AUGUSTA, GA – The Battle of Georgia was alive and well on Friday, February 17th at the James Brown Arena as the Augusta RiverHawks and Columbus Cottonmouths needed overtime and a shootout to decide a winner. On this night it was the Cottonmouths who took home the extra point and a 5-4 win when Jordan Braid beat Augusta net minder Peter Skoggard on his shootout attempt after the five previous shooters from each team failed.
Fans of both teams should not have expected anything less than overtime in this contest. Three of the four games between the two in-state rivals this season have gone to extra time with each one decided by a one-goal margin.
Braid and defenseman Tom Maldonado were the stars offensively for the Cottonmouths, each recording three points. Brendan Taylor, Egor Mironov, Jim Gehring and Neil Graham all had a goal and an assist to lead the RiverHawks while defenseman Ed Snetsinger recorded an assist and a plus-3 rating for the night.
The first period was quiet compared to what was to come later. There was only one goal scored as Columbus’ Greg Beller notched a power play tally with less than five minutes left in the period. The man advantage came on one of just two penalties called in the opening stanza.
Things got wild in the second and goals and penalties came often. Taylor knotted the score 7:16 into the stanza when he took a hard pass from Snetsinger and rifled it past Columbus goalie Andrew Loewen. Three minutes later, Braid put the Cottonmouths back into the lead just after a Columbus power play expired. When Orrin Hergott converted on a subsequent man advantage at 13:47, the visitors had a two goal lead at 3-1.
The RiverHawks fought back and even the scoreboard before the second intermission. Graham took advantage of an Augusta power play to pull his team within 3-2 at the 18:13 mark of the period. Then with less than a minute remaining, Gehring fired a hard snap shot past Loewen to tie the game and provide Augusta with some momentum heading for the third.
Tempers flared as the period came to a close when Augusta captain Matt Auffrey and Loewen got into a skirmish, setting off a wild scene that included Columbus’ Daniel Amesbury and Augusta’s Kyle Watson being tossed for coming off the bench and engaging in an altercation.
Following the intermission, things calmed down considerably as the teams resumed their conservative, defensive postures. With less than five minutes left in regulation, Mironov brought the home crowd to life when he batted in a rebound that was sitting loose in the crease. Less than a minute later, that lead disappeared when Hergott fired in his second of the night to once again knot the score and eventually sending the game to overtime and the shootout.
Augusta%27s Branden Kosolofsky (39%2C white) and Columbus goalie Andrew Loewen follow the puck in mid flight.
Augusta forward Neil Graham (22%2C white) gets off a shot before hitting the ice.
A Columbus player goes over the top of Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard (33%2C white) as RiverHawk Jason Price (12%2C white) and Cottonmouth Greg Beller (12%2C blue) look on.
Columbus%27 Daniel Amesbury (20%2C blue) and Augusta%27s Kyle Watson (17%2C white) tangle at the end of the second period.
Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard take a shot in the chest.
Columbus Kevin Kessler (4%2C blue) battles with Augusta%27s Kyle Watson (17%2C white) as goalie Andrew Loewen tracks the puck.
Columbus%27 Ryan Pearson (26%2C blue) and Augusta%27s Neil Graham (22%2C white) in a face-off war.
Columbus%27 Mitch Wall (14%2C blue) celebrates as Jordan Braid%27s shot beats Augusta%27s Peter Skoggard.
Augusta%27s Egor Mironov (7%2C white) bangs a rebound past Columbus goalie Andrew Loewen.
Columbus Jordan Braid scores the game-winning goal against Augusta%27s Peter Skoggard in the shootout.
Contact the photographer at stephanie.simpers@prohockeynews.com
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