Snakes bring three-game win streak against Huntsville

Last Friday and Saturday nights against Knoxville, the Columbus Cottonmouths did something they had failed to do during the entire season to date: win consecutive games.

On Tuesday night at home against Pensacola, the Snakes stretched that feat to three in a row, grounding the Ice Flyers 5-2 in front of 1,082 at the Columbus Civic Center.

“It’s been a while,” Cottonmouths head coach Jerome Bechard said of the three-game winning streak. “The guys have all bought in. We did a lot of good things.”

With the victory, the Cottonmouths ended their tenure by themselves in the basement of the SPHL standings, pulling even with idle Evansville. They also still have four games in hand on the Thunderbolts, four chances to pull themselves out of last place altogether. The Snakes are also just five points behind Roanoke, who would hold the eighth and final playoff spot if the season ended today; and six points behind seventh-place Pensacola.

“They were talking about that before the game,” Bechard said of his players noting the standings. “We’re by no means anywhere we want to be, but the biggest thing is to make sure these guys realize what we had to go through to get on that little bit of a roll here. It’s hard work, guys selling out, guys blocking shots at the right time. It’s that second effort at the right time and simplifying things.”

The biggest success of the past three games? Offense. After scoring just 62 goals over the course of the entire 29 games on the season prior to Friday, the Cottonmouths have managed to put 15 goals on the scoreboard in just the past three games.

After a scoreless first period on Tuesday night, the Snakes scored a couple of greasy goals on Pensacola goaltender John McLean to take a 2-0 lead into the second intermission. Both Chad Brears and Jonathan Turk scored nearly the same way, tucking the puck just inside the far post and past an outstretched leg pad of McLean.

“Both goals were exactly the same, almost,” Bechard said. “We weren’t scoring those goals before, and now we are. It’s a little bit of confidence, and guys are starting to do what we need them to do. I think it all starts with what we’ve been through. Everyone in that locker room has realized the pretty goals won’t be there all the time, we have to muck it up and get those ugly goals.

“I think they’re starting to realize the simpler we play, the easier it gets. Every time we start to get a little fancy, we turn it over in the neutral zone. We just have to eliminate that pretty stuff in the neutral zone and make a nice first pass… We’re getting some breaks and some things we weren’t getting, and I think that comes from the attitude we have where we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves, doing what we need to do, and playing how we need to play.”

Alex Kromm notched what proved to be the game-winning goal on the power play in the third period, then Craig Simchuk and Andy Bathgate both scored on an empty net to seal the win.

Another victory for the Snakes was holding the Pensacola tandem of Louis Belisle and Riley Spraggs without a goal. The two former Cottonmouths, the latter of whom was traded to the Ice Flyers from Columbus just before Christmas, had been a thorn in the Snakes’ side prior to Tuesday night. Spraggs was held scoreless in Tuesday’s game, with Belisle notching an assist.

“We gave them some opportunities,” Bechard said of the game plan against the Ice Flyers. “That’s a team where you have to attack them. A good defense is a good offense against Pensacola. I thought we sat back a little and let them come to us. They’re a good skating hockey team.”

Lukas Hafner was the winning goalie for the Snakes, stopping 32 of the 34 shots he faced. After a three-month stint away from the team with Alaska in the ECHL, Hafner returned to the Cottonmouths over the weekend and was also the winning goaltender in Saturday’s game at Knoxville.

However, on Tuesday night, the ECHL came calling for Hafner again, this time with the Colorado Eagles. The ripple effect from the Eagles’ affiliation with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, where goaltender Semyon Varlamov recently underwent season-ending hip surgery, left them needing a goaltender for the foreseeable future. “We’ve been through this here before,” Bechard said. “Spencer (Bacon) has proven himself that he can win some hockey games. Right now, it’s kind of his net. We’ve talked to a few guys and have a few irons in the fire, hopefully something we can announce (prior to Friday).”

The Cottonmouths return to home ice on Friday night, this time taking on league-leading Huntsville. The Cottonmouths are 0-4 on the season so far against the Havoc and have been outscored 15-3 in those four contests.

“They’re small and they’re fast,” Bechard said of the Havoc. “We need to play physical against them and limit play in our end. We can use their speed and aggression against them where we can move the puck fast. On D, we don’t need to make any spectacular plays, just get it out (of the defending zone). The less we try to pick them apart, the better we are.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Snakes bring three-game win streak against Huntsville."