PENSACOLA, FLA – The Columbus Cottonmouths offense continued to struggle on Friday night in a 4-1 loss to Pensacola at the Civic Center.
Since a three-goal first period in the first game of the season at Macon last Friday, the Snakes have scored just two goals in eight-plus periods of play: an overtime game-winner in the same game at Macon and the lone goal tonight sandwiched around a shutout home loss to Macon last Saturday.
Just like Saturday’s shutout loss, however, the Snakes outshot their competition, putting 39 shots on goal. The Ice Flyers’ Matt Zenzola turned away 38 of the for the win.
“Again, I think we did a lot of good things and threw up a lot of good shots, we just couldn’t get one in there,” said Snakes coach Jerome Bechard. “We had a couple of good chances, hit a post again. We were on our heels right from the get-go. We came out flat in the first period for whatever reason.”
Pensacola built an early 2-0 lead in the first period before the Cottonmouths settled down, pulling the game within one with a Craig Simchuk goal at the midpoint of the game. Columbus started a more physical game against the Ice Flyers after falling into the two-goal hole.
“I think (later) in the first period, (Johnson) fights, and we got something we didn’t have last year,” Bechard said. “I think it was perfect timing. We needed something different to happen, and it got us going a little bit. We came out in the second period a totally different team. We took the game over a little bit for a while, it was a 2-1 game going into the third period and we’re all over them.”
The Snakes carried that one-goal lead into the third before former Cottonmouth Louis Belisle put the Pensacola lead back at two goals with a goal on a partial breakaway.
“That third goal was a killer,” Bechard said. “But there were some positives. We didn’t veer off our game plan, we kept on doing the same things and had some really good looks. If we had any bounces whatsoever, it could have been a 2-2 or 3-2 game for us in the second period.”
Columbus had four power play chances on the night and failed to convert on any of them. They are the only team in the SPHL yet to score on the power play this season.
“It’s just a matter of keeping it simple,” Bechard said on fixing the power play woes. “We need to execute our breakouts and get in clean. I think the simpler we get, getting the puck to the net with guys in front, it’ll come.”
Lukas Hafner stopped 29 of 32 shots on goal in his first appearance in net for the Cottonmouths, with the fourth goal an empty-netter in the game’s final 15 seconds.
“I thought he played well,” Bechard said of his goaltender. “I’d like to think he may want both those (first period goals) back, but he stood up tall and made some big saves for us. I think you’ll see him get more comfortable. He’s going to be here, and he’s going to play.”
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