From Fayetteville, NC
The Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) announced today that Head Coach John Marks has accepted a similar position with the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and has resigned his position with the FireAntz. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Marks, 59, leaves the FireAntz after one season of overwhelming success with the FireAntz, winning the SPHL Coach of the Year and leading the club to it’s first-ever championship. The club won 20 of its’ last 22 games en route to defeating the Jacksonville Barracudas, three games to one, in the SPHL finals.
“John came to Fayetteville at a time when we were under a lot of pressure to find a new coach.†Vice-President of Communications Jason Fleming said, “It turned out to be the best decision that this franchise could have made. He is an excellent coach and an outstanding person. We’re thankful that he came here in the first place, and wish him all the success for the future. I’m sure everyone in Fayetteville will be following the Pensacola Ice Pilots and rooting for John.â€
Marks returns to the ECHL where he has the second most wins (466) in the history of the league. He also won two championships with Charlotte and Greenville.