PHN’s Best Shots of the Game; Snakes blanked by Ice Flyers

COLUMBUS, GA – Playing chase with the rest of the SPHL, the ninth-place Columbus Cottonmouths, just two points behind Macon for the eighth spot and five behind Louisiana for seventh, missed a golden opportunity on home ice Sunday falling 3-0 to the Pensacola Ice Flyers.

Shutout for a league-high fifth time this season, Columbus’ home record is a league-worst 7-13-3.

After his initial shot deflected off a defender, Pensacola’s Josh Cousineau broke a scoreless tie in the first period, slipping the rebound past Snakes goaltender Shannon Szabados for his eighth goal of the season.

Just recently returning from a tweaked knee, Szabados was in net for just the second time over the last month. Dropping her overall record to 5-11-4, she blocked 37 of 40 shots and has now lost her last five home decisions. Szabados took a slap shot to the neck late in the first period forcing her to drop to one knee, but she was able to finish out the rest of Sunday’s game.

Her counterpart, John McLean, stymied Columbus, shutting it out for the second time this season by going a perfect 26 for 26 in shots blocked.

“We had our chances in the first and second period,” Columbus coach Jerome Bechard said. “McLean made a couple of big saves early on, and he’s such a big guy that there were some shots that hit him and he didn’t even know it.”

Columbus went 0 for 5 on the power play and have scored a league-low 20 power play goals this season for just an 11.6 power-play percentage.

“Those are opportunities that we need to capitalize on,” Bechard said. “I think playing the last four games with a limited bench caught up to us tonight. Hopefully with a long week of rest, we can get some guys healthy as well as see some of our guys return back from the ECHL.”