Mavericks Season Ends In Game Seven Loss To Allen, 7-3

The Missouri Mavericks were defeated by the Allen Americans, 7-3, Tuesday night in Game Seven of the Central Hockey League (CHL) Semifinals.  For the second straight season, the Mavericks’ season ended in Game 7 and the team was just one win short of reaching the CHL Finals.  Allen jumped out to an early lead in the game and held the lead throughout.  Brian McMillin and Todd Robinson each had two goals in the win for the Americans and goaltender Aaron Dell stopped 29 of the Mavericks’ 32 shots.  The Americans advance to take on the Wichita Thunder in the CHL Finals.  The Mavericks will host a season celebration at Independence Events Center on Thursday, April 26 from 5-8 p.m.

Allen jumped out to a 1-0 lead early into the game when McMillin scored his seventh goal of the playoffs on assists from Jason Deitsch and Jamie Schaafsma at the 1:52 mark.  Missouri rebounded and controlled the play for the second half of the period but were unable to get a puck past Dell in the opening 20 minutes.

A total of five goals were scored in the second period.  Allen made it a 2-0 game on Deitsch’s third goal of the playoffs.  The Mavericks cut the lead in half at the 5:37 mark of the period on a sharp-angled shot by Kellan Tochkin.  He was assisted by Kenton Miller and JP Testwuide, but the Americans regained the two-goal lead on a nice individual effort by Kale Kerbashian.  He shook a Mavericks’ defender and beat goaltender Mike Clemente with a backhand goal to give the Americans a 3-1 lead.  Mavericks’ defenseman Dave Pszenyczny scored his first goal of the playoffs on the power play with two minutes to go in the second period and again the Mavericks cut the lead to one goal, but Allen answered less than one minute later.  At the 18:40 mark, Robinson scored on the power play and the Americans took the 4-2 lead into the final period.

The Mavericks pressured the Americans for a majority of the final period, but a turnover in the Mavericks’ zone which led to Robinson’s second goal of the game made it 5-2 Allen.  Jim McKenzie made it 6-2 when he tipped a shot by Tyler Ludwig past Clemente.  Missouri didn’t give in and Colt King scored to make it 6-3 with an extra attacker with over five minutes to go in the game, but the Americans finally sealed the win with 67 seconds to go on an empty net goal by McMillin.

Allen And Missouri Meet In 27th Game 7 In CHL History

The Bud Poile Governors Cup winning Allen Americans (number one seed) and the Missouri Mavericks (number five seed) will meet tonight in the 27th Game 7 in CHL playoff history. The final game of their Conference Semifinals series will face-off at 7:05 PM (CT) at the Allen Event Center.

This marks the third Game 7 in the Americans history and they are unbeaten with series wins over the Laredo Bucks and the Odessa Jackalopes, both in 2010. The Game 7 victory over Laredo came in the Conference Semifinals on home ice by a 4-1 score and the Game 7 victory over Odessa was in the Conference Finals on the road by a 4-2 score. The Americans proceeded on to the CHL Finals that year falling in six games to the Rapid City Rush, Allen's lone Finals appearance.

For the Mavericks, it marks the second straight postseason that they are one win away from the Finals. Last year, Missouri lost in the only Game 7 in their franchise history in the Conference Finals to the eventual Champs, the Fort Wayne Komets, by a 6-4 score.

The Americans defeated Missouri 8-4 in Game 4 of this series taking a three games to one lead but the Mavericks rebounded to tie Game 5 with just 30 seconds remaining and then win the game staying alive by notching the game winner just 34 seconds into overtime. Andrew Courtney scored both of those goals and then followed that up with a hat trick in Missouri's 6-2 Game 6 win on Monday night in Allen. Courtney has scored five of the last eight Missouri goals.

In series clinching games, the Americans are 5-4 in their history (includes 0-2 this season) and the Mavericks are 4-3. In elimination games, the Americans are 5-3 in their history and the Mavericks are 6-3 (includes 2-0 this season).

The winner of tonight's game will face the Wichita Thunder in the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals.

