The Snakes rebounded to take four of six points during the weekend, including a pair of victories over second-place Knoxville.
“On the ice it hasn’t affected us,” assistant captain Sam Bowles said. “This is a business, and we knew a tough decision had to be made. If it hadn’t been Jesse, it would have been somebody else. Jesse was a big part of this team. He’s a friend and had been my roommate in the past. He’s made a niche in Columbus. We’ll still talk to him and get to see him since he’s playing in Fayetteville.”
Cole mulled over the decision whether to report to the FireAntz or return home to Canada. He arrived Tuesday night in Fayetteville and should be in the lineup this weekend.
The Snakes will take a clinical approach to the roster change due to the high stakes and important games ahead.
“We need to go about our business,” Bowles said. “We can win it all with this team. We really believe that. (Coach) Jerome (Bechard) is telling us he believes we can win a championship, and we take great pride in that. We need to back up his confidence on the ice.”
John Sullivan replaced Cole on the line with Bowles and Brett Hammond. Sullivan recently returned from a month on the shelf after suffering a concussion. He has played three games with Bowles and Hammond, scoring a goal in two of the three.
“John brings a little more speed and a physical aspect to the game,” Bowles said. “He’s quick and gritty. He wins battles in the corners a little more than Jesse did. The one thing we were missing is added speed on our line.”
Bowles trails the Snakes’ leading scorers, Orrin Hergott and Bret Tyler, by two points. He’s put up 24 points in 32 games played. In the past four games, he has scored four goals, one of which was a game-winner. Bowles has chipped in seven points on the power play.
