PHN’s Best Shots of the Game: Cottonmouths crown RiverKings

COLUMBUS, GA – Getting off to a good start in the first period is a big key to playing winning hockey. The Columbus Cottonmouths have been quite good in opening frames of late, especially when playing at home. That was the case again as the Cottonmouths rode a big first twenty minutes to a 5-4 win over the Mississippi RiverKings.

Columbus scored three time in the opening stanza to take what looked like a commanding lead. The game-opening tally came during a power play when Mike Switzer set up Shawn Bates who beat Mississippi netminder Adam Courchaine at the 7:19 mark. Twenty seconds later, Craig Simchuk did it all by himself, netting an unassisted goal to quickly bump the lead to two.

The RiverKings had an opportunity to cut the lead in half at the 13:47 mark when Matt Whitehead was awarded a penalty shot. Whitehead’s attempt was turned aside by Columbus goalie Shannon Szabados, keeping the score at 2-0. Szabados’ teammates rewarded their netminder late in the frame when Simchuk and Patrick McCadden combined to set up Will Aide who scored to give the home team a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Mississippi came out fired up in the second and scored 3:23 into the frame. This time Whitehead was able to beat Szabados off of assists from Linden Bahm and Andrew Randazzo. Columbus responded three minutes later when Louis Belisle found the back of the net at the 6:21 mark. Aide and Bates drew assists on the score.

The RiverKings’ Ryan Marcuz scored at 9:17 to again trim the margin to two goals with Mike Hayward and Corey Leivermann getting credit for doing the work. Before the period ended, Ben O’Quinn took a feed from Aide and beat Courchaine (32 saves) to put the Cottonmouths up 5-2 heading to the final frame.

Mississippi controlled the third, piling 23 shots on Szabados and the Columbus net. Reid Campbell moved the visitors within 5-3 at the 6:21 mark off of assists from Devin Mantha and Sean Jones. When Marcuz struck for his second of the game ninety seconds later, the RiverKings were within one with more than half of the period still left.

The Columbus defense, led by Szabados who finished with 48 saves, hung tough in the closing minutes to finish off the victory.