2008–09 Southern Professional Hockey League season
Encyclopedia
The 2008–09 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the fifth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League
. The regular season began August 24, 2008, and ended April 16, 2009, after a 60-game regular season and a four-team playoff. The Knoxville Ice Bears
captured their second consecutive championship.
franchise was suspended from the season due to lack lack of an arena. The team would eventually fold.
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :...
. The regular season began August 24, 2008, and ended April 16, 2009, after a 60-game regular season and a four-team playoff. The Knoxville Ice Bears
Knoxville Ice Bears
The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2006 the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL championship and the...
captured their second consecutive championship.
Preseason
The Jacksonville BarracudasJacksonville Barracudas
The Jacksonville Barracudas were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were established in 2002, and played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League , the World Hockey Association 2 , and the Southern Professional Hockey League , before folding in 2008.They won...
franchise was suspended from the season due to lack lack of an arena. The team would eventually fold.
Final standings
| Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville Ice Bears Knoxville Ice Bears The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2006 the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL championship and the... ‡ |
60 | 35 | 16 | 9 | 216 | 171 | 79 |
| Columbus Cottonmouths Columbus Cottonmouths The Columbus Cottonmouths are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is nicknamed the Snakes, and play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center.-Central Hockey League : 1996-2001:... |
60 | 31 | 22 | 7 | 194 | 196 | 69 |
| Fayetteville FireAntz Fayetteville FireAntz The Fayetteville FireAntz are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. They currently play in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games in the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum.... |
60 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 212 | 224 | 65 |
| Huntsville Havoc Huntsville Havoc The Huntsville Havoc are a professional ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, Alabama.-History:... |
60 | 29 | 24 | 7 | 204 | 197 | 65 |
| Richmond Renegades Richmond Renegades The Richmond Renegades was a SPHL ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia. The team, owned by Allan B. Harvie Jr., the founder of the former ECHL Renegades franchise, began play in October 2006 at the Richmond Coliseum. The team's first head coach was John Brophy... |
60 | 30 | 27 | 3 | 215 | 235 | 63 |
| Twin City Cyclones Twin City Cyclones Originally called the Pee Dee Cyclones, the Twin City Cyclones were a minor league ice hockey team based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They began play in the Southern Professional Hockey League in the 2005-2006 season... |
60 | 25 | 29 | 6 | 208 | 236 | 56 |
- ‡ William B. Coffey Trophy winners
- Advanced to playoffs
Attendance
| Team | Total | Games | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | 106,848 | 30 | 3,561 |
| Fayetteville | 102,637 | 30 | 3,421 |
| Knoxville | 101,054 | 30 | 3,368 |
| Richmond | 99,071 | 30 | 3,302 |
| Columbus | 82,415 | 30 | 2,747 |
| Twin City | 33,909 | 30 | 1,130 |
President's Cup playoffs
Finals
Awards
SPHL Award winners were announced April 23, 2009.| President's Cup President's Cup (SPHL) The President's Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the Southern Professional Hockey League.-Winners:... : |
Knoxville Ice Bears Knoxville Ice Bears The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2006 the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL championship and the... |
| Coffey Trophy: | Knoxville Ice Bears Knoxville Ice Bears The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2006 the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL championship and the... |
| League MVP: | Travis Kauffeldt (Huntsville) |
| Rookie of the Year: | Michael Richard (Twin City) |
| Defenseman of the Year: | Kevin Harris (Knoxville) |
| Goaltender of the Year: | Andrew Gallant (Knoxville) |
| Coach of the Year: | Scott Hillman (Knoxville) |
| Playoff MVP: | Kirk Irving (Knoxville) |
All-Star selections
| 1st Team All-Stars |
|---|
 F Travis Kauffeldt (Huntsville) F Donald Melnyk (Twin City) F Kevin Swider (Knoxville) D Kevin Harris (Knoxville) D Dan Vandermeer (Richmond) G Andrew Gallant (Knoxville) |
| 2nd Team All-Stars |
|---|
| F Tim Green (Columbus) F Beau McLaughlin (Richmond) F Rob Sich (Fayetteville) D Corey Hessler (Fayetteville) D Lawne Snyder (Fayetteville) G Ian Vigier (Columbus) |
| Rookie All-Stars |
|---|
| F Sam Bowles (Columbus) F Ryan Busby (Richmond) F Michael Richard (Twin City) D Kyle Lundale (Columbus) D Travis Martell (Knoxville) G Ryan Scott (Richmond) |