Paul DePuydt Keeps a Level Head
Never has it been said that CHL officials don’t have a sense of humor. On Saturday, March 1st prior to the Austin Ice Bats/Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees game at the Chaparral Ice Arena CHL referee Paul DePuydt joined Ice Bats players Dan Veenema, R.G. Flath, Doug Groenestege and Jamie Thompson in having their heads shaved after the Ice Bats raised more than $10,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation during a special Valentine’s Day game.
Veenema issued the initial challenge vowing to shave his head if the Bats reached a certain level of money raised for the cause. As a part of the effort, the Ice Bats wore pink jerseys and used pink sticks on Feb. 23 as they defeated the Corpus Christi Rayz 3-1.
DePuydt joined the CHL in 2001 and is working in his seventh season as a league on-ice official.
The Ice Bats are in the midst of battling for a playoff berth for the first time in four years and currently have the fifth and final Southern Conference post-season spot.