John Ronan each scored in the shootout’s opening round.  Brendan Cook put the Bats ahead in round four with a goal, but Nimmo kept the Gorillas alive threading a shot just under the crossbar in round five.  Bats goalie Miguel Beaudry denied Matt Miller in sixth round setting up John Neal to score the game winner for the Ice Bats.

Austin improved to 23-29-1 on the year and picked up their seventh shootout victory of the season.  The Bats are now two points ahead of Amarillo for the fifth and final playoff spot in the CHL’s Southern Conference.  Tomorrow Austin will host Rio Grande Valley at Chaparral Ice Arena at 7:30 PM. 

At 6:00 PM however, fans can attend a check presentation as the Ice Bats have raised $10,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  At the ceremony Dan Veenema, RG Flath, and Doug Groenestege of the Ice Bats will all have their heads shaved in support of Komen.  Tickets are available by calling 512-927-7825 or visiting icebats.com.