Mayhem Edged in Shootout on Home Opening Night
October 19, 2018 - SPHL (SPHL)
Macon Mayhem News Release
MACON, GA- Kicking off their fourth season in Macon with their home opener on Friday night, the Mayhem endured a back-and-forth tilt with the Pensacola Ice Flyers but fell 4-3 in a shootout.
Though they dictated the tempo in the opening minutes with an onslaught of time on attack in the Pensacola zone, the Mayhem were unable to draw first blood. At 4:51, a loose puck skittered its way to veteran Pensacola forward Matt Harrington, who slapped it past Jordan Ruby to open the scoring.
Ruby kept the Ice Flyers off the score sheet for the remainder of the first period, making 11 saves on the 12 shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes. On Pensacola's end, Andrew D'Agostini was perfect in goal in the opening frame and stopped all nine shots he faced. Sam Wilbur generated the Mayhem's greatest scoring opportunity of the opening stanza, driving wide on the right wing and cutting to the front of the net before being denied on a backhand shot by D'Agostini.
Just 4:36 into period two, Ryan Marcuz found the puck to the left of Ruby's net, and fired it past the Mayhem goaltender to double Pensacola's lead. Two minutes later, however, Macon had an answer.
Alternate Captain John Siemer dangled his way from the right corner into the edge of the right circle. With a small window of time before he was mauled by Pensacola defenders, Siemer turned and rifled a shot over D'Agostini's glove to give the Mayhem their first goal of the 2018-19 season.
Only a single penalty took place in the middle frame, with Josh Cousineau serving a two-minute minor for slashing. Despite a number of impeccable opportunities to draw level, the Mayhem could not convert. At the end of a shift, Siemer shoveled a no-look backhand pass across the slot to a wide open Michael Chemello, but the winger was winded and just misfired with the shot.
The third period began with a flurry of goals in rapid succession. Within a 2:31 span, three goals were scored one after another. Jake Faiella snapped a long shot from the right point at 43:16, which sailed past a screened D'Agostini and into the net. However, at 45:18, Ruby charged out of his net to challenge Pensacola's Brian Bowen in a footrace for a loose puck. Ruby won the race, but the puck caromed directly to Marcuz, who buried his second goal of the game into an empty net.
Just 31 seconds later, Stathis Soumelidis had an answer. Protecting the puck on his backhand, the Czech winger drove down his off-wing and shoveled the puck inside the left post to beat D'Agostini and re-tie the game.
The stalemate would go unbroken for the remainder of regulation, and overtime began. Caleb Cameron was penalized for charging D'Agostini on a scoring attempt, but Ruby made a handful of remarkable saves on the ensuing 4-on-3 penalty kill to keep the game going.
In the shootout, Pensacola's goal scorers from earlier in the game each tallied. Harrington and Marcuz put the pressure on Macon to respond, and while Dakota Klecha managed to bury his opportunity, the rest of the Mayhem's shooters were denied by D'Agostini. Pensacola escaped with a 4-3 victory to spoil the home opener for the Mayhem.
The Mayhem will take on the Fayetteville Marksmen on Saturday, October 20th at the Macon Centreplex on Pucks & Paws Night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 pm. Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the game, but will be kindly asked to keep them on a leash and sign a waiver prior to entering the arena. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or by visiting the Macon Centreplex Box Office at 200 Coliseum Drive.
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SPHL Stories from October 19, 2018
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