Game 7 Notes:

There have been 26 previous Game 7's in the 21 year history of the CHL (this is the first Game 7 this year)

Allen is 2-0 all-time (1-0 at home, vs. Laredo, and 1-0 on the road, vs. Odessa)

Missouri is 0-1 all-time (losing on the road last year in Fort Wayne)

The home team is 17-9

The road team has won two of the last three

There have been two shutouts (Colorado 1-0 over Rapid City in 2011 and Indianapolis 3-0 over Columbus in 2000)

There have been five overtime games with the last one being a 2-1 win by Arizona over Corpus Christi in 2007

The home team is 2-3 all-time in Game 7 overtime games

There have been 11 one-goal games with the road team going 6-5 in the close ones

There have been 10 games decided by three goals or more with the home team going 8-2

***stats do not count two all-time WPHL Game 7's (El Paso over Odessa in 2001 by a 5-2 count and El Paso over New Mexico in 1998 by a 5-0 count, both El Paso wins were on home ice)

Conference Semifinals (best-of-7)

Missouri Mavericks vs. Allen Americans

Game 1 - Sun., Apr. 14 - Missouri 5 at Allen 1

Game 2 - Mon., Apr. 15 - Missouri 1 at Allen 4

Game 3 - Wed., Apr. 17 - Allen 3 at Missouri 2 (OT)

Game 4 - Fri., Apr. 19 - Allen 8 at Missouri 4

Game 5 - Sat., Apr. 20 - Allen 2 at Missouri 3 (OT)

Game 6 - Mon., Apr. 22 - Missouri 6 at Allen 2

Game 7 - Tue., Apr. 23 - Missouri at Allen, 7:05 PM CT

Americans and Mavericks Tonight in Winner Take All Game Seven

It's come down to this, the Allen Americans and Missouri Mavericks play one game to decide who moves on the Central Hockey League Finals against the Wichita Thunder. Puck drop at Allen Event Center is 7:05 pm.

The Missouri Mavericks have taken the last two games to tie the series at 3-3, with tonight's game for all the marbles. Missouri is led by forward Andrew Courtney, who has five goals in the last two games, and nine for the season.

This the first Game 7 in Allen, since the 2010 playoffs when the Allen Americans eliminated the Laredo Bucks in seven games.

Mavericks Playoffs News & Notes

Conference Semifinals - (best-of-7) - - Missouri Mavericks (5) vs. Allen Americans (1)

Allen leads series 3-2

Game 1 - Sun., Apr. 14 - Missouri 5 at Allen 1

Game 2 - Mon., Apr. 15 - Missouri 1 at Allen 4

Game 3 - Wed., Apr. 17 - Allen 3 at Missouri 2 (OT) (Americans up 2-1 in series)

Game 4 - Fri., Apr. 19 - Allen 8 at Missouri 4

Game 5 - Sat., Apr. 20 - Allen 2 at Missouri 3 (OT) (Americans up 3-2 in series)

Game 6 - Mon., Apr. 22 - Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*Game 7 - Tue., Apr. 23 - Missouri at Allen, 7:05

* if necessary

Series Notes:

-The Mavs improved to 5-3 in elimination games in their history after Saturday's Game 5 win. Andrew Courtney scored with 30 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game and then scored 34 seconds into overtime to win it for Missouri giving them new life.

-The 12 combined goals scored in Friday's Game 4 (Allen won 8-4) marked the highest combined score in a CHL playoff game since 2010 when Rapid City defeated Missouri 7-6 in overtime of Game 4 sweeping the Mavs in the Conference Semifinals.

-Allen's Brian McMillin has points in eight of the 10 postseason games he has played this year totaling six goals and six assists (third in the CHL in playoff scoring). McMillin has been a plus player in seven of those 10 games and is a +10 overall (second in the CHL).

-Missouri's Colt King has a point in each game in the series with Allen scoring three goals with two assists. Overall, he has eight points in the playoffs (6-2=8).

