Austin Ice Bats
| Austin Ice Bats | |
|---|---|
Chaparral Ice | |
| Colors | Purple, Red, Yellow, White, Black |
| Affiliates | Minnesota Wild (NHL) Houston Aeros (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1996–2008 | Austin Ice Bats |
The Austin Ice Bats were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Austin, Texas, from 1996 to 2008. They were originally members of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) and later the Central Hockey League (CHL). The team was named for the Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) that nest under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in the city.
History
The team was established in 1996 and played home games in
On February 15, 2006, the Ice Bats left the Travis County Exposition Center and relocate to Chaparral Ice, near Austin's northeast border with neighboring
In May 2008, the team announced it was leaving Austin due to lack of fan support at
In 2021, a new junior team was launched using the Ice Bats' name in the North American 3 Hockey League.[2]
Media
Throughout the franchise's history, the Ice Bats had three play-by-play announcers: Mark "Space Wrangler" Martello, Glen "Sharky" Norman and Brian "Sun" Rea. Bob "The Blimp" Fonseca was the team's first PA announcer. Philip "Dollar" Billnitzer covered the Bats for the Austin-American Statesman during the inaugural season and continued to cover them for CitySearch.com for two more seasons.
References
- ^ "Bats bidding Austin farewell". Austin American-Statesman. May 7, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
- ^ "NA3HL announces new team in Austin, Texas". North American 3 Hockey League. April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
External links
- Chaparral Ice official web site
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
