It’s the part in the season where every point matters and the Mavericks have been doing their best in their push for a playoff spot. Since March 2nd, the Mavericks have earned at least one point in 7 of the last 8 games. There are notable step ups being made by key players and those guys did their part in securing a 3-1 win tonight.
The Unstoppable Adam Carlson
With news of Tyler Parsons and Mason McDonald being sent down to Kansas City, the Mavericks find themselves in a situation they have not come across all season. An abundance of goalies. They currently have 4 and Parsons and Carlson were the ones who dressed tonight. Now at a first glance it seems a little ridiculous that Tyler Parsons did not start but as Coach John Scott Dickson states, “The stats don’t lie.” In all 7 of those games that the Mavericks earned points, the most noticeable consistency was Carlson in net. He comes off a 8-0 shutout on Sunday and made it obvious to this team that he can get the job done. He had the help of his teammates tonight substantially as they were blocked many shots and only leaving him to face 21 shots on net. He only lets one past him and holds a composed game throughout all 60 minutes. He sits at a .922 save percentage in games played with the Mavericks.
The Impact of One
The Mavericks top line has consisted of an array of players as the season has gone on. Jared VanWormer was a right winger who started the season shuffling on the third line and through injuries and call ups he has secured a spot on the top line. VanWormer made his impact in a quiet manner to start the season. He would rack up assists, block shots, position himself very well but he was not the obvious spark plug to the team as he is now. He has 4 game winning goals since January 27th and sits at 36 points with 17 goals and 19 assists. Any time the Mavericks get a win you can guarantee he had a part in it. He is also electric on the power play and vastly leads the team in power play goals with 11. He plays a game that is fun to watch and always seems to be exactly where he needs to be. He looks for the deflection up at the net and can be a physical presence on the ice. He opened up the scoring for the Mavericks tonight and assisted the 2nd goal. A few short minutes after scoring his first he almost had his 2nd where he tried to chip a puck in from the front of the net. He also earned a breakaway tonight that just barely missed and set up a quality tic tac toe play from behind the net that was just inches from another lamp lighter. VanWormer has risen to the challenge of leading this team to a playoff spot and has been consistent in every game in over a month.
One Game at a Time
The Mavericks are currently in 4th place in the Central division with 68 points. This is currently a playoff spot but it is also one they cannot be 100% comfortable with. Indy and Kalamazoo trail narrowly with 66 points each. Those teams are all pining for that #4 spot and the Mavericks need to keep their focus down the stretch to reach their post season goals. The team practices a routine to help keep their focus on future games. They are allowed to celebrate a win or ponder a loss until midnight of the same day then they drop it and move on. The common goal and the energy in the locker room needs to be carried on throughout the 8 remaining games and they can’t focus too much on the end goal until the standings are solidified.
There is hope for this team. They have adjusted to so much this year. The team they are now drastically differs from the team they started with. New faces and old are all on a mission and if they continue their play it could really pay off.
The Mavericks go on a 4 game road trip following this game and will be back on home ice April 1st.
