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| NEWS ARCHIVES: 8-9-04 to 8-15-04 8-16-04 to 8-22-04 8-23-04 to 8-31-04 9-1-04 to 9-14-04 9-15-04 to 10-14-04 10-15-04 to 11-6-04 11-7-04 to 1-2-05 |
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| Ice Bats News |
| 1-3-05 BLANKET UPDATE-- As the site hasn't been updated in a month, the news team would like to focus on a few highlights of this month's action: 1) Ice Bats 6, Nighthawks 0-- With starting goalie Jeff Kocovsky out of town, the Bats called on RW Bob Ranalla to strap on the gear and protect the net against the Nighthawks. The ice at Aldrich was soupy and rutted, the air was hot and dry, and Ranalla stopped all shots he faced as the Ice Bats earned a shutout. Shooting differential was 53-10 in favor of the Bats, and LW Todd Kenyon slammed home his first goal of the season. 2) Ice Bats 8, Buzz 1-- As these teams faced off for the first time, it became evident that victory would go to the squad best able to shake off the aftereffects of their holiday turkey. Fortunately for the Ice Bats, Bob Ranalla was again solid in goal, stopping 13 of 14 shots while the offense managed to notch 8 goals on 32 shots. RW Mark Lanz pushed himself towards the top of the D2 West leaderboard for points scored and LW Todd Kenyon continued his goalscoring streak. Defenseman Paul Hedlund continued his "shock and awe" tactics when he sent a blistering slapshot from the point during the second period which broke the blade of an opposing player's skate upon impact. 3) Ice Bats 6, Maroons 0-- Completing the tour of D2 West, the Ice Bats defeated the Maroons 6-0 on Sunday night in Richfield. Jeff Kocovsky celebrated his triumphant return to the Bats lineup with his second shutout of the season, and the defense held the puck at the blue line for the majority of the game, resulting in a smothering shot differential of 65 to 11. The Bats have given up one goal and allowed only 35 shots over the past three games. The Bats hope to unveil their official team uniforms for the first time this season when they next take on the Royals on January 8. The Royals, after losing to the Ice Bats on the season opener, have gone on to win against every other team in D2 West with the exception of the Wolf Pack, a 3-1 loss on December 12 in which they outshot their opponents 26-20. With the Royals in search of payback, it should be a challenging matchup for the Ice Bats. Saturday, January 8, 9:15 PM, St. Louis Park West. Side note: At 6:00 PM at St. Louis Park, the Muskies take on the Stars in D2 East action. Come early to get a glimpse of the Ice Bats' ex-rivals as they take on the undefeated Stars. |
| 1-8-05: ICE BATS 7, Royals 0-- Despite the absence of some key players on their roster this week, the Ice Bats turned out a solid team effort and supported Bob Ranalla's great shutout effort in goal (his second in three games) with seven goals to defeat the Royals in St. Louis Park. Josh Halttunen rebounded from last week with two goals and an assist, Scott Strzynski netted a nice shorthanded goal in the first period as part of his two-point game, and Mark Lanz and Kevin Johnson shared one lucky helmet resulting in goals for both players. The Royals put up a stronger fight than the scoreboard indicates and it is a testament to the Bats' all-around hustle and hard work that the score turned out as lopsided as it did. Good game, everyone. The Bats next square off against the Wolf Pack on January 23rd in St. Paul. That's a Sunday, 9:30 PM, in Highland Park South. |
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| 1-23-05: (Yawn...) ICE BATS 7, Wolf Pack 0-- The Ice Bats destroyed the Wolf Pack on Sunday night, 7 to nil. The Wolf Pack seemed to have conceded the game before it began, as they only bothered to attempt five shots. That's right, sportsfans-- the Ice Bats scored more goals than the Wofl Pack attempted to score. Jeff Kocovsky continued his scoreless streak, but as a completely empty net would have resulted in a 7-5 win for the Ice Bats, the game puck has to go to the Ice Bat defensive corps, which also accounted for three goals and two assists. The Bats are looking forward to a more lively and evenly-matched contest on Wednesday night versus the first-place Lakers. 10:10 PM, Aldrich Arena. |
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| 1-26-05: LAKERS 7, Ice Bats 3-- The Ice Bats were handed their second loss of the season on Wednesday night at Aldrich arena at the hands of the first-place Lakers. Despite outshooting the Lakers 33-30, the Bats weren't able to put the puck past Roy until almost halfway through the game, when Troy Rickheim scored his first of two in the period. Alex Evenson ended his season-long scoring drought when he put the Ice Bats' first shot of the third period in the net, but it was too little, too late as some late penalties allowed the Lakers to keep the Bats' attack off-balance. A power play goal and empty netter sealed the game for the Lakers. Leading scorer Gontarek had a four point night on two goals and two assists, while Slavics managed three assists. With the win, the Lakers control their own destiny in D2 West, as the Bats only meet them once more on their schedule. The Ice Bats next take on the Aurora: Sunday, January 30 @ Aldrich arena, 9:45 PM. |
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