AUGUSTA, GA – When the calendar turns to March in the SPHL, it means it is go time when it comes to playoff seedings. It is a fine line between being the hunter looking to move up a spot and being the hunted when teams are wanting your position in the standings.
This year, the Augusta RiverHawks have been for the most part the hunted thanks to sitting in first place. The Knoxville Ice Bears have been hot on their heels for a lot of that time, looking for the opportunity to slip ahead in the race for the top seed.
On Friday, March 9th, the RiverHawks took another step toward clinching the 2011-2012 William Coffey Trophy as regular season champion with a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Ice Bears at the James Brown Arena. It was the third consecutive win for Augusta over Knoxville, including back-to-back nights, after the Ice Bears won the season’s first five meetings. Defenseman Drew Baker was the star of the game for the RiverHawks as he scored two goals in the game as well as earning one assist.
The first period belonged to the netminders as Knoxville’s Kyle Rank and Augusta’s Jon Olthuis both looked like brick walls. The teams combined for 25 shots in the period but only one of them found the back of the net. It came during an Augusta power play as Jason Price put a pass on the stick of Baker who one-timed the puck past Rank from the top of the face-off circle.
Knoxville’s multi-faceted offense was able to get the game tied early in the second thanks to its special teams. With Augusta’s Branden Kosolofsky in the box, Ice Bears forward Emery Olauson  took a pass from David Segal and whipped the puck past Olthuis at the 6:11 mark. The score remained tied until the RiverHawks connected for two goals in 36 seconds.
Two minutes after killing off a crucial five-on-three Knoxville man advantage, the RiverHawks stormed the Ice Bears defensive zone where Jim Gehring set up captain Matt Auffrey who beat Rank. Seconds later, Augusta was back in Knoxville’s end when Brendan Taylor set up Baker for a blast from the point. Rank made the save but the rebound found its way to Price who blasted it home to push the RiverHawks lead to 3-1.
Things looked good for Augusta when Baker connected for another one-time howitzer blast on the power play at the 11:26 mark. Knoxville never gave up, clawing its way back into the game when Kyle VanderMale beat Olthuis with 3:45 remaining and Segal followed with a goal of his own at the 18:35 mark. Unfortunately for the visitors, it wasn’t enough as Olthuis and the RiverHawks defense slammed the door shut to secure the victory.
Olthuis made 25 saves on the 28 Knoxville shots he faced to post the win while Rank stopped 32 of Augusta’s 36 shots in suffering the loss.

Augusta%27s Egor Mironov (7%2C white) is surrounded by Ice Bears.

Knoxville%27s David Segal (28%2C orange) lines up a shot as Augusta%27s Curtis Megginson (4%2C white) and goalie Peter Skoggard try to stop him.

The RiverHawks celebrate Drew Baker%27s second goal of the game.

Augusta%27s Matt Auffrey (20%2C white) wings the puck past Knoxville goalie Kyle Rank for a RiverHawks goal.

Knoxville%27s David Segal (28%2C orange) pokes the puck past Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard for a goal.

Augusta%27s Branden Kosolofsky (39%2C white) tries to keep the puck away from four Knoxville players.

Knoxville%27s Kyle VanderMale (18%2C orange) scores on Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard.

AUGUSTA, GA – Over the last year and a half, the Augusta RiverHawks and Columbus Cottonmouths have produced one of the best rivalries in the SPHL. The teams always seem to be evenly matched and the games tend to be close and exciting.
On Saturday, March 3rd, the teams met in the sixth match-up of the season and for the first time it ended up not being a one-goal game. Led by the twin two-goal efforts of Kyle Watson and Jim Gehring, the RiverHawks played one of their best games all season in beating the Cottonmouths 5-1 at the James Brown Arena.
Looking to avenge a Friday night loss to Columbus, the RiverHawks knew they would have to play a sixty minute game in order to beat the Cottonmouths. For much of the first period, it looked like it was going to be a defensive affair as Columbus netminder Ian Vigier and Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard were locked in a scoreless struggle.
Finally, with 1:05 left to play before the first intermission, the RiverHawks broke the ice when Watson zipped a shot just under the crossbar and past Vigier. Before the happy home crowd had a chance to settle back into their seats, the Cottonmouths had an answer as Greg Beller beat Skoggard 14 seconds later to tie the game before the break.
When the teams came out for the second period, Augusta had a bit more jump in their legs and it showed up right away. Just 36 seconds into the stanza, Neil Graham took a feed from captain Matt Auffrey and beat Vigier to put the RiverHawks in front. A little under four minutes later, Gehring found a way to put the puck past the Columbus goalie to increase the lead to 3-1. As it turned out, that was more than enough for Skoggard who turned away 15 shots by the Cottonmouths in the middle period on the way to a 30-save game.
Augusta struck quickly again at the start of the third period. Gehring picked up his second score of the contest at the 1:08 mark on a great individual move. Not to be outdone, Watson notched his second lamp-lighter a little over a minute later, pushing the margin to four and deflating Columbus’ hopes for a final stanza comeback. Vigier did all he could for Columbus, stopping 13 of the 15 shots he faced in the last twenty minutes as part of a 37-save night while taking the loss.
The win for Skoggard was his tenth of the season. It kept the RiverHawks seven points ahead of second place Knoxville and nine in front of the third place Cottonmouths.

