Sports stats



ECHL Kansas City Mavericks

MAVERICKS WIN 5-3 OVER RUSH ON THE ROAD

December 26, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kansas City Mavericks News Release


Rapid City, SD - The Missouri Mavericks triumphed in their first of two weekend contests against the Rapid City Rush on Friday night with a 5-3 victory. Mavs forward Lindsay Sparks tallied 2 goals over the Rush, including a power play goal as well as the game-winning goal. Goaltender Maxime Lagace takes the win, making 19 saves between the pipes for the Mavs.

"Tonight was a character win for this team, after jumping on the bus for a thirteen hour drive on a holiday evening, every guy put it all out there and played very well," said Head Coach Richard Matvichuk of the win," Sparks' speed and tenacity was obviously a big factor in this contest; that combined with a full team effort earned us the 2 points tonight."

The Mavericks jumped on the scoreboard first after an aggressive start with an unassisted goal from Dallas Ehrhardt at 5:51 of the opening frame. The Mavs then doubled their efforts 2-0 with a tally from Chris Crane at 8:24 with a lone assist from Lindsay Sparks.

Missouri looked to have control over the game until an unfortunate penalty to defenseman Martin Lee (cross-checking) that sent a Rush player crashing into Mavs goaltender, Maxime Lagace, put the visiting team on the penalty kill and gave the Rush the opportunity they needed to cut the Mavs lead in half 2-1. Joey Sides, in his first game back in a Rapid City sweater since the Mavs home opener on November 8th, scored the power play goal for the Rush, with assists to Landon Oslanski and Sean Erickson at 16:44.

Less than 2 minutes later, the Rush tied the game up 2-2 as momentum swung in their favor with a goal by Jesse Schultz, assisted by Daniel Tetrault at 18:01.

Tied up 2-2, the Rush broke through the Mavs defense to take a 3-2 lead at 10:21 of the second period. Jesse Schultz scored for the home team, aided by defenseman Daniel Tetrault. Missouri evened the playing field again at 18:12 with a power play goal via Lindsay Sparks. Sebastien Thinel and Martin Lee were credited with the helpers.

Knotted at 3-3, the opening minutes of the final frame were fast and furious as both teams attempted to gain a critical lead. The Mavericks were the team to make that move at 9:10 with Lindsay Sparks' second goal and third point of the night, assisted by Jack Downing and Sebastien Thinel.

The Mavs held their 4-3 lead through the next 10 minutes until a penalty on the Rush, gave them an extra jolt of energy and the opportunity to drive home a victory. With Rush net minder Danny Battachio pulled for a fifth Rapid City skater, Andrew Courtney was able to put away an empty-net power-play goal with only :28 left on the clock to secure a 5-3 Missouri win over Rapid City.

The Mavs play their next game Saturday night in Rapid City, SD with an 8:05pm (CST) puck drop against the Rush. Missouri hosts their next home game on Wednesday, December 31st for their annual New Year's Eve game! The Mavs invite fans to take advantage of Family 4-Pack deals for the NYE contest and to participate in the family-friendly countdown to 2015 and post-game skate with the team. Fans can pre-register for the post-game skate by visiting the ticket table behind section 109 or calling the Mavs office during normal business hours at 816-252-7825. Skate rental is $5 per person. Tickets are available online at TicketMaster.com or in-person at the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office at Independence Events Center.

Check out the Kansas City Mavericks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from December 26, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central