A bus carrying the Georgia Cottonmouths hockey team crashed along Interstate 74 on Jan. 19. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

A road trip took a turn for the worse Jan. 19 for a Georgia hockey team on its way to face the Peoria Rivermen in a weekend series.

The Columbus Cottonmouths’ charter bus veered off of a turn on Interstate 74 in Morton Jan. 19 and rolled over an embankment, landing on its side in an open field. Two of the 24-member team were extricated from the bus, and Morton firefighters cut holes in the roof, freeing two others.

The team and its bus driver, 74-year-old Allen W. Dawlford, Smith Station, Ala., were transported to the hospital, where all but Dawlford and Cottonmouths’ goalie Brandon Jaeger, were treated and released. All injuries were considered minor.

Illinois State Police ticketed Dawlford for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The driver was navigating an on-ramp from Interstate 155 to westbound Interstate 74 when the bus skated off the road, rolling over into the field, the team’s equipment trailer in tow.

The Cottonmouths’ team owner and its fans praised the Rivermen for the outpouring of concern and well wishes from its owners, staff, team and fans.

Jeff Bucklew of Columbus posted his appreciation to the Peoria Riverman Facebook page Friday, “Peoria Rivermen are a class act, I live in Columbus and have been a Snake fan for 20 years. I just wanted to say thanks from a fan for all the help your team and organization have done to help the Snakes.”

The Cottonmouths were slated to play the Rivermen Jan. 21 and 22. Friday’s game was postponed, but the Columbia team was expected to face Peoria on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Carver Arena in Peoria.

Chicago Cubs’ MVP Ben Zobrist was guest of honor at Saturday’s match, and his wife, Julianna, was scheduled to perform in a postgame “Faith and Family Night” concert.