Former Viper Short & The IceGators Swept In First Round:

Former Vernon Vipers forward, Rob Short and the SPHL Louisiana IceGators season has come to an end Thursday night after former Vernon Vipers forward, Greg Beller and the Columbus Cottonmouths defeated the IceGators 3-2 in overtime to sweep the first round best of three SPHL playoff series in two straight games. Short is in his second season with the IceGators and third season playing in the SPHL. Short was called up to the CHL Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for a short stint during the regular season, but sent back down to Louisiana. Short played five season's in Vernon (2006-2010) and is the only player in franchise history to have his number retired. In 229 regular season games with the Vipers Short collected (61-76-137).

Rob Short's Player Profile:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=102383

This is posted on the Gators website:

IceGators Season Ends with Overtime Playoff Loss to Cottonmouths

By: Ian Auzenne

Columbus, Georgia--So close, but yet so far away. The Louisiana IceGators fought back from a two-goal deficit, but a missed opportunity in overtime cost them the contest and their season. Sam Bowles scored the game-winner to give the Cottonmouths a 3-2 victory and a sweep of the first-round series. Greg Beller took a rebound off of a missed Jason Hill shot and passed it up ice to Orrin Hergott. Hergott passed to Bowles, who completed the 2-on-1 opportunity by going top-shelf.

“This is a very tough loss, especially after we dominated the third period and overtime,” remarked IceGators head coach Kevin Kaminski. “This is a heartbreaker because we had so many quality chances.” He added, “I thought we outplayed them in 110 of the 130 minutes of the series. (Columbus goaltender Ian) Vigier was the difference in both games.”

Columbus jumped out to a 1-0 lead late in the first period when John Sullivan scored off of assists from David Cianfrini and Beller. Sullivan added another goal midway through the second with assists coming from Beller and Andrew Kerlove. The IceGators responded in the third period by scoring two goals in quick succession. Tyler Lyon cut the Columbus lead to a goal when he scored at the 3:17 mark. Tyler Fernandez and Shawn McNeil assisted on the play. Just over two minutes later, Jason Hill scored on a Ryan Pearson feed to tie the game. Both teams played strong defense and missed key chances to score to force the game into overtime.

“The guys showed a lot of character, heart, and resilience tonight,” Kaminski said. “They deserved a lot better in both games. I’m proud, but, for me, this is not acceptable. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It’s going to be a long summer.”

Season tickets for the Louisiana IceGators 2012-2013 season are on sale now. For more information, call the IceGators office at 337-704-4423 or visit www.icegators.com.