Snakes Sign Local Player, add assistant coaches and announce training camp schedule

Published on October 8, 2008 under SPHL (SPHL)
Columbus Cottonmouths News Release


Columbus Cottonmouths head coach Jerome 'Boom Boom' Bechard has announced that Barry Dreger and Geoff Beauparlant have been named assistant coaches for the 2008-09 season.

Dreger, a former Snake, will handle player development and strength and conditioning for the Cottonmouths. Dreger has a strong background in hockey, having played professionally from 1990-2002. Dreger spent those 11 seasons with various teams in the AHL, IHL, and ECHL. In 2001-02, he was a member of the Snakes' ECHL squad, picking up 28 points in 61 games.

Dreger spent the last three years as the Assistant Hockey Director and head of coach and player development at the Ice Forum in Atlanta, Ga. Prior to that, he spent several years at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Fla., helping with skill development and hockey clinics. Dreger instructs various USA hockey clinics and is NSCA-CPT certified as a strength and conditioning coach. Over the past year, he has been a consultant for local strength and conditioning providers, developing an off-ice, hockey-specific training program.

Dreger has recently moved to Columbus with his wife Sherry and their two children, Natalie Rose and Jeffrey. This will be his first season coaching at the professional level.

Beauparlant has been involved with hockey for over 20 years. He spent five seasons playing junior hockey in Canada before playing collegiately at Penn State University for four years. For 12 years, he has been involved with youth/junior hockey player development and has spent 16 years with goalie development. He is certified as a high performance coach (Hockey Canada) and a USA Hockey Master coach. Jeff and his wife Heather reside in Columbus and have one son, Luke. This is also his first season coaching at the professional level.

The Columbus Cottonmouths welcome forward Stephen Moore to training camp this season. The Atlanta, Ga., native has been a part of the Georgia Student Hockey League, playing for the Columbus Hockey Association's travel hockey team. He briefly attended the Syracuse Stars training camp and was a member of the 2007-08 West Shore Stingers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. This will be Moore's first professional camp.

The Snakes training camp schedule has been tentatively set. The Snakes officially open camp Sunday, Oct. 12 with team meetings and physicals. Due to delays with completion of the ice surface, the Snakes will head to Birmingham, Ala. on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 13 and 14, to practice. Ice time in Birmingham is scheduled for 11 a.m. EST. The rest of training camp will be held at the Columbus Civic Center. The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 16: Practice 10 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 17: Pre-game skate 10:30 a.m. and exhibition game vs. Huntsville at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 19: Practice 10 a.m.

Monday, Oct. 20: Practice 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 21: Exhibition game in Huntsville 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 22: Practice 11 a.m.

Thursday, Oct. 23: Practice 10 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 24: Practice 10 a.m. and regular season home opener vs. Huntsville at 7:30 p.m.

All skating sessions are open to the media and public. The Snakes open the regular season at home Friday, Oct. 24 against Huntsville. They host the defending SPHL-champion Knoxville Ice Bears Saturday, Oct. 25. For more information, contact the Cottonmouths office at 706 571 0086.

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