Mavericks: Unhappy New Year

Summary:

When we last checked in with the Kansas City Mavericks, they had been on a roll. Successfully collecting 7 of a possible 10 points in an excellent stretch, they found themselves in 3rd place in the ECHL’s Mountain Division and only two points back of first place. They also were sitting on games-in-hand on the teams the were chasing, the second place Tulsa Oilers and division-leading Utah Grizzlies. But as the team returned from the Christmas Break, all that opportunity slipped through their fingers like oh-so-much figgy pudding after a turkey coma. The Mavs have unceremoniously skidded into the new year as awkward as a kid who fell off their toboggan only halfway down the hill. Since returning to action December 28th, they’ve lost four of six contests and tumbled six points back of first place. Although points wise they’re tied with Wichita, they get the temporary advantage with games-in-hand.

Game By Game:

DEC 28^th: KC Mavericks 2 @ Tulsa Oilers 5 LOSS

DEC 29^th: KC Mavericks 2 @ Wichita Thunder 3 LOSS

DEC 31^st: KC Mavericks 5 vs Wichita Thunder 4 WIN (OT)

JAN 2^nd: KC Mavericks 3 @ Allen Americans 5 LOSS

JAN 4^th: KC Mavericks 6 @ Rapid City Rush 4 WIN

JAN 5^th: KC Mavericks 1 vs Rapid City Rush 4 LOSS

The Squad:

Good news for Mark Cooper, as team scoring leader Jared Vanwormer has been loaned to the Milwaukee Admirals indefinitely. That means Coop has regained his spot atop team scoring. So the top five remains the same outside of Greg Betzold getting bumped up and Vanwormer getting bumped out.

Flames prospect goalie Nick Schneider, sent down from the AHL’s Stockton Heat on December 12th, saw five starts in this last stretch. As noted, it didn’t go well for the team, so neither particularly for Schneider. He picked up a pair of W’s, but his ECHL GAA is now climbing towards 4.00 as he’s up to 3.69 from a previous 3.17 when he was first sent down.

The other Calgary prospect Mason McDonald picked up a win in one start and is up to nine victories on the year through a dozen starts.

Up Next:

KC will have a few rounds with the Central Division, as they visit the Indy fuel before hosting the Cincinnatti Cyclones for a pair of games back at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. They’ll head back on the road for one more, against divisional foe Wichita, then settle in for a massive homestand. The Mavericks will host 9 straight contests though late January and early February. This means 11 of their next 13 games will be inside friendly confines where the team has fared substantially better than the road this season with an 11-2 record, which will present a big time opportunity to get back towards the division lead. Check back with M&G in two weeks to see how the Mavericks fare!

by MilhouseFirehouse