The Columbus Cottonmouths
are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is nicknamed the "Snakes", and play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center.
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COLUMBUS COTTONMOUTHS TICKETS
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Central Hockey League (CHL): 1996-2001
In 1996, the Columbus Cottonmouths started play in the
Central Hockey League, joining the
Macon Whoopee and Nashville Nighthawks as expansion entries that were originally slated to be in the
Southern Hockey League before its demise in the summer of 1996. Along with the
Memphis RiverKings, an established CHL franchise, and the
Huntsville Channel Cats, the SHL champion in 1996 and the lone surviving franchise from that league, Columbus and the other two expansion SHL teams formed the new Eastern Division of the CHL in the 1996-97 season. In 1998, the team won the CHL championship, defeating the
Wichita Thunder in a four-game sweep. The Cottonmouths were in the CHL playoffs each of their five seasons in the league, making it to the league finals in 2000 before losing to Indianapolis and in 2001 before falling to the Oklahoma City Blazers. In the summer of 2001, the CHL merged with the
Western Professional Hockey League and geographic rivalries in Huntsville and Macon were lost, leading the Cottonmouths to seek and obtain entry into the
East Coast Hockey League. DVA Sports, comprised of owners Salvador Diaz-Verson and Shelby Amos, purchased the defunct
Hampton Roads Admirals ECHL franchise, relocating it to Columbus under the Cottonmouths name and logo.
East Coast Hockey League (ECHL): 2001-2004
From 2001-2004 the Columbus Cottonmouths played in the
ECHL, bringing with them their long time Captain Jerome "Boom-Boom" Bechard and Head Coach Bruce Garber. In the three seasons that Columbus spent in the ECHL, they failed to make the playoffs. Mid-way through their second season in the ECHL, Garber, the only coach in team history, resigned. General Manager Phil Roberto took over for the remainder of the season. Their best season in the ECHL was their last. Prior to the 2003-04 season the team announced the signing of their new Coach, former NHL tough guy Brian Curran. They finished with a 37-27-8 record, tied with the Greensboro Generals for the best record by a non-playoff team that season. In April 2004, the Cottonmouths management announced their intentions to move their ECHL franchise to the Bradenton-Sarasota area in Florida. The team, which was later named the
Gulf Coast Swords, would never come to fruition as financial setbacks delayed the construction of their to-be home arena. Finally, after foreclosure on the arena property and numerous delays, the ECHL revoked the Swords franchise in the league in the summer of 2006.
Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL): since 2004
Since 2004 the Columbus Cottonmouths have played as a member of the
Southern Professional Hockey League. Led by first year Coach, and Columbus hockey legend Jerome Bechard, the team won the inaugural SPHL championship in April 2005 by first winning a one game playoff against the
Fayetteville FireAntz by a 4-2 score. They next swept the regular season champion
Knoxville Ice Bears to advance to the league finals, which they won against the
Macon Trax with two straight victories, ending with a 3-2 overtime win. The Snakes' victory capped an undefeated postseason in which they won five games without losing a single contest.
In 2006, the Cottonmouths finished with the second-best regular season record in the league but were ousted in the first round of the playoffs two games to one by the
Huntsville Havoc.
In 2007 the Columbus team won the SPHL Commissioner's Cup as the team with the best season record, but was ousted in the first round of playoffs by the
Jacksonville Barracudas, who won three games to the Cottonmouths' one victory.
In 2008, the Cottonmouths ironically relied on the team that would oust them from the playoffs to get them into the playoffs. On the last day of the regular season, the
Knoxville Ice Bears defeated the
Huntsville Havoc to give the Snakes the sixth and final playoff berth, which would pit them against first-place Knoxville. The home team won every contest of the best-of-five series with Columbus recovering from an 0-2 deficit with a pair of home wins before losing the deciding contest in Knoxville. The Snakes' 22-24-6 regular-season record was a Columbus hockey team's first losing record since 2002-03 and the first one by a non-ECHL Cottonmouths squad.
