Preview: Mayhem vs. Pensacola Ice Flyers (Game 37)
February 8, 2019 - SPHL (SPHL)
Macon Mayhem News Release
Injuries Severely Underman Mayhem in Sweep by Peoria
The timing of the Mayhem's three-game home stand against the top-seeded team in the SPHL could not have been worse. All three games had been marked on Leo Thomas' calendar for weeks, and when they finally arrived, the Mayhem found themselves playing without several critical pieces.
Leading goal-scorer Jake Trask sustained an upper-body injury early into Thursday night's tilt and would not return to the ice for the rest of the series. Steadfast defenseman Larry Smith absorbed a lower-body injury in the first period on Friday night, and was out for all of Saturday's game. Justin Levac, Jimmy Soper, and Dakota Klecha were also all out of the lineup due to injury.
In spite of this, the Mayhem kept the score extremely close on Friday and Saturday, scoring the first goal on both of those nights. Still not at full strength, the Mayhem will need to continue to stick to their systems the way they did last weekend in their upcoming home-and-home series against a Pensacola squad in dire need of points in the playoff race.
The Matchup
Macon has not squared off against the Pensacola Ice Flyers yet in the New Year. At the end of 2018, the Mayhem hosted the Flyers three times to close their six-game home stand, defeating them on all three occasions. On the campaign, the Mayhem have earned a 4-0-2 record against Pensacola, outscoring them 19-11 throughout.
However, the Ice Flyers have been steadily improving since they last clashed with the Mayhem. They swept the Birmingham Bulls on the road three weeks ago and took three points of a possible six against Peoria at the end of January. The acquisition of longtime SPHL veteran Jason Price and the return of Matt Johnson from injury have helped make Pensacola a more complete team, but the Flyers have also been riddled with ECHL call-ups this season, just as the Mayhem have. Earlier this week, they lost Brandon Rumble and Brantley Sherwood to the Norfolk Admirals. Tonight's game will feature two sides which are playing substantially undermanned.
Klecha's Return
Though Trask, Smith, Levac and Soper are all still out, one piece of good news for the Mayhem is that veteran forward Dakota Klecha is making his long-anticipated return to action after missing half of the current season with a wrist injury. He missed 18 games, the same number of games he played in before sustaining the injury. When he went down, Klecha was tied with Trask for the team-lead in goals. He contributed 17 points (9G, 8A) and will be an enormous addition to the Mayhem lineup, which is still severely shorthanded.
Mascot Night
Tonight is Mascot Night at the Macon Centreplex as the Mayhem kick off a home-and-home series with Pensacola. Mac the Mascot will be celebrating his 4th birthday with all of his friends, including Toby the Bear from Mercer University, Kevin from the Macon Bacon, and many more. The mascots will be facing off in a broomball game at center ice during the first intermission of tonight's game, and can be found all around the arena mingling with fans throughout the evening.
SPHL Stories from February 8, 2019
- Rivermen Outlast Storm, Drop Magic Number to 1 - Peoria Rivermen
- Bolts' Special Teams Outstanding In OT Loss To Havoc - Evansville Thunderbolts
- Ice Flyers Edge Mayhem in Overtime on Mascot Night - Macon Mayhem
- Barone, Mele, Carry Dawgs to 3-1 Win over Birmingham - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Preview: Mayhem vs. Pensacola Ice Flyers (Game 37) - Macon Mayhem
- Rail Yard Dawgs Game Notes: Rail Yard Dawgs (17-15-3) vs Bulls (24-9-2) - 7:05 PM - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Brian Bowen Called up to ECHL Norfolk - Fayetteville Marksmen
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- Final Regular-Season Series with Knoxville Promises Intensity - Fayetteville Marksmen
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