COLUMBUS, GA – On Saturday, April 4th, the Columbus Cottonmouths hosted the Knoxville Ice Bears in a winner-take-all game three of their SPHL President’s Cup playoff series. The winner would go on to face the Louisiana IceGators in a semifinal series. On the heels of a season-saving win, the second seeded Cottonmouths were looking for the magic from Friday to continue but unfortunately for them it did not.
Francis Drolet scored twice and Ben Power added a goal and an assist as the fifth-seeded Ice Bears took a 4-2 victory on the road to capture the series. Goalie Bryan Hince backstopped the win with a 35-save performance.
The goalies, Hince and Columbus’ Andrew Loewen, were the featured stars in a scoreless first period. Hince faced and stopped all 14 Cottonmouths shots on net while Loewen turned away all eight Ice Bears chances.
Columbus’ Craig Simchuk opened the scoring in the second period, netting an unassisted short-handed tally 6:04 into the frame. Knoxville responded two minutes later when Drolet picked up his first of the night off an assist from Dennis Sicard. Then at the 11:05 point of the period, Knoxville went in front when Eric Satim and Robbie Donahoe set up Power who beat Loewen.
An early power play opportunity in the third period did the trick for the host Cottonmouths. Louis Belisle and Levi Lind did the work to get the puck to Mike Switzer who scored to tie the game at the 5:30 mark. Drolet then gave the Ice Bears the lead for good at 6:28 by putting the puck behind Loewen. Satim and Power were credited with assists on the score.
Berkley Scott gave Knoxville a two-goal cushion off a feed from Jason Price with 7:53 left in regulation. From there, Hince took control, shutting down every Cottonmouths’ scoring opportunity to seal the victory.
Loewen finished the game with 22 saves in suffering the loss.
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