Another Skate Blade Incident In The Minors (NSFW)

((HT: TSN/Bardown/PJStar))

The SPHL game between the Huntsville Havoc and Peoria Rivermen was suspended when the Havoc's Justin Cseter was unintentionally cut by the skate blade of Peoria's Dennis Sicard. Cseter fell on the blade of Sicard and it slashed his thigh in a gap in his equipment between the pants and the knee. A stick was used as a tourniquet- which is really tremendous thinking in a panic situation.

This isn't pretty...
There were reports of fans fainting in the stands because of all the blood. From Dave Eminian's piece in the Peoria Journal-Star: Doctors said Cseter suffered a wound about 1 1/2 inches deep and about six inches wide across his inner thigh on his right leg. His muscle was cut, but the skate blade missed his artery. Thirty minutes later he was rolled out on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance and hospitalized, with surgery ahead of him. WMBD Radio in Peoria is reporting that Cseter was out of hospital this morning and returning to Huntsville with the team. His prognosis is good. There is no timetable set for his return, but he is expected to make his way back onto the ice to play in the Havoc line-up at some point.

Shannon Szabados Starts In Columbus

((HT: SPHL))

And it was pretty rocky...

One goal in the first and three more in the second as the Knoxville Ice Bears beat Szabados' Columbus Cottonmouths 4-3 in SPHL action Saturday night...

Szabados made 27 saves, but still had a blast...

From Kathy Gierer's piece in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

“I’ve been here two days,” Szabados said. “It would have been nice to have had a week to get used to it. But I felt as good as I usually do.”

Szabados appreciated the warm welcome during introductions.

“It was fun,” Szabados said. “I saw a few Szabados shirts out there. It was definitely a great moment.”

Here's her introduction


Head coach Jerome Bechard was pleased with his new goalie and the Snakes now prepare for the SPHL playoffs.

Shannon Szabados Debuts Saturday

((HT: WTVM-TV))

Shannon Szabados has her date squared away for her Columbus Cottonmouths debut...

Saturday night against Knoxville..
FOSG Dave Platta was all over the story...
WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather

The goalie that led Team Canada to their gold in Sochi had been recruited for almost a year by some of her teammates wh were already in Columbus playing for Jerome Bechard...

Now, all we need is the gear...

Team Canada Goalie Playing For SPHL Franchise

And, no, the HQ isn't talking about Carey Price...

Shannon Szabados, it appears, is going to be spending the rest of the season as a goalie for the Columbus (GA) Cottonmouths in the SPHL- a good goalie gets a chance in the US minor leagues...

She broke the news in an interview with Sportsnet 590 The Fan's "Sportsnet Tonight" program with Jeff Sammut and George Rusic.

Catch the interview hyah...

The gold medal-winning goalie is adding the SPHL to her Western Hockey League resume and practiced with the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week.

Team USA fans would like to forget Szabados even exists after her gold-medal game performance. But the HQ will tip their hat to her as she heads south...

Here's her tour with the Oil...
((HT: The National))

Augusta Won't Have Hockey Because Of A Lack Of Ice

((HT: WRDW-TV))

The short version: Because the ice maker is busted at James Brown Arena...

In early March, it was discovered that the arena could only get its ice making equipment to get the water to 31-degrees instead of the normal 15 to 17 degrees the arena and the SPHL RiverHawks had to move their remaining home games to their practice facility.

It seated 400 instead of the JBA's 4,000...

"We are disappointed that Augusta has been forced to make this decision,” stated league president Jim Combs. “We will continue to work with (owner) Bob Kerzner and the arena to resolve the situation as soon as possible.”

Kerzner released his own statement that said in part:

"The Augusta RiverHawks organization regrets to announce that we will not be playing in Augusta next season. After waiting over two and a half months, the League deadline to commit to play next year is at hand and a decision needed to be made. We, as an organization, have not received any positive information concerning the replacement of the ice system at the James Brown Arena. A May 12th deadline was communicated to the building manager back at the end of March or the beginning of April. We also have not received any information concerning monetary compensation for the loss of the Arena for the eight games that were to be played in the James Brown Arena in March of this year."

Here's the "why" as to the lack of ice...

Riverhawks Lack Home Ice, Literally...

((HT: Augusta Chronicle/Lee))

David Lee's article raises an interesting thought for minor league hockey...

What happens when your big-time arena loses its ice-making/ice-keeping capabilities...???

In the Augusta Riverhawks case, they have a really small alternative that is causing them to lose money as they try to finish the 2013 SPHL season. And the Riverhawks owners are going to the city to try and get the situation resolved.

The owners can't tell the league if they're coming back next season since they don't know if the situation is going to be fixed at James Brown Arena. And the Riverhawks can't negotiate a new lease at the arena until they know if there's going to be an ice surface.

Got all that...???

And only season-ticket holders and sponsors are capable of seeing the games at the smaller practice-facility looking place they play at now...

Here's Dee Griffin telling is how 600 try to fit into a 400 seat facility...
((HT: WJBF-TV))

Another Donnybrook In The SPHL

((HT: Puckdaddy/brett959))

The HQ admits that we take in the every-once-in-a-while ECHL game to see the fight night...

We also know that the lower you get on the professional totem, the more fighting there is since guys feel more compelled to prove their overall worth for promotion up the chain.

The Southern Professional Hockey League could be considered Single-A in baseball vernacular...
And the fights are a level above double-a... think inverse proportionality...

The Huntsville-Mississippi fight from the other day is a good example of how things can get out of control since the level of officiating matches the lack of professional play...


129 minutes of penalties alone...
Here's the rundown...

Huntsville - Aaron McGill - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Aaron McGill - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Chapen LeBlond - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Chapen LeBlond - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Bill Baker - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Bill Baker - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Sam Cannata - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Sam Cannata - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Huntsville - Corey Fulton - (Leaving Players Bench) (Game Misconduct) (70.3), 10 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Reid Edmondson - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Reid Edmondson - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Anthony Collins - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Anthony Collins - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Branden Kosolofsky - (Fighting) (Major), 5 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Branden Kosolofsky - (Continuing Altercation) (Game Misconduct) (46.5), 10 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Branden Kosolofsky - (Spearing) (Double Minor), 4 MIN, 15:03
Mississippi Surge - Branden Kosolofsky - (Throwing Equipment) (Match) (53.5), 10 MIN, 15:03

The HQ is really fond of the "continuing altercation" rule...

The rematch, for those of you who want to travel to Biloxi, is January 20th...