Augusta%27s Kyle Watson (17%2C white) and Tyler Howe jump to avoid the puck.

Kyle Watson celebrates one of his two goals in the win.

Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard somehow finds the puck in traffic.

Columbus%27 Greg Beller 12%2C blue) tries to avoid Augusta%27s Matt Auffrey (20%2C white) Jim Gehring (14).

Augusta%27s Jim Gehring (14%2C white) shovels the puck past Columbus goalie Ian Vigier.

AUGUSTA, GA – In a season where they seemingly can beat any team, the Augusta RiverHawks have had one Achilles heel of an opponent – the Knoxville Ice Bears. Five times the two teams had met this season and five time Knoxville triumphed, most of them in a lopsided fashion.
It was a long time coming but the RiverHawks were finally able to beat the Ice Bears. Sunday afternoon at the James Brown Arena, Augusta was able to best their rivals from Tennessee in a 6-5 shootout that was one of the most exciting home games of the year.
The game had all the atmosphere of a heavyweight title fight as a crowd of over 3,000 sat on the edge of their seats as the teams traded blows. Ultimately it was Brendan Taylor who brought the crowd to its feet with the third goal of his hat trick evening with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to give the RiverHawks the lead and the victory. Taylor’s three goals highlighted a big night for his line as captain Matt Auffrey and linemate Branden Kosolofsky each collected three assists.
The RiverHawks got off to a great start, scoring three goals in the first period. Taylor started things off with his first tally of the game just 3:48 in. The score stayed at 1-0 until the late stages of the period when Augusta struck for two quick goals. At the 16:45 mark, Egor Mironov took advantage of a two-man RiverHawks advantage to notch a power play goal. Augusta continued with a one-man advantage and one minute later, Taylor picked up his second of the game to put the home team up by three.
Never ones to quit, the Ice Bears charged back in the middle stanza. Emery Olauson started the comeback at the 6:32 mark when he beat Augusta net minder Peter Skoggard. Knoxville closed the gap to 3-2 one second past the midpoint of the period when David Segal scored. Six minutes later, Dan Bremner found the back of the net to even the score and clearly grab the momentum.
Momentum can change in an instant and that’s exactly what happened 40 seconds after Bremner’s score. Jim Gehring, the SPHL’s leading goal scorer, snuck the puck past Ice Bears goalie Matt Hache, giving the RiverHawks the lead once more as the game headed toward the third period.
Knoxville came out roaring after the intermission, tying the score at four when Olauson notched his second goal of the game just 43 seconds in. The Ice Bears kept pressing and when Segal scored his second goal of the game at 3:06, they had finally gotten into the lead.
With the crowd on their side, the RiverHawks refused to let this game get away from them. Three minutes after falling behind, Neil Graham found the back of the net behind Hache to tie the game at five. Skoggard and Hache went save for save over the next ten minutes then with 2:49 left before overtime, Taylor completed his hat trick to put the RiverHawks up by one. From there, Skoggard shut the door on the Ice Bears to earn the victory.

Augusta%27s Jim Gehring (left) and Knoxville%27s Emery Olauson battle for position.

Knoxville%27s Emery Olauson (23%2C right) celebrates his first goal of the game.

Augusta%27s John Kearns (8%2C grey) tries to get away from Knoxville%27s Eric Satim (17%2C orange) and David Segal.

Knoxville%27s Dan Bremner (upper left) watches his shot beat Augusta%27s Peter Skoggard to tie the game at three.

Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard (33%2C grey) makes a save in traffic.

Knoxville%27s David Segal (28%2C center) tips his second goal of the game past Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard.