Mavericks Extend Series with Dramatic Overtime Win, 3-2

The Missouri Mavericks extended their CHL Semifinals series against the Allen Americans with a 3-2 overtime win at Independence Events Center.  Allen now leads the best-of-seven series 3-2.  Mavericks’ forward Andrew Courtney scored the game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation and he notched the game-winning goal in the first minute of overtime.  Goaltender Mike Clemente made 27 saves on 29 shots for his third win of the playoffs.  The series moves back to Allen for Games Six and Seven (if necessary) on Mon., April 22 and Tues., April 23.

For the fourth straight game, the Americans scored the opening goal when Trevor Hendrikx had his second goal of the postseason.  He had just left the penalty box and his shot from the top of the slot beat Clemente.  Missouri kept the pressure on throughout the period and outshot the Americans 14-10 in the opening 20 minutes.

After killing two Allen power plays early in the second period, the Mavericks converted on their second power play of the game and tied the game at one.  Colt King took a pass from John-Scott Dickson and King snapped it through the legs of Allen netminder Aaron Dell.  Less than two minutes later, the Americans regained the lead on Brian McMillin’s sixth goal of the playoffs, and  Allen held on to the 2-1 lead heading into the final period.

The Mavericks pressured the Americans throughout the final period and it took until the final minute of regulation for Missouri to tie the game and extend their season.  Courtney jammed the puck past goaltender Dell and tied the game with 30.9 seconds to go.  Kyle Hood and Ryan Jardine assisted on the play and the game was sent to overtime.

It only took the Mavericks 34 seconds into overtime to send the series back to Allen.  Jardine used his speed to split the Allen defense and he made Dell commit before he passed the puck through the crease to Courtney who sent the puck into the net.  Dave Pszenyczny also assisted on the overtime winner and the Mavericks improved to 2-1 in overtime games this postseason.

Missouri will try again to stave off elimination on Monday night in Allen.  The Mavericks are now 5-3 all-time when facing elimination.

Mavericks Fall Into 3-1 Series Deficit After 8-4 Loss To Americans

The Missouri Mavericks were defeated by the Allen Americans, 8-4, Friday night in Game Four of the Central Hockey League Semifinals at Independence Events Center.  Allen is now one win away from the CHL Finals as they hold a 3-1 series lead over Missouri.  Darryl Bootland led the Americans with two goals and an assist and six different Americans had the remaining goals in the win.  After trailing 3-1 early in the second period, Allen scored seven of the game’s final eight goals.

The Americans took a lead less than one minute into the game when Jamie Schaafsma’s slap shot beat goaltender Mathieu Corbeil.  Tyler Ludwig and Trevor Ludwig earned the assists on the play, but the Mavericks quickly answered and tied the game at the 5:09 mark.  Colt King scored on a two-on-one rush on assists from Ryan Jardine and Andrew Courtney.

A total of six goals were scored in the second period.  Missouri opened with the first two goals of the middle frame, both on the power play.  Kellan Tochkin had a five-on-three goal just 18 seconds into the period, and then John-Scott Dickson redirected a puck past Allen goaltender Aaron Dell to give Missouri a 3-1 lead.

It was all Americans for the remainder of the second period as they scored four straight goals.  Kale Kerbashian scored just 16 seconds after Missouri’s third goal and Bootland tied the game at the 6:24 mark.  Bootland then gave the Americans a 4-3 lead and scored the first of three straight power play goals for the Americans at the 11:38 mark.  Jason Deitsch finalized the scoring when he tapped in a rebound on the power play with 55 seconds to go in the period.

Allen made it a three-goal game at the 5:47 mark of the third period on a five-on-three goal by Tyler Ludwig.  It marked the third straight power play goal for the Americans.  Missouri scored their fourth and final goal of the game at the 13:51 mark of the third on Eric Meland’s second goal of the playoffs.  Allen added two more goals late in the contest including one into an empty net to finalize the scoring at 8-4.

Allen finished 3-for-6 on the power play and Missouri was 2-for-4.

Game Five is Saturday night at Independence Events Center.

