COLUMBUS, GA – The Columbus Cottonmouths (26-15-2) raced out to a 3-0 lead and held on for a 5-4 win over the Mississippi RiverKings (25-17-2) Friday night at the Columbus Civic Center.
The Cottonmouths struck first at 7:19 of the first period. Mike Switzer stopped a clearing attempt by the RiverKings and sent a pass across to Shawn Bates who fired a one-timer from the right circle for a power play goal. Just twenty seconds later, Craig Simchuk stripped the puck at the red line and split the defense for a breakaway on which he scored for a two goal lead.
A few minutes after that, Matt Whitehead was given a penalty shot. He scored but after the referee and linesmen discussed the play, they ruled no goal saying that Whitehead had contacted the puck twice. Moments later the Cottonmouths went up 3-0 when Will Aide finished a pass from Simchuk off by scoring.
The RiverKings cracked the scoreboard in the second period when Whitehead snapped a shot from the left circle into the back of the net at the 3:23 mark. Columbus quickly went back up by three when Louis Belisle created a two-on-one and tapped in the rebound for a 4-1 lead. Three minutes after that, Ryan Marcuz deflected in a Mike Hayward shot to cut the deficit back to two. The score remained 4-2 for another four minutes until Ben O’Quinn scored to put Columbus up 5-2.
The RiverKings had their chances in the third to erase the three-goal deficit. Reid
Campbell again got Mississippi within two with his second goal of the season on a snap shot from the left circle at the 6:21 mark. Marcuz then scored his second of the game at 7:56 when he buried a puck from in the crease to make it 5-4.
Moments after the Marcuz tally, Columbus goalie Shannon Szabados robbed Andrew Randazzo who was right in the crease to hold on to the lead. Szabados and the Columbus defense were able to hold off the RiverKings the rest of the way to earn the victory.
The RiverKings are back home on Tuesday, March 3rd against the Huntsville Havoc.
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