Knoxville%27s David Segal (28%2C orange) fights with an Augusta player for the puck.

Augusta%27s Brendan Taylor (19%2C grey) fires home the game winning goal to complete his hat trick.

AUGUSTA, GA – With the regular season past the midpoint and the race for playoff seeding well underway, every game and point is important. The Augusta RiverHawks needed a win on Saturday, January 14th against the Pensacola Ice Flyers to keep their first place lead in the SPHL standings.
Led by captain Matt Auffrey who scored a highlight-reel goal to go with two assists, the RiverHawks cooled off the red-hot Ice Flyers with a 4-1 victory. Neil Graham scored twice in the first period against Pensacola, a team that had won ten of its previous twelve games going in, to set the tone for the game. The win allowed Augusta to maintain its three-point lead over second place Knoxville which also won on Saturday.
The win was extra special because the RiverHawks were wearing pink jerseys in honor of “Pink In the Rink” night sponsored by Doctors Hospital. The jerseys were auctioned off after the game with the proceeds – which totaled several thousand dollars – going to the Lydia Project.
Coming off a disappointing loss in its prior game, Augusta wanted to take control of the contest from the opening face-off. They did just that, winning the first two periods. The RiverHawks opened the scoring five minutes in on a power play when Graham beat Ice Flyers starting goalie Adam Ward after being fed the puck by Auffrey. A little more than two minutes later, Graham was at it again, scoring his second of the night and ninth of the season.
Holding a 2-0 lead going into the middle period, Augusta was not content to sit on the lead. They continued to keep the pressure on Pensacola and it finally paid off. At the 14:39 mark, Auffrey turned an great individual effort into the RiverHawks’ third goal of the night, giving them a commanding 3-0 lead going to the final twenty minutes.
The Ice Flyers came out with some life in the third, making Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard work harder than he had for most of the evening. Shane Ferguson broke up the shutout at the 9:26 mark of the period but it was as close as Pensacola would get. Skoggard stopped the other 14 shots he faced in the stanza to hold the visitors at bay. Branden Kosolofsky added an empty net goal to account for the final score.
For the game, Skoggard made 25 saves to record the victory while Ward and Jeff Rose combined to make 19 saves for the Ice Flyers with Ward taking the loss.

Augusta%27s Jason Price (12)%2C Neil Graham (22) and goalie Peter Skoggard along with Pensacola%27s JordaChong (9) follow the puck in mid flight.

Augusta%27s Neil Graham (22%2C pink) scores one of his two first period goals against Pensacola goalie Adam Ward.

Pensacola%27s Dan Buccella (47%2C blue)and netminder Jeff Rose (38) thwart an Augusta offensive attempt.

RiverHawks goalie Peter Skoggard snares a shot with his catching glove.

RiverHawks forward Neil Graham (22%2C pink) nets a goal%2C one of two he scored in the game.

Ice Flyers goalie Jeff Rose (38) and teammate Kevin Brojek (20) try to control the puck beside the Pensacola net.

Its one on three as Pensacola%27s Dan Buccella (47%2C blue) along with Augusta%27s Pete Skoggard (33)%2C Kyle Watson and a third RiverHawk look for the loose puck.

Pensacola%27s Matthew Robertson (7%2C blue) battles with Augusta%27s Egor Mirinov (27%2C pick) as defenseman Drew Baker covers the post.

Matt Auffrey (20%2C right) and his teammates celebrate his second period goal.

Pensacola goalie Jeff Rose (38) goes int th air to grab the puck as teammate Jordan Chong (9) looks on.