Mavericks Lose Game Three on Power Play Goal In Overtime, 3-2

The Allen Americans defeated the Missouri Mavericks, 3-2, in overtime on a five-on-three goal by Trevor Hendrikx in Game Three of the Central Hockey League Semifinals at Independence Events Center Wednesday night.  Allen now has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.  Americans’ goaltender Aaron Dell stopped 38 of 40 shots in the win while Mike Clemente had 31 saves on 34 shots for Missouri.  Hendrikx five-on-three power play goal in overtime was the first power play goal allowed by the Mavericks in the series.  Allen is now 1-for-15 on the power play.  Missouri finished 1-for-5 with the man advantage.  Eric Meland and John-Scott Dickson each scored a goal for the Mavericks who lost their second straight game.

No penalties were called and no goals were scored in the opening frame.  Each team had nine shots on net, but both the goalies kept the game scoreless.

Allen was awarded the first power play chance of the game after Evan Vossen was whistled for elbowing at the 2:10 mark of the second period.  The Americans’ ensuing power play was cut short as the Americans took a handling the puck penalty to Todd Robinson.  Americans’ forward Jason Deitsch unlocked the scoreless tie at the 9:39 mark of the middle frame when his wrister from the left circle beat Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Clemente.

Missouri earned a big opportunity to tie the game late in the second period when Allen was called for a pair of penalties giving the Mavericks a five-on-three power play for 63 seconds.  Allen was able to kill both penalties although the Mavericks had a couple of chances that just missed.  Through two periods Allen had a 1-0 lead, but Missouri had the edge in shots at 24-19.

The Mavericks came back in the third period and scored a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead.  First, Eric Meland scored on a blast from the point for the Mavericks’ lone power play goal of the game. He was assisted by Kellan Tochkin and Sebastien Thinel.  The Mavericks then took the lead at the 9:27 mark on John-Scott Dickson’s first goal of the playoffs, a two-on-one goal with Colt King.

Allen tied the game late in the third period when Trevor Ludwig scored on a rebound with 2:20 remaining in regulation.  Ludwig was assisted by Robinson and the goal forced sudden-death overtime.

Missouri was penalized four times in the overtime including a match penalty to Sebastien Thinel.  Those four penalties awarded the Americans two five-on-three power play chances.  The Mavericks killed the first two penalties, but couldn’t overcome Allen’s second five-on-three.  Trevor Hendrikx scored with one second remaining in the five-on-three and the Americans took a 2-1 series lead.

The teams will stay in Independence for Games Four and Five of the CHL Semifinals on Fri., April 19 and Sat., April 20. The Mavericks encourage all fans to wear orange for all playoff games.

Mavericks Fall in Game Two, 4-1; Series Shifts to Independence

The Missouri Mavericks fell to the Allen Americans, 4-1, in Game Two of the CHL Semifinals at Allen Event Center.  The best-of-seven series is now tied 1-1.  Jamie Schaafsma and Tyler Ludwig each had a pair of goals for the Americans, and goaltender Aaron Dell stopped 24 of the Mavericks’ 25 shots.  Missouri defenseman Blake Forsyth scored the lone goal for the Mavericks who will head home for Games 3, 4 and 5 at Independence Events Center.

Tickets for Games 3, 4 and 5 are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-745-3000 or by visiting the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office at Independence Events Center.

Schaafsma scored the first of his two goals at the 15:39 mark of the first period when he picked up a turnover along the right wing and beat Mavericks’ goaltender Mathieu Corbeil who finished the game with 29 saves on 32 shots.  Allen had the edge in shots at 11-8 through one period and took the 1-0 lead to the intermission.

Only 3:15 into the second period Schaafsma made it 2-0 when Chris Doyle made a pass to him on a rebound and Schaafsma put it into the open net.  Missouri cut the lead in half on Blake Forsyth’s first goal of the post-season.  After a scrum in front of the net, Forsyth lifted the puck over Dell who was sprawled on the ice.  Neither team was able to convert on any of their power play chances in the second period.

