Contact Our Staff

Columbus Cottonmouths
Columbus Civic Center
400 4th Street
Columbus, GA 31901

(706) 571-0086

Jerome Bechard -Head Coach/General Manager

Jerome Bechard enters his 14th season as a Columbus Cottonmouth and sixth as head coach and general manager. He is the only individual to be a part of the team and/or front office each of the fourteen seasons of Columbus hockey. A sixth-round draft pick by the Hartford Whalers in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Bechard's career spanned 851 regular season games. He began his career with Phoenix of the IHL in 1990. Bechard also spent time in New Haven of the AHL and Cincinnati of the IHL before joining the Birmingham Bulls of the ECHL. Bechard served as the Bulls' captain all four seasons he played in Birmingham from 1992-1996 and spent three games as interim head coach during the 1995-96 season.

Bechard came to Columbus in the Snakes' inaugural season in 1996 and would serve as captain each of his seven playing seasons. He appeared in 448 regular season games for the Cottonmouths in the CHL and ECHL, scoring 225 points along with 1996 penalty minutes. Bechard is noted for collecting the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the 1998 Central Hockey League Finals to complete the Snakes' sweep of the Wichita Thunder and bring the first hockey championship to Columbus.

Bechard played his final game in Pensacola, Florida in March 2003, and his #16 is one of only two numbers retired by the Snakes. The following season, Bechard traded in his skates for a suit, serving as Brian Curran's assistant coach for the Snakes' final season in the ECHL.

In July 2004, Bechard was named head coach and general manager of the Cottonmouths. He led the Snakes to a 30-26 regular season record in 2004-05 and a perfect 5-0 mark in the playoffs to give Columbus the inaugural SPHL President's Cup championship. During the 2006-07 season, Bechard guided the Snakes to a 36-18-2 regular season record, earning them the Commissioner's Cup, awarded to the regular season first-place finisher. On March 23, 2007, the Snakes beat the Richmond Renegades 4-3 in overtime, giving Bechard his 100th career win as a head coach.

Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Bechard has made the Columbus area his home as he resides in Harris County with his wife of 16 years Rhonda, and their two daughters Alex (12) and Kylie (8).

EMAIL: askjerome@cottonmouths.com

Geoff Beauparlant - Assistant Coach

A native of Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, Coach Beauparlant has been involved in hockey for over 25 years as a player and coach.

He attended The Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition. He also helped backstop the Nittany Lions to three consecutive Division I American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships (2000, 2001, and 2002).

Upon graduation, Coach Beauparlant joined the Port Colborne Junior Sailors of the Golden Horseshoe League where he served as an assistant coach for two years. Since moving to the U.S. in 2004, he has been heavily involved at the youth and adult levels as a hockey director and coach. He is certified in USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program as a Master Coach and holds the National Coaching Certification Program High Performance I certification for Hockey Canada.

He resides in Columbus, GA with his wife Heather, and his children, Luc (3) and Ian (1).

EMAIL: geoff@cottonmouths.com

Jason Bray - Director of Marketing and Promotions

Jason Bray begins his fifth season with the Cottonmouths as the Director of Marketing and Promotions. Jason will be handling season and group ticket sales, advertising and promotional sponsorships, developing community nights for surrounding counties and coordinating fundraisers throughout the season. Jason has an extensive background in business ownership and management. He currently resides in Columbus with his son, Gavin.

EMAIL: jbray@cottonmouths.com

Lindsey Gierer - Director of Public Relations/Tickets

Lindsey begins her fourth season with the Cottonmouths as the Director of Public Relations and Tickets. A 2006 graduate from Auburn University, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communications. During her four years at Auburn, Lindsey served as a media relations student assistant in the Auburn Athletics Department. She also completed an internship with the Connecticut Defenders AA baseball team in the summer of 2006. Some of Lindsey's responsibilities include ticket sales and management, media advertising, community event and promotional appearances, group sales and fundraisers.

EMAIL: lindsey@cottonmouths.com

Erin Thames - Office Manager

Erin enters her third season as the Cottonmouths Office Manager.  She received her Business degree from Columbus State University with a concentration in Management.  Some of her responsibilities include: accounting, bookkeeping, immigration, merchandising, internship coordinator, account management, sales and game day operations.  She is happily married to Joseph Thames, and they reside in Phenix City. 

EMAIL: erin@cottonmouths.com

Jeff Adams - Equipment Manager

Jeff 'Smoke' Adams returns for his third season as the Cottonmouths' equipment manager. A native of Phoenix, AZ, Smoke began his career as an assistant equipment manager with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the now-defunct IHL. Now in his 15th season, Smoke has worked in six different leagues for eight teams across six states. His travels include a stop in Albuquerque, NM, where he worked with current Cottonmouths captain Craig Stahl. He spent two seasons working back home for the Phoenix Roadrunners of the ECHL.

As equipment manager, Smoke's responsibilities include ordering and maintaining all equipment and uniforms for the team, preparing the locker room for practices and games, and sharpening skates to give the team a competitive edge. Smoke kept Columbus his home this past offseason, and spends his spare time reading, golfing and playing guitar.