Guerry Clegg

Team-by-team look at SPHL

By Dana Barker

sports@ledger-enquirer.com

October 21, 2016 9:00 PM

As the Snakes open action at home tonight against the Macon Mayhem, we take a look at each of the other nine teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League this season.

Evansville Thunderbolts

Last season: N/A, expansion team

Outlook: Head coach Jeff Pyle is no stranger to seasoned Snakes fans, having coached the ECHL Gwinnett (now Atlanta) Gladiators when the Cottonmouths were their chief rival in the 2003-04 season and has had success wherever he has gone. Veteran defenseman Brent Clarke, who played for Columbus from 2009 to 2011, will provide some leadership to the expansion franchise, while Luke Sandler, who played for Peoria and now-defunct Louisiana last season, looks to lead the scoring punch.

Fayetteville FireAntz

Last season: 30-21-5, 4th place, lost to Peoria in semifinals

Outlook: After head coach Jeff Bes’s masterful turnaround next season, he must now look to replace his top two scorers from last season in Josh McQuade and Kyle Gibbons. Goaltender Sean Bonar returns after playing just 13 games in net for the FireAntz last season before being called up to the ECHL. Forward Max Cook is on the Fayetteville roster; he played for the Snakes in 2014-15.

Huntsville Havoc

Last season: 26-26-4, 7th place, lost to Pensacola in quarterfinals

Outlook: The Havoc had a 27-point turnaround in the standings last year after a dismal 2014-15 season. The fans responded as well, setting an SPHL single-season attendance record last season. Head coach Glenn Detulleo, now in his fifth full season behind the Huntsville bench, has a new No. 1 goaltender in Adam Courchaine, who played for Louisiana last season. A retooled, young offense will power the Havoc this season, with a defense led by perennial All-SPHL defenseman Stuart Stefan.

Knoxville Ice Bears

Last season: 29-21-6, 5th place, lost to Fayetteville in quarterfinals

Outlook: Head coach Mike Craigen, the dean of SPHL head coaches besides the Snakes’ Jerome Bechard, has several key pieces from the team last season that had a late season turnaround after a dismal start. Trever Hertz, who led Knoxville in scoring last season, and Garrett Vermeersch, acquired in a trade with Peoria last year, return. Forward Adam Stuart was also acquired in the offseason from the Rivermen but begins the season suspended for his role in an altercation with officials after the winning goal in last season’s championship in Pensacola. Veteran defenseman, former Snake, and captain Jason Price anchors the blue line for the Ice Bears for the fifth straight season. Price has played in a record 456 league games coming into this year. Two key pieces to the team, goaltender Brian Billett and forward Berkley Scott, start the season on injured reserve.

Macon Mayhem

Last season: 24-27-5, 8th place, lost to Peoria in quarterfinals

Outlook: SPHL MVP and Goaltender of the Year Garrett Bartus returns to man the Macon net. The award was well-deserved as he led all netminders in games played, minutes, wins, saves, and save percentage. The team lost league-leading scorer Shawn Skelly and also lost enforcer Travis Howe to the ECHL but got a little of both in acquiring veteran forward Dennis Sicard in the offseason.

Mississippi RiverKings

Last season: 28-18-10, 3rd place, lost to Pensacola in semifinals

Outlook: The RiverKings have quietly gone about their business in their five seasons in the league and have been successful, making the playoffs each season. They return much of their offensive core from last season with leading scorers Todd Hosmer, Devin Mantha, and Ryan Marcuz. Like Knoxville, their No. 1 goaltender begins the season on the IR as Peter Di Salvo starts 2016-17 on the injured reserve list.

Pensacola Ice Flyers

Last season: 31-20-5, 2nd place, won championship

Outlook: New head coach Kevin Hasselberg looks to keep the machine running in Pensacola that has won three championships in the last four seasons. In net, both Matt Zenzola and 6’9” John McLean return. Corey Banfield returns as well, one of the offensive stars from the Ice Flyers’ championship squad last year. The team also acquired former Cottonmouth Louis Belisle in the offseason after he left the Snakes for the ECHL late last year.

Peoria Rivermen

Last season: 39-12-5, 1st place, lost to Pensacola in championship

Outlook: The Rivermen have been the regular season champions the last two years but have yet to transfer that success to a full postseason. In 2014-15, they lost the first round to Louisiana; last season, they reached the finals, but were swept by Pensacola. The team looks to be rooted in defense this season with Carl Nielsen and Joe Sova, both of whom bring extensive resumes in higher levels of hockey in the ECHL and AHL. Perhaps the biggest off-season acquisition was that of Shannon Szabados, who beat out three other goaltenders in training camp to earn one of the two roster spots in net.

Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs