MORTON — A charter bus carrying the Columbus Cottonmouths team was in a rollover crash on Interstate 74 on Thursday afternoon as the Southern Professional Hockey League team was on its way into Peoria for a weekend series against the Peoria Rivermen.

The Rivermen confirmed it was the Columbus bus, and that players, head coach Jerome Bechard and traveling staff were among a traveling party of 24 from the Georgia-based team.

All 24 were transported to the hospital, an Illinois State Police spokesman said. Two had to be extricated from the vehicle and were transported immediately to the hospital, while the others followed later in another bus. Morton Fire Chief Joe Kelley said his firefighters had to cut out holes in the top of the bus to remove the two. The rest were able to get out on their own.

Twenty-three of the bus's occupants were taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Three were considered trauma patients and listed in serious condition, though media relations coordinator Shelli Dankoff described their injuries as not life threatening. The remaining 20 patients were not seriously injured. Five already had been treated and released shortly after 3 p.m., though they remained at the hospital with their teammates. Goalie Brandon Jaeger and the bus driver, Allen W. Dawlford, 74, of Smith Station, Ala., were admitted. All other players and staff were treated and released. An additional patient was transported to UnityPoint Health-Methodist. He has been treated and released.

SPHL president Jim Combs said one of the two Columbus goaltenders suffered a broken leg, but he was unsure which player was hurt. He said another member of the traveling party is believed to have suffered a broken collarbone, and that Dawlford reportedly had a gash on his head and was in surgery.

"The rest of it, everyone walked away, mostly bumps and bruises," Combs said.

The Friday night game has been postponed.

Ross Green, an Illinois State Police trooper, said it appeared the bus was going too fast shortly after 1 p.m., when it tried to negotiate the Interstate 74 westbound on-ramp from Interstate 155. The bus slid off the road and rolled over. Skid marks were clearly visible in the muddy cornfield next to the highway. As of 2:30 p.m., the bus still was lying on its side in the field, a large trailer, presumably with the team's equipment, behind it.

The northbound ramp from I-155 to I-74 was closed pending the conclusion of the state police's investigation, which included the statement of one witness who said "he thought the van was driving too fast and the driver couldn't negotiate the curve," Green said.

Dawlford was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, Green said later Thursday.

It wasn't clear, Green said, if anything was malfunctioning on the bus. The trooper added that a "level one bus inspector" was on the way to the scene to examine the vehicle. The investigation, he said, was ongoing.

The Cottonmouths are scheduled to play at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Carver Arena and again at 7:05 p.m. Saturday. The latter game was slated to feature Eureka native and World Series MVP Ben Zobrist dropping the ceremonial first puck and the Chicago Cubs player's wife, singer Julianna, performing an hourlong postgame concert.

"It looked like the bus driver missed that bend in the freeway there," Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel said. "It could have been a lot worse. They went off the road into an open field area, and that might have helped them. We're just happy everyone is alive. We're going to go out there and retrieve their equipment once the bus is pushed back up in place, make sure everyone is in their hotel and has a meal we're sending. We'll do everything we can to assist."

Said Columbus team owner Wanda Amos, to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer: "I can't say enough about the Peoria owners, coaches, staff and fans. They have been wonderful to our players and staff. My phone has been blowing up with good wishes from all over the league. All we can do now is pray."

Dave Eminian covers the Rivermen for the Journal Star. Reach him at 686-3206 and deminian@pjstar.com. Check out his videos on Tout and news items on Twitter, both via @icetimecleve. Andy Kravetz is the Journal Star public safety reporter. He can be reached at akravetz@pjstar.com and 686-3283. Follow him at twitter.com/andykravetz.

At the scene of a carter bus crash. On 155/74 near Morton. Had#sphl Columbus cottonmouths on board. 24 injured.pic.twitter.com/7Blpu4cEHe

— Andy Kravetz (@andykravetz)January 19, 2017

Close up shot of the charter bus which the#sphl team was on. Near 1-155/74pic.twitter.com/HEQgP6lvUs

— Andy Kravetz (@andykravetz)January 19, 2017

These pix show angle of the bus as well as some of the damage. was rainy at the time and bus apparently lost traction#sphl@Cottonmouthspic.twitter.com/hLOX8AWlhU

— Andy Kravetz (@andykravetz)January 19, 2017