Cottonmouths goalie Andrew Loewen ties SPHL record with 12th straight win in 1-0 shoutout of Ice Flyers

Andrew Loewen tied a Southern Professional Hockey League record with his 12th straight win Sunday afternoon, but after the game, individual accolades weren't what the Columbus Cottonmouths goalie was looking for.

"This is good for the team," said Loewen, who made 36 saves in a 1-0 shutout of the Pensacola Ice Flyers at The Columbus Civic Center. "I told the guys that wins count in two places: towards points in the standings and for some reason as an individual stat for goalies. This record isn't a singular effort. It's a team effort. There have been days where I've given up three goals and the guys scored four. Today, I just happened to need to stop all the shots for us to win. I will say this, though. Hockey is a lot of fun right now."

Loewen's shutout - his second of the season and 12th of his pro career - is the first 1-0 win for the Snakes since a victory at Huntsville in the SPHL playoffs last April. Prior to Sunday, the last 1-0 home victory for Columbus came all the way back on March 16, 2007, when Ryan

Senft made 25 saves to blank Huntsville.

Will Aide got the only goal of the game Sunday at 5:03 of the third period, taking advantage of a scrum in front of Pensacola goalie Max Strang to poke a shot into the net and give the Snakes a 1-0 lead.

"It feels good," said Aide, whose goal was his first of the season. "It's always nice to get a goal, but in the end, it's all about the team and winning games."

Even though Aide gave the Snakes a slim lead, the win didn't come easy for Columbus. Pensacola - the two-time defending league champions which has lost five of its last six games - peppered Loewen with shots and spent the final 2:02 of the game on a power play following a double minor high sticking call to Matt Gingera. The Ice Flyers even pulled Strang to give themselves a 6-on-4 advantage, but they were unable to get one past Loewen, enabling the Snakes to extend their winning streak to five straight games.

"I feel like I played well today," said Loewen, who has a 1.57 goals against average and .949 save percentage during his winning streak. "It was my best game of the season in terms of confidence, seeing the puck and just keeping things simple."

Columbus head coach Jerome Bechard said he was proud of how his team found a way to win even though it was playing its third game in three days.

"Both teams played hard and I knew it could be ugly," said Bechard. "It actually was to our advantage that it stayed 0-0 as long as it did because I thought if somebody had scored early, there would have been a drop in energy level, and there wasn't. Good teams find a way to win when they're on a roll and we did. Guys like Will Aide scoring goals like that are what win games and championships for teams. It's just everybody on the team pitching in and doing what needs to be done for the team to win."

Along with a 12-5-0 record, Loewen now has a 2.05 goals against average and a .936 save percentage, both of which are second in the SPHL. Bechard said the confidence Loewen is playing with right now has spread through the entire Snakes roster.

"Tonight and every night, (Loewen) plays with confidence," said Bechard. "He's just a battler with a competitive side that really comes out when he's out there on the ice. He's in the zone right now and has been a wall. The guys are doing what they can when it comes to blocking shots for him and he's backing them up when the other team does get through."

Strang - who leads the league with 15 wins and four shutouts - was a tough-luck loser for Pensacola, stopping 35 of the 36 shots he faced.

Columbus is back in action Friday, traveling to Knoxville to take on the Ice Bears. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. The Snakes will be back home Saturday, hosting the Ice Bears in the back end of a home-and-home series. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start at The Columbus Civic Center.

Sunday

at The Columbus Civic Center

Columbus 1, Pensacola 0

Pensacola 0 0 0 --0

Columbus 0 0 1 --1

First Period--None. Penalties--Switzer, Col (tripping), 11:01.

Second Period--None. Penalties--Williamson, Col (hooking), 1:26; Sova, Pen (interference), 1:26; Sova, Pen (tripping), 4:09; Alonzo, Pen (hooking), 10:15; Willigar, Col (hooking), 11:01; Fillion, Pen (high sticking), 11:49; Curry, Col (holding), 13:17; Switzer, Col (holding), 17:01; McParland, Pen (high sticking), 19:35.

Third Period--1, Aide, Col (Simchuk, Cook), 5:03. Penalties--Bailer, Col (roughing), 8:56; Gingera, Col double minor (high sticking), 17:58.

Shots on Goal--Pensacola 15-14-7--36. Columbus 10-13-13--36.

Power-play opportunities--Pensacola 0 of 6; Columbus 0 of 5.

Goalies--Pensacola, Strang 15-6-3 (36 shots-35 saves). Columbus, Loewen 12-5-0 (36-36).

A--1,836. T--2:27.

Referees--Stephen Tomson. Linesmen--Richard Kuerston, Neil Campbell.

This story was originally published January 18, 2015 at 9:24 PM.