SPHL Macon Mayhem

Preview: Mayhem vs. Pensacola Ice Flyers (Game 12)

Published on November 21, 2018 under SPHL (SPHL)
Macon Mayhem News Release


MACON, GA-

Winning Streak Ends One Game Shy of Franchise Record

Last Saturday's defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. The game itself did not bring the same level of excitement that previous Mayhem games did. Moreover, a winning streak of epic proportions finally ended. Without a doubt, it was the greatest start to a season in Mayhem franchise history, in which the team went 9-0-1 to start the campaign. The pain of the loss notwithstanding, Mayhem fans will be able to take a step back and appreciate this winning streak as the ninth-longest in the history of the SPHL.

One streak that is still alive and well is the Mayhem's road winning streak. They've won all five of their away games to start the year. During their championship season, the Mayhem won eight straight road tilts between October and December of 2016, which was the fifth-highest road winning streak of all time in the SPHL. The Mayhem are a mere three road victories away from tying this milestone, and no team has had a better road record than the Mayhem have in recent years. However, they'll be facing a squad on the up-and-up after a poor start to their season, who still have a bitter taste in their mouths from their last matchup against Macon.

The Matchup

The Pensacola Ice Flyers have been an enigma this season. They've had such a long, storied track record of successful seasons under Head Coach Rod Aldoff that it's been surprising to see them near the bottom of the SPHL leaderboards. After spoiling the Mayhem's home opener on October 19th in a shootout, the Ice Flyers lost five games in a row before finally turning things around at the start of their four-game home stand. Tonight is the fourth and final game of that home stand in which they've won two out of three, but were just beaten 5-1 by the Quad City Storm last Saturday. They have given the Mayhem a run for their money in both matchups this season, but the Mayhem managed a solid 3-1-0 record against the Flyers at the Pensacola Bay Center in 2017-18.

Power Play Streak Extends to Eight Games

One bright spot from last Saturday night's game was Derek Sutliffe's buzzer-beating power play strike which tied the game and electrified the Macon Centreplex. The goal served an important purpose, not only because it gave the audience a thrill and a reason to cheer, but because it prolonged a critical streak which has been instrumental to the Mayhem's early season success. The power play has been incredibly consistent for the Mayhem over the last few weeks. It has converted in eight consecutive contests, which is an unprecedented feat for any team, let alone one which had struggled on the man-advantage at the start of the year. Pensacola's penalty kill has not fared very well this season, and if the Mayhem can draw penalties regularly tonight, they will have a great opportunity to extend this streak even further.

Cancer Awareness Night

This Saturday, November 24th, the Mayhem will wrap up the second half of a home-and-home against the Birmingham Bulls on Cancer Awareness Night. Players will be sporting specialty, one-of-a-kind jerseys in support of raising awareness about the prevalence of prostate cancer in the United States and around the world. To help do their part, the Mayhem will raise funds for vital research to help men all over the world. The specialty jerseys worn by the players throughout the night will be sold at a live auction in the Macon Centreplex lobby immediately after the game, with proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society.

Check out the Macon Mayhem Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



SPHL Stories from November 21, 2018


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