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Southern Professional Hockey League

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Title: Southern Professional Hockey League  
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Subject: Sports in Georgia (U.S. state), Augusta RiverHawks, Mississippi Surge, Peoria Rivermen (SPHL), Shannon Szabados
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Southern Professional Hockey League

Southern Professional Hockey League
Current season, competition or edition:
2013–14 SPHL season
Sport Ice hockey
Founded 2004
No. of teams 8
Country United States
Most recent champion(s) Pensacola Ice Flyers
(2014)
Most titles Knoxville Ice Bears (3)
Official website www.TheSPHL.com

The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States and Illinois in the midwestern United States.

History

The SPHL's history traces back to three other short-lived leagues. The Atlantic Coast Hockey League started play in the 2002–03 season. After its only season, the ACHL dissolved with member teams forming the nucleus for two rival leagues, the South East Hockey League and the World Hockey Association 2. After one season the SEHL and WHA2 disbanded, with their surviving teams rejoining with two expansion teams to form the SPHL, commencing with the 2004–05 season.

In 2009, the SPHL saw a large expansion as three new franchises in [7] For the 2011–12 season, the league added 2-time Central Hockey League champions, the Mississippi RiverKings.[8][9] For the 2013–14 season, the league expanded northward with two franchises in Illinois: the Bloomington Thunder, a new team replacing the CHL's Bloomington Blaze, and the Peoria Rivermen, who are replacing an American Hockey League club of the same name in that market.[10]

In November 2014, Shannon Szabados became the first female goaltender to win a SPHL game when the Columbus Cottonmouths defeated the Fayetteville FireAntz 5-4 in overtime.[11] In that same game Erin Blair and Katie Guay became the first female officials to referee a SPHL game.[12]

Teams

Current

Team City/Area Arena Founded Joined Head Coach
Columbus Cottonmouths Georgia Columbus Civic Center 1996 2004 Jerome Bechard
Fayetteville FireAntz Fayetteville, North Carolina Cumberland County Crown Coliseum 2002 2004 Emery Olauson
Huntsville Havoc Huntsville, Alabama Von Braun Center 2004 Glenn Detulleo
Knoxville Ice Bears Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum 2002 2004 Mike Craigen
Louisiana IceGators Lafayette, Louisiana Cajundome 1995 2009 Drew Omicioli
Mississippi RiverKings Southaven, Mississippi (Memphis area) Lander's Center 1992 2011 Derek Landmesser
Pensacola Ice Flyers Pensacola, Florida Pensacola Bay Center 2009 Rod Aldoff
Peoria Rivermen Peoria, Illinois Carver Arena 2013 Jean-Guy Trudel

Future

Team City/Area Arena Founded Joining Head Coach
Macon Mayhem Georgia Macon Coliseum 2010† 2015 TBD
Note

† Team was formerly the Augusta RiverHawks.

Timeline

Defunct franchises

Key rule differences

As per minor leagues, there are some rule differences between the SPHL and the NHL (and even the ECHL, AHL and the CHL, the three official developmental leagues regulated by the Professional Hockey Players' Association.

  • A team may dress sixteen regular players to a game. Two players dressed for the game will be goaltenders.
  • There is no trapezoid restriction limiting the goaltender playing the puck and is eligible to play the puck anywhere on his side of the center redline.

- Changed for the 2012-13 season

  • A mouthpiece is required for all players except the goaltender.
  • No curvature of stick limitations as in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
  • Shootouts are five players (as in the ECHL).
  • All overtime periods in the regular season are between three skaters per team and the goaltender (3 on 3, compared to 4 on 4 in other leagues). Penalty rules differ during the overtime:
    • During the first three minutes of overtime, in case of a penalty, the non-offending team is awarded one extra skater per penalty (up to two extra, five total).
    • In the final two minutes, any minor penalty results in an automatic penalty shot.[20]

Champions

Playoffs

President's Cup

2004–05 Columbus Cottonmouths
2005–06 Knoxville Ice Bears
2006–07 Fayetteville FireAntz
2007–08 Knoxville Ice Bears
2008–09 Knoxville Ice Bears
2009–10 Huntsville Havoc
2010–11 Mississippi Surge
2011–12 Columbus Cottonmouths
2012–13 Pensacola Ice Flyers
2013-14 Pensacola Ice Flyers

End of season stats and awards

William B. Coffey Trophy

Originally known as the Commissioner's Cup, the regular season trophy was renamed in honor of league co-founder William B. Coffey during the 2007–08 season.[21]
2004–05 Knoxville Ice Bears
2005–06 Knoxville Ice Bears
2006–07 Columbus Cottonmouths
2007–08 Knoxville Ice Bears
2008–09 Knoxville Ice Bears
2009–10 Mississippi Surge
2010–11 Mississippi Surge
2011–12 Augusta Riverhawks
2012–13 Fayetteville FireAntz
2013–14 Pensacola Ice Flyers

See also

References

  1. ^ Giardina, A.J. (April 9, 2009). "Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast". WLOX-TV. Retrieved April 10, 2009. 
  2. ^ Press release (April 30, 2009). "Biloxi to join SPHL". SPHL.com. Retrieved April 30, 2009. 
  3. ^ "Coast Hockey announces new team name".  
  4. ^ Foote, Kevin (May 15, 2009). "IceGators to skate again; join the discussion". Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  5. ^ Blakeney, Jason (April 30, 2009). "Hockey's Back!". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2009. 
  6. ^ Blakeney, Jason (May 9, 2009). "Commentary: New team, new name, new opportunity". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2009. 
  7. ^ "Hockey Returning To Augusta, GA In 2010". TheSPHL.com. February 3, 2010. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2010. 
  8. ^ "Mississippi RiverKings Join SPHL For 2011-2012 Season". Press release (Southern Professional Hockey League). June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011. 
  9. ^ Van Tuyl, Chris (13 June 2011). "Mississippi RiverKings announce change to Southern Professional Hockey League". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011. 
  10. ^ Pope, Thomas (May 16, 2013). "Two Illinois teams join SPHL; Augusta out next season".  
  11. ^ "Shannon Szabados becomes first female goalie to win in Southern Professional Hockey League". NHL.com. Retrieved 23 November 2014. 
  12. ^ "Shannon Szabados becomes first female goalie to win in Southern Professional Hockey League". NHL.com. Retrieved 23 November 2014. 
  13. ^ Lee, David (May 14, 2013). "Augusta RiverHawks won't play next season".  
  14. ^ "SPHL Approves RiverHawks’ Move To Macon, GA For 2015-2016 Season". The SPHL. Retrieved 25 June 2014. 
  15. ^ "Florida Seals cease operations". Press release. January 5, 2007. Retrieved 16 March 2010. 
  16. ^ Gates, Nick (June 21, 2009). "Murray liking SPHL expansion".  
  17. ^ "Surge Hockey Operations to Suspend Indefinitely". Press release. May 2, 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014. 
  18. ^ "Renegades Officially Done". Press release. May 2, 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2010. 
  19. ^ "Cyclones To Cease Operations". Press release. March 24, 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2010. 
  20. ^ http://www.thesphl.com/news/?id=4229
  21. ^ "History of the SPHL". SPHL.com. Retrieved 16 March 2010. 

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

  • Southern Professional Hockey League website
Southern Professional Hockey League
Teams
Arenas
Seasons
Professional ice hockey leagues in North America
 
Minor leagues
High level (AAA)
Mid level (AA)
Low level (A)
Related article : List of ice hockey leagues
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