Mavericks: Slip Sliding Away

When we last checked in with the Flames’ ECHL affiliate, the Kansas City Mavericks were having a tough year. Too Long, Don’t Read: It has continued.

The Mavs sit dead last in the Mountain Division, eleven points out of a playoff spot, and a whopping THIRTY POINTS back of first place. It’s a slide, and it’s a mighty one. In their last twenty games, they have won only six. And it’s not like it’s been competitive; they are currently sitting on an uncomfortable -38 goal differential.

For some silver lining, there are in fact five teams worse off in the ECHL than the Mavs: they’re only 21st out of 26 teams. Here’s a look at the Mountain Division standings, but I’d recommend shielding your eyes.

Game By Game:

FEB 5th- KC Mavericks 2 @ Kalamazoo Wings 3 –LOSS

FEB 7th- KC Mavericks 5 vs Wichita Thunder 3 –WIN

FEB 8th- KC Mavericks 6 vs Allen Americans 4 –WIN

FEB 11th- KC Mavericks 2 vs Wichita Thunder 1 –WIN

FEB 14th- KC Mavericks 1 vs Utah Grizzlies 5 –LOSS

FEB 15th- KC Mavericks1 vs Utah Grizzlies 4 –LOSS

FEB 16th- KC Mavericks 2 @ Tulsa Oilers 5 –LOSS

FEB 19th- KC Mavericks 3 @ Idaho Steelheads 5 –LOSS

The Squad:

In one of the few consistencies to KC’s campaign so far, Rocco Carzo has roared back into the team scoring lead. With five goals and three assists, he has notched eight points in his last eight games. He was previously briefly in second to Bryan Lemos and behind him by two points, but Carzo has leapfrogged into the lead by five. Lemos has cooled off severely, grabbing only one assist over the last two weeks. Forward Loren Ulett leads the team in penalty minutes, now up to 74 on the year.

In the crease, the Mavericks’ masked men are doing their best to weather this slump of a season, but their numbers have naturally suffered along with the team. Flames prospect goalie Nick Schneider continues to lead the charge, as he has seen the games played lead all year. Schneids has tacked on five more starts, but only managed to add a pair of wins over a short homestand. His numbers aren’t quite up to the snuff of fellow Flames prospect Tyler Parsons, but that naturally comes with the larger workload behind a struggling team. Parsons added two more starts over the last eight and managed to add one win.

Up Next:

With a little over a month remaining in the regular season, the push to somehow make up a current 11 point gap to catch the Rapid City Rush’s playoff spot is on. The team will be in tough, heading on the road for a three game set with the Mountain Division’s second best team, the Utah Grizzlies. The Grizz are 23 points ahead of the Mavs, and with good reason, so it’ll be a tough test. KC will then return to Silverstein Eye Centers Arena for a five game homestand, four of which will be against Division opponents, and three of those will be split between the Tulsa Oilers once and Wichita Thunder twice. The Thunder and Oilers are 6th and 5th and directly ahead of the Mavs in the division race, so those are three absolutely crucial contests. Keep it locked on Matchsticks & Gasoline to see if the Mavs can climb back in the race!

by MilhouseFirehouse