Year-by-year record
| Year
| GP
| W
| L
| RT
| PTS
| Finish
| Playoffs
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| 1996-97
| 66
| 32
| 28
| 6
| 70
| 4th, East
| Lost in Quarter Finals
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| 1997-98
| 70
| 51
| 13
| 6
| 108
| 1st, East
| Won Levins Cup
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| 1998-99
| 70
| 42
| 21
| 7
| 91
| 2nd, East
| Lost in Division Finals
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| 1999-00
| 70
| 39
| 20
| 11
| 89
| 2nd, East
| Lost Miron Cup Finals
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| 2000-01
| 70
| 41
| 21
| 8
| 90
| 2nd, East
| Lost Miron Cup Finals
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| Year
| GP
| W
| L
| RT
| PTS
| Finish
| Playoffs
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| 2001-02
| 72
| 24
| 37
| 11
| 59
| 8th, Southeast
| Out of playoffs
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| 2002-03
| 72
| 25
| 39
| 8
| 58
| 7th, Southeast
| Out of playoffs
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| 2003-04
| 72
| 41
| 21
| 8
| 82
| 5th, Central
| Out of playoffs
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| Year
| GP
| W
| L
| RT
| PTS
| Finish
| Playoffs
|
| 2004-05
| 56
| 30
| 26
| -
| 60
| 5th
| Won President's Cup
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| 2005-06
| 56
| 34
| 16
| 6
| 74
| 2nd
| Lost Quarter Finals
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| 2006-07
| 56
| 36
| 18
| 2
| 74
| 1st
| Lost Semi-Finals
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| 2007-08
| 52
| 22
| 24
| 6
| 50
| 6th
| Lost Semi-Finals
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| 2008-09
| 60
| 31
| 22
| 7
| 69
| 2nd
| Lost Semi-Finals
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2008-09 Roster
| Goaltenders
|
| #
|
| align=left
| Player
| Catches
| Date of Birth
| Place of Birth
| Note
|
| 33
|
| Ian Vigier
| L
| Nov 23, 1982
| Notre Dame de Lourdes, MB
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| 38
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| Chad Rycroft
| L
| Sep 7, 1978
| Beaverlodge, AB
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| Defensemen
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| #
|
| align=left
| Player
| Shoots
| Date of Birth
| Place of Birth
| Note
|
| 5
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| Matt Ponto
| R
| Mar 11, 1983
| Galahad, AB
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|
| 12
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| Roman Marakhovski (A)
| R
| Feb 22, 1978
| Kharkov, Ukraine
| Signed Nov. 24.
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| 15
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| Tyler Johnson
| R
| Jan 23, 1982
| Calgary, AB
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|
| 17
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| Shayne Baylis
| R
| Sep 8, 1983
| St. Catharines, ON
| Signed Dec. 30.
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| 22
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| Kyle Lundale
| R
| Nov 1, 1986
| Eriksdale, MB
| Signed Dec. 2.
|
| 42
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| Wil Barlow
| R
| Sep 20, 1982
| Oakville, ON
|
|
| 44
|
| Jason Schulz
| L
| Aug 18, 1981
| Albuquerque, NM
|
|
| 55
|
| Andrew Dwyer
| R
| Jun 28, 1984
| Burlington, ON
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| Forwards
|
| #
|
| align=left
| Player
| Shoots
| Date of Birth
| Place of Birth
| Note
|
|
| 7
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| Brad Patterson
| L
| Oct 20, 1980
| Cranbrook, BC
|
|
| 9
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| Lorne Misita
| R
| Jun 1, 1981
| Niagara Falls, ON
|
|
| 10
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| Tim Green (A)
| L
| Sep 22 1981
| Camrose, AB
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|
| 11
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| Orrin Hergott
| L
| Jun 15, 1982
| Humboldt, SK
| Placed on 30 day IR Jan. 12.
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| 14
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| Steve Jensen
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| Oct 29, 1982
| Grand Rapids, MI
| Signed Nov. 19.
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| 20
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| Michael George
| L
| Mar 12, 1985
| Battleford, SK
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|
| 21
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| Ryan Rutz
| L
| Aug 15, 1979
| Red Deer, AB
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|
| 23
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| Dan Leslie
| R
| Oct 8, 1986
| Portage la Prairie, MB
|
|
| 24
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| Sam Bowles
| R
| Jan 25, 1985
| Davidsonville, MD
| Signed Dec. 9.
|
| 32
|
| Craig Stahl (C)
| R
| Mar 19, 1977
| Cranbrook, BC
|
|
| 84
|
| Ryan McCarthy
| R
| May 3, 1982
| Brampton, ON
|
|
| No Longer on Roster
|
| #
|
| align=left
| Player
| Pos.
| Date of Birth
| Place of Birth
| Note
|
|
| 6
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| Mark Stockdale
| F
| Sep 20, 1985
| Brantford, ON
| Waived Nov. 17.
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| 19
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| Daryl Moor
| F
| May 28 1979
| Kettleby, ON
| Signed Nov. 1. Waived Nov. 24.
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| 17
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| Chris Stubel
| D
| Feb 10, 1984
| Estevan, SK
| Waved Dec. 10.
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Championships
| Year
| League
| Trophy
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| 2006-2007
| SPHL
| Commissioner's Cup (Regular season Champion)
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| 2004-2005
| SPHL
| President's Cup
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| 2000-2001
| CHL
| Eastern Division Champions
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| 1999-2000
| CHL
| Eastern Division Champions
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| 1997-1998
| CHL
| William “Bill” Levins Memorial Cup
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| 1997-1998
| CHL
| Adams Cup (Regular season Champion)
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| 1997-1998
| CHL
| Eastern Division Champions
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