Champions! Columbus River Dragons cap unique 2021 season with first hockey title
Jerome Bechard, head coach of the Columbus River Dragons, expected a win Friday.
The River Dragons, days prior, beat Elmira 4-3 in overtime, on the road, to move within one win of the Ignite Cup. They led 2-0 in the championship series, scored eight goals in the first two games and were looking to clinch the title at home, in front of a limited capacity crowd at the Columbus Civic Center.
But Bechard did not expect it to be this easy.
The River Dragons cruised to an 8-1 blowout win over the Enforcers Friday night to win the team’s first Ignite Cup -- and bring a hockey championship to the Chattahoochee Valley for the first time since the Cottonmouths did nearly a decade ago.
“It’s been since 11-12, so it’s been a while,” Bechard told reporters on the ice as the team celebrated. “It seems like every eight years we win something, so hopefully next year, it’ll be a little bit quicker than eight years.”
‘Columbus-style hockey’
General Manager Scott Brand and Owner Jeff Croop’s dreams of an exciting, fast-paced, high-scoring hockey team came true. Because this was a dominant outing by a River Dragons team in just its second year of existence.
Bechard preaches fast-paced, high-scoring hockey, just as he did as coach of the Cottonmouths. He called it “Columbus-style hockey” in an August 2019 interview with the Ledger-Enquirer.
Columbus-style hockey led to a goals-per-game average of over 5 goals in the playoffs. It led to a plus-15 goal differential on the season.
Pair that with a strong defense (goaltender Jared Rutledge had 27 saves on the night) and that’s a recipe for success.
They scored through Mac Jansen barely two minutes into the opening period. They led 3-0 at the first intermission and 5-0 at the second. Elmira’s one goal game well after the game was already decided, late in the third period.
“We knew if we came out hard the first five (minutes), they’d probably fall out a little bit,” River Dragons forward Josh Pietrantonio said. “Coming back from 2-0 down is tough in a best-of-five series. ... I was just trying to keep the boys focused, ‘cause they were already starting to get into party mode.”
A whirlwind year ends in glory
The River Dragons had six home games, one-quarter of their home schedule, canceled when the league suspended operations March 13, 2020 due to COVID-19.
Attendance at the Civic Center during the team’s inaugural season was trending upwards at the time.
“I could lie to you and say everything was fine,” Brand told the Ledger-Enquirer in Sept. 2020. “We didn’t break even. We lost significant money because of it. Now, we’re fortunate enough that we have an owner who is passionate about the city and about hockey.”
The team trudged on. The River Dragons, in coordination with the Columbus city government, implemented a limited capacity for the 2021 season. Fans spread out across the arena in seating pods, and masks were required at all times for spectators.
The masked-up fans were treated to a show Friday night, and many stayed long after the final horn sounded to watch the celebrations.
“You overcome emotions when you win it, right away,” Brand told the Ledger-Enquirer Friday night. “The fact that you won, and you won it at home, you can’t ask for a better one than that. It wasn’t a close game, but until the horn sounds, it’s never over, so it feels great.”
