Three goalies set to compete for starting role as Snakes open camp

A year ago. Columbus Cottonmouths coach Jerome Bechard knew exactly how his goalkeeper situation was going to play out. Bechard had his two goalkeeper setup with veteran Andrew Loewen getting the majority of the minutes in net with Shannon Szabados serving as his backup.

Each had a good season for the Snakes in 2014-15. Loewen finished second in the Southern Professional Hockey League with a 2.36 goals against average while recording 18 victories. Szabados, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team Canada, played in 25 games with a .907 save percentage in her first full season with the Snakes.

Now fast-forward to today. Loewen is no longer with the club after five seasons. Szabados is now the only goalie on the roster with professional experience, and will get a shot to compete for the starting job.

In addition, Bechard brought in two talented netminders in Brandon Jaeger and Joel Danyluk.

However, Bechard isn't sweating the situation. He has been planning on the situation for a while.

"Andrew and I talked before the start of last season, and we kind of knew that it was going to be it for him," Bechard said.

"Retirement is the right word, but he is still in town and if we ever get in a situation where we need an extra goalkeeper during the season, he might get a call from me.

"Andrew is always going to be a part of the Cottonmouths family. It was just time for him to focus on other things like his family and starting his second career."

With Szabados, Jaeger and Danyluk all on the roster, Bechard has plenty of talent from which to choose two.

"All three will be competing for the No. 1 spot," Bechard said.

"Obviously, Shannon is the only one with experience in this league, but the other two guys are very talented. I expect all three of them to push each other to get better over camp."

Jaeger played four seasons at Wisconsin-Stevens Point and left his mark on the program. In 77 career starts, he set a program record in wins (62), saves (2,037) and shutouts (11). Last season, he posted a 23-6-1 record in 30 games while making 678 saves.

"Brandon comes from a great school for hockey," Bechard said. "He is kind of undersized, but he plays bigger than he is, and he really helps his defensive unit while he is in net."

Danyluk, a Yorkton, Saskatchewan, native, played at the University of Alberta-Augustana. In 16 games last year, he had a 1.95 GAA while notching a .940 save percentage.

"Joel has won everywhere that he has been," Bechard said. "He has never played hockey in the states, but he has been going at it in Canada since he was a teenager."

The Cottonmouths begin training camp for the 2015-16 season on Wednesday but don't be surprised if the Snakes keep all three goalies around for a while.

"If all of them don't get enough work in during the preseason, I can see a situation where we have three goalkeepers on the roster for a few weeks. I want all of them to have a fair time in net to show their true skills," Bechard said.

Szabados will have a spot on the team, Bechard said, with Jaeger and Danyluk competing for the final spot.

"It's going to be a very competitive camp. The slates are clean and I'm excited to see how it plays out," Bechard said.

Notes: Columbus, which will open the season on Oct. 23 against the Huntsville Havoc at the Columbus Civic Center, will play a pair of exhibition games next weekend: at home Friday against Huntsville and on the road Saturday at Macon. The players are in town today for physicals.

This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Three goalies set to compete for starting role as Snakes open camp ."