A rivalry game that felt a little too familiar to the Mavericks. They play the Edmonton Oiler’s ECHL Affiliate team for the 6th time this season and fall 3-1.
Hold Your Ground
The Mavericks opened up the shooting early in this game. Maybe a little to early. Dan Correale was able to put the Mavs on the board just over a minute into the first and they do not light the lamp for the rest of the game. They played good hockey throughout the first two. They held their lead throughout the first but the Thunder get the equalizer 39 seconds into the second period. The second plays a little uneventfully as both teams get used to their styles of hockey and are unable to really penetrate the zone. Mavericks start the third still tied at 1 but are unable to answer back after a pair of goals from Wichita. Goal number two came from an unfortunate turnover from Josh Erickson in his debut as a Maverick. Goal number three was off a partial breakaway that found the back of the net with ease. The Mavericks get a late powerplay opportunity and put up four shots in the first 40 seconds but are not rewarded for their efforts.
Out of the Box, Out of the Net
The Mavericks did a great job tonight staying disciplined. They ended the game with only two penalty minutes that came from a high sticking call on Greg Betzold early on. The Thunder on the other hand racked up slightly more penalty minutes with three minor infractions but the Mavericks don’t score on any of those opportunities. This isn’t too bad but the Mavericks have not scored on a man advantage against the Thunder all year. They go 0/20 on the season against them.
Smith Keeping It Hot
After his assist on Dan Correale’s goal, Hunter Smith has earned 4 points in 3 games. He has not been shooting a whole lot but the way he is setting up passes and screening the goalie is getting him some good looks. He seems to be fitting into his role in Kansas City and the way he is working shows on the score sheet.
Healthy Bodies, Healthy Team
The Mavericks are plagued with injuries at the moment. Eric Freschi was just cleared to play last Saturday but forwards Matt Robertson (7 G, 6A), Justin Breton (4G, 12A), Darren Nowick (5G, 9A), and Shawn Pauly (8G, 3A) are out of the lineup with injuries. To make up for key production players, guys like Mike McMurtry and Justin Breton are stepping up their game to cover lost ground. McMurtry works the top line and gets his fair share of ice time and it shows. He has 10 goals and 14 assists in 23 games so far. Justin Breton leads the team in shots with 83 after tonight’s game. He only has 4 goals so far but if he keeps it up, hopefully he will be rewarded soon.
Have Your Goalies Back
Tyler Parsons is the reason this game was held to a tie for so long. He shut down tough angled shots and quality scoring chances from Wichita through the first 40 minutes. The issue in the third came from the defence getting lazy. Multiple odd man rushes, breakaways and turnovers happened in the third period against the Mavs and Parsons was hung out to dry. However, he was trying his best to get his stick in the play to break up some shots with the poke check but the defenders still needed to be better for him tonight.
The Mavericks outshot the Thunder 30-26 and look to put this one behind them. They will be back home on Sunday December 10th as they take on the San Jose Sharks Affiliate, the Allen Americans at 4:05 MT.
