“If we play our system, play our structure and if the intensity is there we can hang in games and win them. We have to have that confidence that we can play with any team in this league.” -John-Scott Dickson. A notable quote that comes from the Mavericks head coach after a 4-2 victory against the Toledo Walleye.
Hit them Where it Hurts
Toledo plays a structure of hockey that when they get down, they get aggressive. As soon as the Mavericks regained the lead in the 2nd with a score by 2-1 the Walleye almost immediately were throwing dirty shots, getting sticks high and getting more tangled up with the Mavericks. This resulting in some penalties but it also made the Walleye look sloppy and panicked. In the third period, they looked as if they had rolled over. They were drained and nothing they could do seemed to make any difference in the game. Until the last couple of minutes. They score late and put the game within 1 by a score of 3-2. Their second wind hits and then all of a sudden there are more shots registered and they call a timeout with just over a minute left in the game. They pull their goalie and Jared VanWormer breaks free on the rush and finds the empty net to seal the game 4-2.
McDonald Takes a Seat
On Friday, it appeared that the game plan for this weekend was that Mason McDonald would start Friday and Sunday and then Chris Nell would take Saturday’s game to give him a rest. Honestly, Nell outplayed him on Saturday night and getting the win secured his start today that was initially expected for McDonald. This is not a good sign for a Flames prospect and it was a little better pill to swallow with him being the backup when Parsons was in town. McDonald definitely needs a confidence booster game but if he doesn’t get the chance, his development could hurt for it.
Let the Bodies Fly
KC was very energetic in the 2nd and 3rd period. A lot of blocked shots and diving plays in front of the net that prevented further damage on the scoreboard. Chris Nell and John-Scott Dickson were both happy with the team’s efforts and willingness to sacrifice their bodies. Especially in the dying minutes of the game.
Multi-Point Winners
Jared VanWomer, Bryce Aneloski and Greg Betzold all put up a goal and an assist on the night. These 3 were obviously in the zone tonight and came out hot straight out of the gate. Aneloski rang one off the post in the first period and VanWormer was leading the rush a good portion of the night. Betzold was positioning himself perfectly and it sure paid off for all of them.
Sweet Victory
The Mavericks were not favoured to win this weekend at all. Including last weekend, they played 4 consecutive games against Toledo and before this weekend their all time record did not include any wins. Being able to beat them not once but twice is something the Mavs will be able to go back to and use it as motivation to challenge any other tough team they find themselves against. The same goalie that shut them out on Friday is the one credited with the 4-2 loss tonight. The whole locker room was electric after both wins and the guys were clearly very proud of their perseverance through this weekend.
The whole team takes a well earned day of rest tomorrow and will play again next weekend. This time just for a two game series on Saturday and Sunday against the Rapid City Rush. Their record sits at 23-18 and they are 3rd in the Central Division.
