Mavericks Earn Playoff Berth in 3-1 Win Over Mallards

The Missouri Mavericks (32-23-6) earned a fourth straight playoff berth Saturday night with a 3-1 win over the Quad City Mallards at Independence Events Center.  Missouri won their third straight game and goaltender Mike Clemente stopped 31 of 32 shots in his CHL-leading 24th win of the season.  Missouri cooled down the Mallards who had won six of their last seven games including the last two games between the two teams.  Forwards Kenton Miller, Brandon Smith and Sebastien Thinel all had goals for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks controlled throughout the game and took a 3-0 lead through the first 25:41.  Kenton Miller opened the scoring when he took a centering feed from Colt King and he wristed a shot past Mallards goaltender Neil Conway.  His goal came at the 15:54 mark of the first period, and Brandon Smith made it 2-0 just 1:45 later.  Smith toe-dragged around a defender and beat Conway with a backhand to give Missouri a two-goal lead.
Thinel made it 3-0 on his team-leading 27th goal of the season and Eric Meland earned his first professional point on an assist.
Missouri held the lead until the final six minutes of regulation when Matt Duffy one-timed a shot past Clemente and ended the Mavericks goaltender’s bid at a shutout.
The Mavericks head to the road for a game on Sunday in Quad City at 4:05 p.m.  Missouri has just one more regular season game remaining in the 2012-13 season.  Missouri will host Tulsa on Friday, March 22 at Independence Events Center.
Mavericks’ playoff tickets will go on sale to the general public this Thursday, March 21 at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets and at the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office.  Playoff schedules are to be determined and only playoff games A, B and C of the first round will go on sale.  Visit www.MissouriMavericks.com for up-to-date information as it is released.