The Mavericks come out guns blazing in a must win make up game. Matt Robertson gets a hat trick on the night with other markers coming from Jared VanWormer and 2 from Mark Cooper. Tulsa came back with a little life in the 2nd half of the game but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the offensive powerhouse Kansas City was tonight.
McDonald Getting in the Swing of Things
Tonight’s game was Mason McDonald’s first start since February 23rd for Stockton and his first start for Kansas City since February 10th. A slow month of March for the 21 year old goalie. Fortunately for him, his team made tonight was a very easy night for him to get into. They take an early 3-0 lead in the 1st and eventually earning a 5-0 lead in the first half of the 2nd period. 2/3 of the goals he let in tonight beat him up high on the glove side. He was making the big saves but some of the simple plays were the ones that were getting past him. Overall he played a very composed game and Tulsa made it easy on him with many of their shots ringing high and wide. Tyler Parsons had started the last 4 games for the Mavericks but with games on back to back nights it seemed to be a better choice to go with McDonald tonight.
Playing His Way Up
Jared VanWormer has been an absolute powerhouse for the Mavericks in 2018. “He’s a captain. That’s what he was at school. He shows it on the ice every game, he’s well liked in the locker room. I can’t say enough good things about Worms,” said Coach John-Scott Dickson. Whenever there is a big play, more than likely #17 has something to do with it. He finishes tonights game with 1 goal and 2 assists. He also earned another power play goal tonight that put him in the top of the league in that category. He is a ruthless player that will do anything the team needs him to do. Whether it be blocking shots, laying a hit on a big guy, scoring goals or setting up plays. He is electric on the ice and if I had a ballot for an MVP this season it would go to him. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for him. His success in Kansas City should not go unnoticed and if he isn’t wearing a letter for the Mavericks next year he likely could be playing at the next level.
Pedal to the Metal
While they led the whole game tonight, the Mavericks got a spurt where it appeared Tulsa found a second wind and was going for a comeback. Turnovers were costing them big time and playing the game like they already won the 2nd period almost could’ve been gamechanging for this team. The Mavs score 5 unanswered then the Oilers score 3 unanswered and their efforts don’t get crushed completely until that 6th goal goes in. A Mavs penalty kill with 4 minutes to go in the game allowed for the Oilers to pull their goalie for a 6-on-4 attack. The Mavericks buckled down, sacrificed their bodies and did everything they could in the dying minutes to secure their win. Something that should have been happening all game.
Keeping the Hope Alive
“I know it sounds cliche but we just have to take it a shift at a time,” said John-Scott Dickson. It can be hard for a team to not look ahead when they are so close to the end of the season but the coaching staff is doing their best to keep the players focused on the present to help them chip away of their goal of making the playoffs. They play Indy tomorrow, who they are tied with for 5th in the central division. They have to leave that game with two points. An overtime showing would put a 3-way tie for the last playoff spot. They have to keep their foot on the gas all game tomorrow and not allow any slip ups that they got away with tonight.
The 3 remaining Mavericks games come tomorrow at home at 6pm (MT) against the Indy Fuel and Friday and Saturday at the Utah Grizzles at 7:05pm (MT) both nights. People surrounding the Mavericks organization can’t help but look up to Stockton and hope for some sort of miracle that they get some of their key players back like Mike McMurtry, Darren Nowick and Kayle Doetzel but with Stockton in a playoff run of their own, this looks like something they will have to do on their own.
