Center Sam Bowles is returning to his professional hockey home with the Columbus Cottonmouths.
Bowles was waived by the Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League on Monday, clearing the way for him to rejoin the Snakes.
Bowles was en route to Georgia on Tuesday and expected to arrive in town by early evening. He’ll report to practice on Wednesday morning and accompany the team on its first road trip of the season, to Huntsville on Friday and Pensacola on Saturday.
Cottonmouths coach Jerome Bechard will sign Bowles to a three-game contract. Bechard is reluctant to tamper with a winning formula, since the Snakes took three of their first four games at home. He’ll sit one player on Friday and another on Saturday before deciding on a roster cut.
Bowles is happy to be a Cottonmouth again after being the victim of a numbers game in Missouri. “There were a lot of veteran guys there,” Bowles said. “A lot of them were older, proven guys. I started out a third-line center. In the first two games I was on the power play. I got my chances offensively and scored on the power play in the first game. But it dwindled from there and the older guys got the opportunities.”
Bowles was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game but wasn’t overly concerned. “A couple of guys sat two or three games. When he (coach Scott Hillman) came to me and said I was not playing tonight so another guy could have a chance, I didn’t expect it to lead to this. But it’s a business and somebody is going to be the odd man out,” Bowles said.
“I’m definitely excited about coming back to Columbus,” Bowles said. “Even when I was in Kansas City, I still kept in close contact with the guys and Beesh. Columbus is a good place for me to play. I get a lot of ice time and good opportunities.”
This was Bowles’ second chance in the CHL. He was with the New Mexico Scorpions before coming to Columbus last December. Randy Murphy, then the Scorpions coach and now coach of the Huntsville Havoc, recommended Bowles to Bechard, his former Snakes teammate.
Bowles joined the Cottonmouths on December 9 for the first of a pair of three-game tryouts and signed his regular contract on Christmas Eve.
“Obviously Sam was an impact player last year,” Bechard said. “What he brought to the team was unbelievable. He fit in as soon as he stepped on the ice. He and Tim Green clicked right away. He’s a pretty nice addition.”
Bowles became an offensive force for the Snakes. Playing on the top scoring line with Green and Brad Patterson, Bowles was among the leaders in every offensive category despite playing in only 44 of 60 games.
Bowles put up 53 points (third on the team), 22 goals (tied for second) and 31 assists (third). He was also plus-16 (second). Bowles scored seven power play goals (third) and had 13 power play assists (tied for third). He scored three game-winning goals (fourth) and two shorthanded goals (tied for first).
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