Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

SPHL starts sixth season with three new teams, two departed

The new-look SPHL began its sixth season on Thursday night with two teams leaving and three making their debut.

The Twin City Cyclones and Richmond Renegades folded after the end of last season.

Joining the league this year are teams in Louisiana, Mississippi and Pensacola.

The geography of the league has changed this season. Teams will no longer have a long distance to travel northward with Richmond gone, but will have quite a jaunt to Lafayette, La., to the west.

Jerome Bechard of the Columbus Cottonmouths is the dean of SPHL coaches.

Bechard is the only original coach from the league’s inception in the fall of 2004. Tommy Stewart of Fayetteville returns for his third season.

All of the other coaches are new to the SPHL.

Huntsville’s Randy Murphy left the CHL’s New Mexico Scorpions before the franchise folded in the off-season. Murphy is a former teammate of Bechard with the Snakes.

Knoxville’s Marc Rodgers was an assistant under Scott Hillman.

Rodgers moved into the top spot when Hillman left for Missouri in the CHL.

Steffon Walby leads the Mississippi Surge, Todd Gordon is at the helm of the Pensacola Ice Flyers.

Ron Handy will be behind the Louisiana IceGators bench.