AUGUSTA, GA – Augusta RiverHawks’ forward Jim Gehring has proven himself to be a top marksman who rarely misses on a good opportunity. If he does fail once, he surely won’t on the second one.
The SPHL’s leading goal scorer uncharacteristically missed on his first chance to score the game-winning goal in overtime on Wednesday, January 11th at the James Brown Arena. He did however make sure to convert on a second chance seconds later to give the RiverHawks a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Cottonmouths.
Gehring hammered a one-timer past Columbus goalie Ian Vigier just moments after failing to hit a wide open net in the extra period. The win and the two points earned for it kept Augusta in first place by three points over the Knoxville Ice Bears and nine points over third place Columbus. It also avenged an overtime loss to the Cottonmouths a couple of weeks ago at the JBA.
Coming off a less-than-stellar performance in their prior game in Fayetteville, the RiverHawks needed a bounce back effort. Coach Brad Ralph was looking for his captains to have a big night and lead the rest of the team. They did so but it wasn’t easy.
Columbus broke onto the scoreboard first when Jordan Braid beat Augusta starting goalie Peter Skoggard 7:22 into the opening period. It turned out to be the only score of the stanza as the RiverHawks weren’t able to put one past Vigier.
A pair of penalties to the Cottonmouths early in the second period gave Augusta a five-on-three power play. The RiverHawks made Columbus pay when alternate captain Ed Snetsinger scored at the 1:43 mark to tie the game at one. Columbus regained the lead at 8:56 when Jesse Cole notched a power play goal of his own. A little over three minutes later, RiverHawks captain Matt Auffrey found the back of the net on Augusta’s third man advantage of the stanza to once again even the score.
The RiverHawks took their first lead of the game at the 5:12 mark of the third period when alternate captain Jason Price lit the lamp. It stayed that way until Braid scored his second of the game for the Cottonmouths to knot the score at 3-3 with just over two minutes left in regulation. Things stayed that way through the end of the period, setting up the overtime and Gehring’s heroics.
Both teams enjoyed strong goaltending performances in the game. Skoggard made 27 saves to record the win while Vigier stopped 36 shots including six in the extra period in a losing effort.

Columbus%27 Jordan Braid (10%2C blue) is hounded by Augusta%27s Curtis Megginson.

RiverHawks%27 goalie Peter Skoggard (33%2C center) thwarts a Columbus attack.

Cottonmouth Jesse Cole (26%2C center) scores on Augusta goalie Peter Skoggard as defenseman Ed Snetsinger (88) looks on.

Augusta%27s Matt Auffrey (20%2C right) tries to get around Columbus%27 Sam Bowles (24).

Columbus%27 Jordan Braid (10%2C right) scores one of his two goals in the game.

Augusta%27s Ed Snetsinger (88%2C right) tries to clear the puck before Columbus%27 Brett Hammond (17) can stop him.

Columbus goalie Ian Vigier (40%2C center) lunges across the net to try to stop a shot by Augusta%27s Jim Gehring.

Augusta%27s Jim Gehring (14%2C white) scores the game-winning goal against Columbus.

AUGUSTA, GA – On Saturday, January 7th, the Augusta RiverHawks tied a Southern Professional Hockey League record by scoring three short-handed goals on their way to defeating the Fayetteville FireAntz 7-2 at the James Brown Arena. Six different RiverHawks chipped in with goals on the night as they took the first game of a weekend back-to-back series.
Forwards Branden Kosolofsky and Jim Gehring scored short-handed goals just 27 seconds apart in the second period to give the RiverHawks a dominant hold over the game. Jesse Echternach scored the record-tying short-handed tally in the third period. Goaltender Peter Skoggard made 25 saves to pick up the victory, his first since returning to the team in December.
The RiverHawks scored three goals in both the first and second period to give themselves a seemingly insurmountable lead. In the first, Kyle Watson started things off with a goal just 1:09 into the stanza. The score stayed at 1-0 for quite a while as the defenses settled in. Then just past the 16 minute mark, Gehring and Egor Mironov scored 44 seconds apart to bump the lead to three. As it turned out, Mironov’s goal went down as the game-winning goal, making it his second winner in as many games since rejoining the RiverHawks.
The second period featured the first two short-handed goals of the game just over four minutes into the frame. The FireAntz showed signs of life just before the midway point when Bobby Reed converted a nice Chris Leveille pass for a power play goal. Any hope the FireAntz had to make a comeback was snuffed out by the RiverHawks with less than two minutes left in the period when Tyler Fernandez hammered home his second goal as a member of the RiverHawks.
Augusta jumped right back into the goal column just over a minute into the third with Echternach’s short-handed tally which finished Augusta’s scoring for the night. Fayetteville would tally one late goal in the period as Andrew Willock beat Skoggard but by then the outcome had been decided.
The win gave the RiverHawks a one point lead on the Knoxville Ice Bears at the top of the SPHL standings.

Augusta%27s Jim Gehring (14%2C right) scores one of his two goals in the game.

RiverHawks goalie Peter Skoggard makes one of his 25 saves against Fayetteville.

Fayetteville%27s Kyle McNeil (22%2C left) and Augusta%27s Tyler Howe square off agains each other.

Fayetteville%27s Bobby Reed (19%2C black jersey) fends off Augusta%27s Jesse Echternach.

Augusta%27s Branden Kosolofsky (39%2C left) beats FireAntz goalie Erik Hudson fo a short-handed goal.