The 2004–05 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the first season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 29, 2004, and ended April 1, 2005, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff. The Columbus Cottonmouths won the first SPHL championship.
Regular season
Attendance
| Team |
Total |
Games |
Average |
|---|
| Knoxville | 93,564 | 28 | 3,341 |
| Fayetteville | 85,744 | 28 | 3,062 |
| Huntsville | 75,978 | 28 | 2,713 |
| Columbus | 73,063 | 28 | 2,609 |
| Jacksonville | 63,542 | 28 | 2,269 |
| Asheville | 59,901 | 28 | 2,139 |
| Macon | 53,082 | 28 | 1,895 |
| Winston-Salem | 41,816 | 28 | 1,493 |
President's Cup playoffs
Quarterfinals
- Note: game-winning goal scorer indicated in italics
(1) Knoxville Ice Bears and (2) Macon Trax
The Knoxville Ice Bears and the Macon trax get byes for the Quarter Finals round of the playoffs. The teams will be reseeded for the Simi Finals round.
(3) Jacksonville Barracudas vs. (6) Huntsville Havoc
| Game-by-Game |
Score |
Jacksonville goals |
Huntsville goals |
Winning goalie |
|---|
| 1 | March 23 | at Jacksonville 2, Huntsville 1 | | Brad Federenko, Jason Silverthron | Jeff Dams | Kelly Shields |
| Jacksonville win series 1–0 | | |
(4) Fayetteville FireAntz vs. (5) Columbus Cottonmouths
| Game-by-Game |
Score |
Fayetteville goals |
Columbus goals |
Winning goalie |
|---|
| 1 | March 23 | at Fayetteville 2, Columbus 4 | | Chad Peck, George Nistas | Ryan Haggarty, Tylor Keller, Daryl Moor, Tim Green | Chad Rycroft |
| Columbus win series 1–0 | | |
Semifinals
- Note: game-winning goal scorer indicated in italics
(1) Knoxville Ice Bears vs. (5) Columbus Cottonmouths
| Game-by-Game |
Score |
Knoxville goals |
Columbus goals |
Winning goalie |
|---|
| 1 | March 25 | at Knoxville 2, Columbus 4 | | David Bagley, Doug Searle | Orrin Hergott, Tylor Keller, Ryan Haggarty 2 | Chad Rycroft |
| 2 | March 27 | at Columbus 3, Knoxville 2 | | Chris Bodnar, Craig Desjarlais | Craig Stahl 2, Orrin Hergott | Chad Rycroft |
| Columbus win series 2–0 | | Hergott 2, Haggarty 2, Stahl 2 |
(2) Macon Trax vs. (3) Jacksonville Barracudas
| Game-by-Game |
Score |
Macon goals |
Jacksonville goals |
Winning goalie |
|---|
| 1 | March 25 | at Jacksonville 1, Macon 2 | | Craig Miller, Casey Handrahan | Jason Silverthorn | Mark Cairns |
| 2 | March 26 | at Macon 3, Jacksonville 4 | | John Gurskis 2, Steve Zoryk | Joe Koslakiewicz 2, Brad Federenko 2 | Kelly Shields |
| 3 | March 27 | at Macon 7, Jacksonville 1 | | Edan Welch, Ryan Rivard, Steve Zoryk 2, Lou Dimasi, Mark Allen, David Deeves | Brent Rumble | Kelly Shields |
| Macon win series 2–1 | Zork 3, | Koslakiewicz 2, Federenko 2 |
Finals
| Game reference |
|---|
| Chad Rycroft | Goalies | Mark Cairns | Referee:
Jon Mattson |
| Misita (Keller, Aikia) (SH) – 05:12 | 1 – 0 | | | Keller (Green, Underwood) (PP) – 07:17 | 2 – 0 | | | 2 – 1 | 18:17 – Miller (Welch, Deeves) | | Moor (Stahl) – 29:47 | 3 – 1 | | | Misita (Keller, Aikia) (PP) – 35:48 | 4 – 1 | | | Green (Keller, Aikia) (PP) – 40:48 | 5 – 1 | |
|
| 23 min | Penalties | 25 min |
| 44 | Shots | 33 |
| Game reference |
|---|
| Mark Cairns | Goalies | Chad Rycroft | Referee:
Jon Mattson |
| 0 – 1 | 18:45 – Green (Keller) (PP) | | Welch (Gurskis) – 34:22 | 1 – 1 | | | Deeves (Miller) – 44:48 | 2 – 1 | | | 2 – 2 | 58:59 – Green (Keller) | | 2 – 3 | 63:55 – Keller (Green) |
|
| 18 min | Penalties | 18 min |
| 30 | Shots | 34 |
Awards
The Coach of the Year award was announced on March 21, 2005, followed by the All-Star team on March 22, Goalie of the Year on March 23, Defenseman of the Year on March 24, and MVP and Rookie of the Year on March 25.[3]
