Communiqués de Presse

Columbia Cougars general manager Evgen Gnytko announced today in a scheduled press conference that the team’s web site which had been scheduled for launch on January 1st was now up and functioning. He said to members of the local press in a prepared statement that “The Cougars website is now live thanks to the effort of our IT team and the management staff who put in a lot of long hours and late nights on the project. We had hopes of making the 1-1-12 target but with the league playoff and the holiday we did fall a bit behind. However it is operational as of 1:00 pm eastern time today but not 100% complete. There are a few aspects of the site that are still in development. The Home page is active and contains the latest team news, but the team Roster, Schedule and Standings tabs are not operating at this time. It is my hope that these will be up and live soon. The site should be 100 % complete by the start of the next season. I am excited about this step and am looking forward to some pretty exciting initiatives that we will be working on during the next few weeks and months. One of those initiatives will include a logo change contest that fans will be able to enter at each home game next season.

At this point I will open the floor to any questions you might have.” Tom Gross Columbia Journal Star. “Mr. Gnytko with your contract expiring in the next few days can you tell us if you will be staying on with the Cougars as General Manager in 2012.” “I can’t tell you if my contract will be re-newed…I have no indication that it won’t but the owners have not spoken to me directly about it either way. I will be meeting with the owners in the next couple of days and anticipate a decision at that time. I can tell you I am happy here in Columbia and think this organization is poised for great things in 2012.” Lee Ross St. Louis Post Dispatch. “Evgen, The Cougars have really given the top teams a run for their money in the league playoffs, How do you feel the team will finish now that positions 1 through 4 are out of reach? “I have always felt that we can compete with the best teams in this league. I think a few teams have taken us for granted at times and we have proven that we are a tough team to beat. With that being said this league has grown much more competitive in the last season. Many new teams have raised the bar and we have had a challenge just keeping pace with them. I think the Cougars have a great chance of finishing 5th. We have proven we can beat the Kush and have done it on their ice this season. It will be a tough game but win or loose our boys have made the post season pretty exciting to watch.”

Peter Ramsey Com Cast Sports Midwest Region “What is the status of stadium expansion?” “Over the next few days we will be starting construction on the two remaining sections we were hoping to upgrade the past season. The stadium should have a maximum seating capacity of 2000 by the start of the next season. Thanks for your questions and with any luck we will be talking about a Cougar series win next time I chat with you all. Have a great day.”

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