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The Columbus Cottonmouths are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is nicknamed as the "Snakes", and play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center.
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.
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.
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.
[edit] Year-by-year record
[edit] Central Hockey League
| Year |
GP |
W |
L |
RT |
PTS |
Finish |
Playoffs |
| 1996-97 |
66 |
32 |
28 |
6 |
70 |
4th, East |
Lost in Quarter Finals |
| 1997-98 |
70 |
51 |
13 |
6 |
108 |
1st, East |
Won Levins Cup |
| 1998-99 |
70 |
42 |
21 |
7 |
91 |
2nd, East |
Lost in Division Finals |
| 1999-00 |
70 |
39 |
20 |
11 |
89 |
2nd, East |
Lost Miron Cup Finals |
| 2000-01 |
70 |
41 |
21 |
8 |
90 |
2nd, East |
Lost Miron Cup Finals |
[edit] East Coast Hockey League
| Year |
GP |
W |
L |
RT |
PTS |
Finish |
Playoffs |
| 2001-02 |
72 |
24 |
37 |
11 |
59 |
8th, Southeast |
Out of playoffs |
| 2002-03 |
72 |
25 |
39 |
8 |
58 |
7th, Southeast |
Out of playoffs |
| 2003-04 |
72 |
41 |
21 |
8 |
82 |
5th, Central |
Out of playoffs |
[edit] Southern Professional Hockey League
| Year |
GP |
W |
L |
RT |
PTS |
Finish |
Playoffs |
| 2004-05 |
56 |
30 |
26 |
- |
60 |
5th |
Won President's Cup |
| 2005-06 |
56 |
34 |
16 |
6 |
74 |
2nd |
Lost Quarter Finals |
| 2006-07 |
56 |
36 |
18 |
2 |
74 |
1st |
Lost Semi-Finals |
| 2007-08 |
52 |
22 |
24 |
6 |
50 |
6th |
Lost Semi-Finals |
[edit] 2007-08 Roster
| Defensemen |
| # |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Date of Birth |
Place of Birth |
Note |
| 3 |
  |
Jason Schulz |
|
Aug 19, 1981 |
Albuquerque, NM |
Signed Feb 9. |
| 5 |
  |
Tyler Johnson |
L |
Jan 23, 1982 |
Calgary, AB |
|
| 6 |
 |
Roman Marakhovski |
R |
Feb 22, 1978 |
Kharkov, Ukraine |
Signed Feb 21. |
| 7 |
 |
Craig Hayden |
L |
Feb 18, 1975 |
Saskatoon, SK |
Placed on 30 day I.R. Feb.21. |
| 14 |
|
Darren Noskey |
R |
Nov 24, 1986 |
Loon River, AB |
|
| 15 |
 |
Wil Barlow |
R |
Sep 20, 1982 |
Oakville, ON |
Signed Dec 12. |
| 55 |
|
Andrew Dwyer |
R |
Jun 28, 1984 |
Burlington, ON |
|
| Forwards |
| # |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Date of Birth |
Place of Birth |
Note |
| 8 |
|
Ryan McCarthy |
|
May 3, 1982 |
Brampton, ON |
Signed Dec 6. |
| 9 |
|
Lorne Misita |
|
Jun 1, 1981 |
Niagara Falls, ON |
|
| 10 |
|
Tim Green |
L |
Jun 1 1981 |
Camrose, AB |
|
| 11 |
|
Orrin Hergott |
L |
Jun 15, 1982 |
Humboldt, SK |
|
| 19 |
|
Daryl Moor |
R |
May 28 1979 |
Kettleby, ON |
|
| 21 |
|
Ryan Rutz |
|
Aug 15, 1975 |
Red Deer, AB |
|
| 22 |
|
Brennen Francon |
R |
Jun 20, 1985 |
Red Deer, AB |
|
| 23 |
 |
Dan Leslie |
|
Oct 8, 1986 |
Portage la Prairie, MB |
|
| 32 |
 |
Craig Stahl |
R |
Mar 19, 1977 |
Cranbrook, BC |
|
| 37 |
|
Mark Prentice |
R |
Apr 1, 1985 |
Oshawa, ON |
|
| -- |
|
Rob Colangelo |
R |
May 1, 1983 |
Markham, ON |
|
| No Longer on Roster |
| # |
|
Player |
Pos. |
Date of Birth |
Place of Birth |
Note |
| 3 |
 |
Paul Lynch |
D |
Apr 23, 1982 |
Peabody, MA |
Waived Oct 31. Signed by Knoxville. |
| 18 |
|
Chris Stubel |
D |
Feb 10, 1984 |
Estevan, SK |
Waived Nov 28. |
| 6 |
|
Chad Swartzentruber |
D |
Dec 30, 1985 |
Baden, ON |
Waived Jan. 9. Signed by Jacksonville. |
| 3 |
 |
Ki-Hoon Han |
D |
Sep 9, 1987 |
South Korea |
Signed Jan. 5. Released Jan. 21. |
| 2 |
|
Tom Wilson |
D |
Oct 14, 1973 |
Toronto, ON |
Signed Jan. 22. Released Feb. 9. |
| 24 |
 |
Jason Price |
F |
Jan 8, 1985 |
Farmington, MI |
Waived Mar. 3. Signed by Richmond. |
[edit] Championships
| Year |
League |
Trophy |
| 2006-2007 |
SPHL |
Commissioner's Cup (Regular season Champion) |
| 2004-2005 |
SPHL |
President's Cup |
| 2000-2001 |
CHL |
Eastern Division Champions |
| 1999-2000 |
CHL |
Eastern Division Champions |
| 1997-1998 |
CHL |
William “Bill” Levins Memorial Cup |
| 1997-1998 |
CHL |
Adams Cup (Regular season Champion) |
| 1997-1998 |
CHL |
Eastern Division Champions |
[edit] External links
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