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Preview: Mayhem at Pensacola Ice Flyers (Game 51)

March 22, 2019 - Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) - Macon Mayhem News Release

The Mayhem head down to Pensacola for the final time this season, hoping to snap the Ice Flyers' nine-game point streak.

Preview: Mayhem @ Pensacola Ice Flyers (Game 51)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

03/22/19

PENSACOLA, FL-

Disciplined Responses

For five weeks in a row, the Mayhem have responded to a penalty-riddled Friday night tilt with a well-disciplined performance on Saturday night. Over the past five Fridays, the Mayhem have accumulated seven fights, five misconducts, three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and three suspensions. By comparison, over the past five Saturdays, the Mayhem have been given only one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and none of the other aforementioned infractions.

To close out Military Appreciation Weekend, the Mayhem responded to another ill-disciplined performance on Friday with a defensive gem of a game. With Dakota Klecha and Kristaps Bazevics out due to injury, and Zach Urban suspended, the Mayhem had no choice but to hunker down defensively and make smart plays all over the ice. Doing exactly that, they won their first 2-1 game of the season and now sit just two points behind the highly-coveted fourth seed in the SPHL standings.

The Matchup

The Pensacola Ice Flyers are the hottest team in the SPHL. They have collected at least a point in nine consecutive games, having won eight of those. Over this surge, they've outscored their opponents 35-17, defeating the likes of Knoxville, Roanoke, Huntsville, and Fayetteville in the process. Their penalty kill has been perfect in back-to-back weekends and has currently fought off 14 consecutive power plays. Rod Aldoff's squad has crawled itself out of the abyss and now sits just a point away from leaving the eight seed for the first time in months. The Ice Flyers are peaking at the right time, and will seek to use their last home games of the season to their advantage and close the gap on Macon. The Mayhem have competed extremely well against Pensacola, having earned points in all but one game against the Flyers this season and generating a head-to-head record of 4-1-3.

Ortiz, Entmaa to Debut

Roster turnover is inevitable at this time of year. The Mayhem have made multiple enhancements to their team, perhaps more than anybody since the trade deadline. Two more players will be making their Mayhem debuts tonight in Marcus Ortiz and Kevin Entmaa.

Ortiz has been a steady point producer for the Knoxville Ice Bears over the past two seasons. In his second year, he has donned an 'A' on his sweater and has served as a utility player who can score goals (he ranked 2nd on Knoxville with 16), and play a physical game at the same time. The Dallas native is well-known for his leadership qualities and may prove to be an enormous addition to the Mayhem's playoff roster. As far as goaltender Kevin Entmaa, he is expected to be tonight's starter in Pensacola. He will be given a daunting task, making his professional debut against the hottest team in the SPHL. Over his past four years at Adrian College, Entmaa has proven to be an extremely dependable net-minder. In four straight seasons, he has pitched a save percentage of .908 or higher, a goals against average of 2.27 or lower, and an outstanding career record of 60-18-3.

Fan Appreciation Night

Next Friday, March 29th, the Mayhem will host the Knoxville Ice Bears in their last home game of the 2018-19 regular season. The weekend will feature a number of enticing narratives, including a reunion for Ortiz and Danny Cesarz as well as significant playoff implications on the line.

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