Mayhem Secure First Place to Close out Home Stand
December 22, 2018 - SPHL (SPHL)
Macon Mayhem News Release
Macon Mayhem LW Alexander Taulien
(Macon Mayhem, Credit: Bryan Meeks)
Wrapping up their longest home stand of the season, the Mayhem held off a late push by Pensacola and won their fourth straight game by a 4-2 final.
Making his Mayhem debut, goaltender Henry Dill fought off all eight shots he faced in the first period. Alexander Taulien flattened Carl Greco with an enormous body check in the middle stages of the opening stanza. In response, Chris Lijdsman dropped the gloves with him and fought him before both players lost their balance.
Brian Billett had a fine start to the contest as well, stopping a glut of Macon shot attempts before the Mayhem finally solved him. At 17:38, Jimmy Soper fed Caleb Cameron a pass above the right circle. The red-hot winger fired a one-timer past Billett to break the ice and give Macon a 1-0 advantage.
Pensacola tipped the scales in the middle frame, generating 14 shots on net. Dill managed to stop all of them, including a handful of point-blank saves. Taulien was penalized for tripping late in the second period, but Dill and the Mayhem stayed strong on the ensuing penalty kill.
The offensive sticks came to life in the third period, with a total of five goals being scored in the final 20 minutes. First, the puck was hoisted down the ice from the Mayhem zone and into the Pensacola slot, where Derek Sutliffe scooped it up and drove to the net. He tucked it past Billett to double the Mayhem's advantage, but the insurance lead was short-lived.
Back-to-back goals scored by Garrett Milan within 1:21 tied the score for Pensacola, who had their sights set on reaching overtime, as they've managed to defeat the Mayhem twice in shootouts this season. However, Macon had other ideas, and Taulien buried his first goal of the season after being fed a pass from below the goal line by Justin Levac. Taulien's strike regained the Mayhem lead, which they would sustain for the remainder of the game. Sam Wilbur tacked on an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal the deal.
Dill earned a victory in his Mayhem debut, with an impressive outing in which he stopped 28 of 30 shots. Billett denied 31 of 34 and was charged with his fourth defeat on the campaign. The Mayhem will head to Knoxville to square off against the Ice Bears on Wednesday, December 26th. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
Images from this story
 Macon Mayhem LW Alexander Taulien (Bryan Meeks) |
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