Preview: Mayhem at Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (Game 15)
November 30, 2018 - SPHL (SPHL)
Macon Mayhem News Release
Mayhem Spoil Best Start to a Season in SPHL History
No team in the history of the SPHL had ever won their first eleven games to start a season until the Birmingham Bulls managed to do so in just their sophomore season. The Mayhem even contributed to that colossal winning streak, falling by a 2-0 decision in Birmingham one week ago. The defeat fueled the fire even more for the Mayhem, who knew just how critical it was to defeat the undefeated Bulls last Saturday night.
The team had been winless in three straight, they were facing an undefeated opponent with a chance for revenge, and they were hosting Cancer Awareness Night at the Macon Centreplex in front of the biggest crowd of the season. All of these factors added pressure to the Mayhem to play at their absolute best, and they answered the call and played one of the strongest all-around games they had all year to earn a 3-1 victory. However, yesterday's home runs don't win today's games, and the Mayhem have dropped two straight on the road after winning their first five away tilts. Tonight, they return to the spot where they won their last road game two weeks ago.
The Matchup
Roanoke has struggled on home ice of late. They've dropped the last three games they've played at the Berglund Center, including a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Mayhem on November 16th, which would mark Jordan Ruby's first shutout of the season. A few recent roster changes have not been friendly to them, with their star goaltender Tanner Creel being called up to the Reading Royals of the ECHL and their leading scorer Maxime Guyon being injured. Still, the Dawgs have managed to stay in the race and sit just four points behind fourth place, with more games in hand than anyone in their path. Their new go-to net-minder, Jacob Caffrey, has backed up Creel for the entire month of November and made a remarkably impressive debut against the defending champion Huntsville Havoc on the road last Friday, stopping 28-of-30 shots and earning a win in his first game. He is the expected starter tonight, which could set the stage for yet another epic goaltending duel.
Defense First
Even during their three-game winless skid, one thing remained consistent for the Mayhem: their defense and goaltending were as prominent as they had been all season. They allowed just six regulation goals over that stretch (not including an empty-netter) and stayed at the top of the SPHL in goals against. By far, the Mayhem have allowed the fewest goals-per-game of any team in the league this season at an astonishing 1.93. This ranks them an entire .4 points ahead of the next-best Birmingham Bulls at 2.33. Perhaps what's even more impressive about this statistic is the fact that the Mayhem are tied for the most games played in the league, meaning they've been able to uphold this impressive number for an even longer period of time. Goaltender Ian Sylves, who filled the void left behind by Gordon Defiel when he left for the ECHL, helped contribute to that low figure with a tremendous debut on Saturday in which he made 37 of a possible 38 saves against the first-place Bulls. Whether it's Sylves or Jordan Ruby between the pipes tonight for the Mayhem, goals will likely be hard to come by for both squads.
A December to Remember
The Mayhem will host six games at the Macon Centreplex in the month of December, with three consecutive home weekends from December 7th until December 22nd. A number of specialty nights will highlight the six-game home stand, including Star Wars Night, Harry Potter Night, a Christmas-Themed Teddy Bear Toss Night in which specialty jerseys will be auctioned off, along with several other themed games. Stay tuned on Mayhem social media for the latest updates.
SPHL Stories from November 30, 2018
- Ice Flyers Shutout by Bulls, 3-0 - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Thunderbolts Tally 41 Shots on Goal in Loss to Quad City - Evansville Thunderbolts
- Rivermen Suffer Season's First Regulation Loss Friday - Peoria Rivermen
- Marksmen Down Peoria 5-2, Snapping Nation's Longest Regulation Streak - Fayetteville Marksmen
- Wilbur Scores Twice in See-Saw Victory in Roanoke - Macon Mayhem
- Third Period Rally Not Enough in Dawgs 4-3 Loss to Macon - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Ice Flyers Name Cousineau Team Captain for 2018-19 Season - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Preview: Mayhem at Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (Game 15) - Macon Mayhem
- Rail Yard Dawgs Game Notes: Rail Yard Dawgs (5-6-0) vs Mayhem (10-2-2) - 7:05 PM - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
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