COLUMBUS, GA – If familiarity breeds contempt, the Columbus Cottonmouths and Huntsville surely hate each other.
For the second straight season, the Cottonmouths and Havoc will face off in the SPHL’s President’s Cup playoffs. Unlike last year when the two met in the first round, this time they meet in the semifinals. On the line is a trip to the finals, a place that Huntsville hasn’t been to in two years and Columbus since 2005. Game one of the best-of-three series is set for Wednesday in Huntsville with games two and three if necessary will be played in Columbus on Friday and Sunday respectively.
Several things are different from when the teams met last season. First off, Huntsville had home ice advantage by virtue of being the number three seed while Columbus was the fourth seed. This time around, the Cottonmouths are the second seed and the Havoc are the eighth seed. Then there’s the difference behind the benches. Jerome Bechard is still the head man in Columbus but Randy Murphy, the Havoc head coach for the past couple of seasons, resigned mid-season and replaced by recently retired player Glenn Detulleo.
The change in coaches – and coaching styles – is an unknown for Bechard since Columbus has not seen Detulleo’s Havoc team on the ice since he took over.
“The biggest thing is (that) the players are responding to him. For some reason,
Columbus goalie Ian Vigier was named the 2011-2012 SPHL Goaltender of the Year on Monday (PHN photo by Stephanie Simpers).
Huntsville’s road to the semifinals consists of a stunning upset of the top-seeded Augusta RiverHawks. After losing game one in overtime, the Havoc returned the favor to the RiverHawks in game two then soundly defeated Augusta 6-2 in the deciding game three in Augusta.
Columbus had a slightly easier time, sweeping the seventh-seeded Louisiana IceGators in two straight games. The Cottonmouths were pushed by a much improved IceGators team, especially in game two which Columbus won in overtime on the road.
During the regular season, Columbus dominated Huntsville, winning all six meetings between the two teams. The Cottonmouths out-scored the Havoc 26-11 with rookie Greg Beller leading the way with four goals while second year defenseman Bret Tyler picked up nine points. Stuart Stefan led Huntsville against Columbus with three goals while captain Mike MacDonald had five points in the six meetings.
Bechard said that despite his team’s apparent domination of their rival, none of that counts now that they are meeting in the “second season”.
“The season is over. What we did in the regular season means absolutely nothing. Yeah, we had some success against them but obviously they played well against Augusta,” Bechard said. “We know we can’t take them lightly.”
As it was in the first round, goaltending will play a huge role in determining the winner of this series. During the regular season, Columbus’ Andrew Loewen played in five of the six meetings with Huntsville. He stopped 157 of the 167 shots he faced for an outstanding 1.95 goals against average and .940 save percentage. Vigier, who was named the SPHL Goaltender
Huntsville goalie Mark Sibbald will need to be on his game if the Havoc are to get to the finals (PHN photo by Stephanie Simpers).
Bechard said that the match-up between Vigier and Sibbald, the 2010-2011 SPHL Goaltender of the Year, should be a good one.
“Sibbald’s a quality goaltender. He’s been in the league for two years now,” he said. “You know he’s capable of winning games but for whatever reason he’s been on and off this year. He played phenomenal against Augusta.”
If past history is any indicator, both teams will try to play it tough against the other. Bechard made a roster move right before the end of the season, putting Daniel Amesbury on the injured list and replacing him with James Durham. Bechard hopes that Durham will fill Amesbury’s spot well enough to make a difference.
“James has good size and he skates well. He’s kind of an insurance policy. He got a little bit of ice time against Louisiana and I think he played really well. He’s cognizant of his surroundings and he’s physical,” Bechard said. “They made some changes getting Alex Morton and Colin Reddin and they really beefed up their forwards a little bit.”
The biggest factor will be which team can inflict its will on the other. Columbus certainly did that during the regular season but with Huntsville’s renewed sense of its game, the squad that plays its game the best will be successful.
“We have to go in there and play our game,” Bechard said. “We have to keep the puck from getting in deep, no turnovers.”
Editor’s Pick: These two SPHL cornerstones know each other about as well as any teams in the league. Columbus’ special teams, a hallmark of Bechard’s teams, have once again been a vital part of the team game. Under Detulleo’s hand, Huntsville has made major gains and as proven by their series win over Augusta can be dangerous. The battle between Vigier and Sibbald should be entertaining if Sibbald plays like he did against the RiverHawks. Come Sunday however, the Cottonmouths should prevail in three grueling games.
Contact the author at lee.marion@prohockeynews.com
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