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Barracudas Enter Stretch Drive With Important Game in Columbus

February 15, 2005 - SPHL (SPHL)
Jacksonville Barracudas News Release


With only 15 games remaining in the season, the importance of every game is magnified. However, Tuesday night's match between the Jacksonville Barracudas and the Columbus Cottonmouths is particularly vital for both teams. The two teams sit in third and fourth place respectively in the Southern Professional Hockey League, with only two points to separate them. While the Barracudas are ahead, the Cottonmouths have played one less game. To add to the drama, the Barracudas sit only two points back of the Fayetteville FireAntz for much coveted second place spot in the league, with this game being the Cudas' game in hand. At the regular seasons' end, the top two teams in the SPHL receive first round byes, so the jockeying for position at the top of the league has become just as heated as the race for the final playoff spot. The result of this game will either bring the teams even, or give the Cudas some much needed breathing room and a chance to track down the teams ahead of them.

While the Cottonmouths have been a more consistent team, at this point of the season they now look eerily similar to the Barracudas. They both own two of the league's top offensive attacks, while both sit near the middle of the pack in keeping the puck out of their own net. A difference lies in the specialty team play of the two clubs. The Cottonmouths have the best power play and penalty killing units in the league, while the Barracudas have struggled in both areas all season. Team discipline helps to balance the scales, as the Barracudas have been assessed the league's lowest number of minor penalties, major penalties, and misconduct penalties. The Cottonmouths on the other hand, have found themselves killing penalties more often then all but one other team in the SPHL. If the Barracudas can continue to improve their power play while staying out of the penalty box themselves, they will be in good shape to take advantage of a glaring Cottonmouth weakness.

Individually, several Barracudas have been on offensive tears of late. Forward Brent Rumble continues the offensive explosion he started when he joined the Barracudas, tallying 5 goals and 13 points in the last 10 games. The player who came to the Barracudas along with Rumble, Shawn Roed, appears to have finally recovered his scoring touch. He's picked up 4 goals and 12 points during the same span, while demonstrating the same gritty, endless work ethic he's provided the Cudas since being acquired. Captain Brad Federenko continues to be Mr. Consistency this season, also having picked up 13 points in those 10 games. He is presently in the midst of a 9 game point streak.

Defensively, Sergei Visegorodcevs has been solid at both ends of the ice for the Barracudas, providing a offensive spark from the blue line that has been rare for the Cudas this season. In his past nine games, he's picked up 7 points while going an impressive +7. Tim Schneider continued his stalwart defensive play for the team, but was recently promoted to the East Coast Hockey League. Newcomer Aaron Wilson, whose size makes him easily mistaken for a downtown Jacksonville high-rise, has proven able to fill the void in the 4 games he's played with the Cudas. In net, the team has received solid and consistent performances from both Randy Hevey and Tyler Nilsson. Hevey came up huge for the club in their marquee match-up against the league leading Knoxville Ice Bears, turning away 30 of the Bears' 32 shots. The next night Nilsson picked up his first shutout of the season, as the Cudas defeated the Winston-Salem Polar Twins 4-0.

As its inaugural season winds down, the SPHL is closing in on a fantastic finish. The league's top five playoff seeds are being hotly contested, and even the sixth place Huntsville Havoc are a hot streak away from stealing away one of the top positions. For the Barracudas and the Cottonmouths, Tuesday night's game in Columbus will be their biggest of the season. Just like every game will be, from here until the champion is crowned.

The next Barracudas home game is February 22, against the Fayetteville FireAntz. Game time is 7:05, and tickets can be purchased at the Arena box office, or through Ticketmaster. Call the Barracudas office at 904-367-1423 for details.



SPHL Stories from February 15, 2005


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