The Macon Mayhem of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) announced the addition of two staff members who are no stranger to the league or to Macon. Shawn Bednard joins the team as the play-by-play voice of the Mayhem, while Dana Barker will serve as the team’s Director of Communications and the public address voice and DJ for all home games.
Bednard comes to Macon from the Fayetteville Marksmen, who are sitting out the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions. He has been the voice of the team for the past two seasons, calling both home and away broadcasts for the Marksmen. Prior to his stint in Fayetteville, the Michigan native started hockey broadcasts for Central Michigan University. While at CMU, Bednard not only was the hockey team’s play-by-play voice, but he also created a weekly TV show for the school’s hockey program and was the host of numerous ACHA national broadcast specials and tournaments.
“I reached out to [Mayhem General Manager] Blair [Floyd], we talked about the vision of the team moving forward, and we came to an agreement on how I could help out this year,” Bednard said. “I’m stoked. I’m excited to get down to Macon. We played down there a handful of times last year, and I very much enjoy the arena and the raucous environment. Not only that, but their booster club is the absolute best in the entire SPHL. They make going to Macon an absolute treat. Knowing how welcomed I’ve been there, it’s a thread I’m very much looking forward to being woven into the fabric of the team. I’m stoked to hopefully see another championship run in Middle Georgia.”
Barker has been a long-time staple of hockey down the road in Columbus over the past two decades. He served two seasons as the radio play-by-play voice of the Columbus Cottonmouths during their stint in the SPHL and was the team’s public address announcer and in-house DJ for several years in both the SPHL and ECHL. He reprised those roles last season with the expansion Columbus River Dragons in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. He has also been the primary fill-in PA voice of the Mayhem over the past three years. In addition to his gameday and staff duties, Barker will be this season’s host of the Mayhem weekly coach’s show, with a virtual format yet to be determined.
“I’ve had a blast whenever I’ve been to Macon, so being able to do this on a full-time basis now is huge for me,” Barker said. “Having talked extensively to Blair in the offseason about all the new things to come, I’m happy to be a part of what’s in store for hockey in Middle Georgia and hope I can add to the excitement every night at the Centreplex. With all the developments in pro hockey the last couple of months, I think the entertainment value this year is going to be through the roof.”