Snakes extend streak to 11, one point out of first

Published on January 12, 2006 under SPHL (SPHL)
Columbus Cottonmouths News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Cottonmouths swept this week's action with wins over Florida on the road on Tuesday and home on Thursday and wins over Fayetteville at home on Saturday and in North Carolina on Sunday. Sunday's historic game set the Columbus hockey record for the longest winning streak with eleven and broke the FireAntz' undefeated home record this season. Two games are on the Cottonmouths' schedule this season as they look to extend the streak deeper into double digits. The Snakes travel to Knoxville on Thursday to face the Ice Bears then head to Florence, S.C. on Friday for a game against the Pee Dee Cyclones. In addition to airing on the Internet via Live365, Friday's game will be simulcast live in the Columbus area on WCJM "The Bull," 100.9 FM. Catch all the action from the Florence Civic Center on Friday night beginning at 7:30 PM EST. Mike Vee will bring the play-by-play live and the "Voice of the Snakes" Dana Barker will host the "Fourth Period Show" after the game. Fans can call 706.645.2991 and talk about the game and Snakes hockey live. CURRENT RECORDS AND STATS

Last Week: 4-0-0
Record: 18-9-3, 39 points (3rd, SPHL)
120 GF, 103 GA
20.8% PP (4th, SPHL); 81.7% PK (1st, SPHL)

LAST WEEK'S TRANSACTIONS

01/06 - Signed D Tom Wilson
01/06 - Placed F Brent Toews on season-ending injured reserve

UPCOMING GAMES AND PROMOTIONS

Thursday, January 12 - Columbus at Knoxville, 7:30 PM EST (Season Series vs. KNX: 2-1-1)

The Cottonmouths travel to Knoxville on Thursday night to face the hometown Ice Bears. Knoxville will carry a five-game winning streak of their own into the game. Surprisingly, the Snakes have not yet won in Knoxville in the regular season in the history of the SPHL; the only Columbus road win at Knoxville came in a playoff game last March 25. However, the Cottonmouths came close to bucking that trend in their last trip to Knoxville on December 2, where they led the Ice Bears 4-1 midway through the contest but fell to Knoxville 5-4 in an overtime decision.

Friday, January 13 - Columbus at Pee Dee, 7:35 PM EST (Season Series vs. PD: 3-0-1)

The Snakes travel to Florence, S.C. on Friday night to take on the hometown Pee Dee Cyclones. After an overtime loss to the Cyclones at Florence on November 11 and a shootout win in the Snake Pit on November 19, the past two meetings with Pee Dee have not been close; the Cottonmouths have outscored the Cyclones 12-5 in their last two games against them. After this game, the Snakes return to Florence only once more in the regular season in a March 9 game against the Cyclones.

COTTONMOUTHS WEEK IN REVIEW

Tuesday, January 3 - Columbus 5 at Florida 4 (OT) (Attendance: 1,134) The Cottonmouths took their winning streak to eight games on Tuesday night but not without a fight from the hometown Florida Seals. Helped by a hat trick from the unlikeliest of candidates, tough guy Andrew Katzberg, the Seals held a 4-2 lead midway through the third period. Goals by Tim Green and Ryan Haggarty forced the overtime session, and Lorne Misita scored with just 18 seconds left in OT for the win. Green scored another goal in the second period while Mat Ponto scored a first-period marker for the Snakes. Ryan Senft stopped 38 of 42 and set a personal season high for most saves in a game. Morgan Smietana took the overtime loss for the Seals, stopping 25 of 30. The Snakes were 1 for 4 on the power play while holding Florida scoreless in their six chances with the man advantage.

Thursday, January 5 - Florida 2 at Columbus 7 (Attendance: 1,970) Tom McMonagle's natural hat trick in the first period set the tone early as the Snakes won going away by a 7-2 margin. McMonagle would add a fourth goal later in the contest, Craig Stahl also notched a goal, and Ryan Rutz lit the lamp twice in the span of 16 seconds in the third period. The Cottonmouths were 2 for 3 on the power play while Florida was 1 of 6. Ryan Senft completed the personal sweep of the Seals as he took wins in all three games against Florida over the past week, stopping 29 of 31 in Thursday's game. Terry Denike stopped 13 of 20 before being pulled for Morgan Smietana after the Snakes' seventh goal. Smietana stopped all seven shots he faced in the cleanup role in the third period.

Saturday, January 7 - Fayetteville 2 at Columbus 5 (Attendance: 3,696) The Snakes jumped on the FireAntz early and often, scoring the first three goals of the game en route to a 5-2 victory over Fayetteville. Five different Cottonmouths lit the lamp as Daryl Moor, Tylor Keller, Christian Gagnon, Ryan Haggarty, and Lorne Misita all had goals for the Snakes. Chad Rycroft stopped 39 of 41 for the win between the pipes for Columbus, while Fayetteville's Glen Ridler stopped 24 of 29 in the losing effort. The penalty-filled game featured 23 power plays as the Cottonmouths were 1 for 11 with the man advantage and the FireAntz were 2 for 12.

Sunday, January 8 - Columbus 4 at Fayetteville 3 (Attendance: 2,667) The Snakes snapped Fayetteville's perfect home record while at the same time setting the Columbus hockey record for winning their eleventh straight overall in a 4-3 win over the FireAntz on Sunday in North Carolina. Tim Green and Ryan Rutz scored eleven seconds apart in the middle of the first period to atone for two early Fayetteville goals, while Ryan Aikia and Tom McMonagle added goals as well for the victory. Chad Rycroft won his third straight decision over the FireAntz with 36 saves on 39 shots, while on the other side of the coin, Glen Ridler suffered his third straight defeat against Columbus, stopping 22 of 26 on the afternoon. The Snakes were 2 for 4 on the power play and held Fayetteville scoreless in their seven power play chances.

THREE STARS OF THE WEEK

1. F Tom McMonagle - Punctuated by a five-point night on Thursday with four goals and an assist, McMonagle scored in every contest last week, finishing with five goals and four assists on the week.

2. F Ryan Rutz - Rutz tallied three goals on the week to carry his SPHL-leading goal total on the season to 22. He also notched four assists over the past week of games.

3. F Tylor Keller - Keller saw his 13-game point-scoring streak snapped yesterday in Fayetteville, which tied for the best in the SPHL this season. He scored a goal and tallied five assists over the past week, including a three-assist effort in the overtime victory on Tuesday night in Florida.

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