AUGUSTA, GA - The Southern Professional Hockey League officially grew its membership by one this morning.

At a 10 A.M. press conference, Commissioner Jim Combs welcomed Augusta, Georgia to the league in front of media and fans at the James Brown Arena. Combs introduced team owner Bob Kerzner, formerly the owner of the Pee Dee / Twin City Cyclones, as the new team’s owner as well as Gilles Richard, formerly with the Jacksonville Barracudas, as the team’s first General Manager.

“Since we announced this press conference, the league office has received literally dozens of calls and emails asking about everything from season tickets to team sponsorships,” Combs said. “We had expected a positive response but this is even greater than we could have imagined.”

Augusta had been coveted by the SPHL since its previous team, the Augusta Lynx of the ECHL, had shuttered its doors in December of 2008. Located near the Georgia - South Carolina border, Augusta is within easy driving distance of several other SPHL cities including Columbus (GA) and Fayetteville (NC).

Both Kerzner and Richard said they were excited to be involved with the new market.

“I am very excited to be able to bring hockey back to Augusta,” Kerzner said.

ProHockeyNews.com will have a complete wrap-up of the press conference later today.

Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com