The Kansas City Mavericks opened their 10th season at home on Friday, October 12th where they were host to the Allen Americans. The two teams played a pair of preseason games a week before and Allen was victorious in both. However, the Mavs came for blood and their production in the 2nd period, in particular, was electric and borderline unstoppable. Mason McDonald would have likely started for the Mavericks but was injured in the preseason and placed on the injured reserve list. Former Calgary Hitmen, Nick Schneider got the nod for his first start in his first professional season and registered his first win for Kansas City.
“The Kid” Stands Tall
Mavs fans didn’t know what to expect with Nick Schneider this year. Most are not familiar with his performance in the pre-season with the Flames or his late shot at Stockton at the end of last season. His name is not quite familiar to them yet but he proved to fans last night that he is an elite goalie and has the potential to do great things for the team this year. Schneider stopped 19/20 shots but his d-men were doing a great job of blocking shots from even reaching the net so he very well could have seen 10-15 more. Schneider compares this experience to that for the Hitmen by saying, “Just this rink and the Mavericks fans are a lot more into the game” “…The music was bumping and they were cheering and I feel like they are the heart and soul fans and like I was told they take you in as one of their own. They never boo a man on their own team and they always have your back. It’s definitely a cool feeling to get that first win for them and hopefully, we get a lot more for them down the road.”
Vets in Midseason Form
It isn’t always easy to tell how the offseason may have been for some players that were hot last season. In a perfect world, you would like them to come back and pick up right where they left off but four months away from the team doesn’t always guarantee that. A couple of last year’s players really made their mark and registered their first points of the season. Jared VanWormer and Mark Cooper both picked up a goal and an assist, Matt Robertson picked up an assist, Justin Breton picked up a goal and Rocco Carzo led off the scoring for the night. VanWormer and Cooper played on a line together and the production speaks for itself. They were aggressive on their checks and both took a couple Allen shots to the body that appeared to sting a bit but that didn’t slow them down. VanWormer was given the first star of the night and Cooper was given the second.
Captain Carzo, Back for Blood
Rocco Carzo was only able to play 12 games last year after he tore his ACL in a game against Wichita in November of last season. His recovery was a long and strenuous process but he was never too far away from the team. He was up in the suite with the other injured players, on the bench and all over the locker room following the end of most games last year. He took it upon himself to help the team off the ice in any way he could because he could not join them on the ice. A couple of days before their home opener it was announced that he would wear the C this year after they lost last year’s captain Tyler Elbrecht to the Wichita Thunder. Last night Carzo opened up the scoring for the Mavericks in the first couple minutes of the game. There was no hiding his excitement as he jumped in the air and embraced that first goal. Later in the game, he found himself on a shorthanded partial break that could have very well led to his second of the night but the puck got poked away from him. He was all smiles after the game and it was easy to tell he was just happy to be back on the ice.
Getting that win against Allen was a big step for the Mavericks. Last year they went 4-3-0-1 against Allen and every competition was a battle. The Americans made the postseason last year but were knocked out in the first round when they lost in game 7 against the Idaho Steelheads. The Mavericks next games will be on October 20th at 7:05 (MT) and 21st at 3:05 (MT) where they go on the road to play the Rapid City Rush.