Allen was called for two penalties early in the third period and Missouri had a handful of quality chances, but the Mavericks couldn’t get the puck past Dell.  Tyler Ludwig made it 3-1 halfway through the period on an assist from Jim McKenzie, and the Americans iced the game in the final minute with Ludwig’s empty netter.

Both teams were scoreless on the power play as Missouri finished 0-for-4 and Allen was 0-for-3.

Central Hockey League Semifinals – Series “E” (best-of-7)

Missouri Mavericks (5) vs. Allen Americans (1) – Series tied 1-1

All times Central

Game 1 – Missouri 5 at Allen 1

Game 2 – Missouri 1 at Allen 4

Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 17 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game A – Independence Events Center

Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 19 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game B – Independence Events Center

Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 20 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game C – Independence Events Center

*Game 6 – Mon., Apr. 22 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*Game 7 – Tue., Apr. 23 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*-if necessary

Tickets for all three of the Mavericks’ home games are on sale now and available at www.Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000 or going directly to the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office at the IEC.  The Mavericks encourage all fans to wear orange for all playoff games.

Mavericks Power Past Allen, 5-1, In Game One Of CHL Semifinals

The Missouri Mavericks scored three power play goals en route to a 5-1 win over the Allen Americans in Game One of the Central Hockey League Semifinals at Allen Event Center.  Missouri scored three-third period goals and the had five different goal scorers as they took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.  Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil stopped 36 of 37 shots in the win and kept his postseason record perfect at 3-0.  Mavs’ forward Sebastien Thinel led all scorers with three points on a goal and two assists and his linemate Kellan Tochkin scored a goal in his fifth straight game.

“The guys stay disciplined tonight,” said Mavericks Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “Special teams were huge getting three power play goals and not giving them any.”

It took less than two minutes for the Mavericks to open the scoring.  Sebastien Thinel’s shot from the top of the left circle went through traffic and beat Americans’ netminder Aaron Dell at the 1:55 mark.  Allen had a quality chance to tie the game when Jim McKenzie was awarded a penalty shot, but Mavericks’ goaltender Corbeil stopped McKenzie’s attempt.  Missouri held the 1-0 lead through the opening 20 minutes.

Allen tied the game late in the second period when Kale Kerbashian buried the Americans only goal at the 16:41 mark, but Missouri quickly answered and regained the lead with just over a minute to go in the period.  Dave Pszenyczny’s shot from the point got through traffic in front of the net and marked the Mavericks first of three power play goals.  Again, Missouri took a one-goal lead into the intermission.

After an early power play to the Americans in the third period, it was all Mavericks.  Kenton Miller gave the visitors a 3-1 lead on the power play when he buried a shot from the slot on a nice pass from Tochkin.  Then Missouri took advantage of multiple penalties on the Americans and Andrew Courtney buried a backdoor feed from Thinel for a five-on-three power play goal.  Finally, at the 10:59 mark of the final period, Tochkin scored a goal in his fifth straight game to make it 5-1.  Allen goalie Aaron Dell was pulled from the game following the Mavericks’ fifth goal and Steve Silverthorn replaced him.  It marked the third time in seven post-season games in which the Mavericks have forced a goaltender change.

Missouri finished 3-for-8 on the power play and the Mavericks killed all four of the Americans chances.  Allen finished with 57 minutes in penalties after three misconducts were called in the third period.  Allen outshot the Mavericks 37-24.

Central Hockey League Semifinals – Series “E” (best-of-7)

Missouri Mavericks (5) vs. Allen Americans (1) – Missouri Leads 1-0

All times Central

Game 1 – Missouri 5 at Allen 1

Game 2 – Mon., Apr. 15 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 17 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game A – Independence Events Center

Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 19 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game B – Independence Events Center

*Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 20 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game C – Independence Events Center

*Game 6 – Mon., Apr. 22 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*Game 7 – Tue., Apr. 23 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*-if necessary

The Mavericks encourage fans to stop by Independence Events Center on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to witness the ice being installed at the events center.  Fans are requested to enter through the Top Shelf Team Store.

Refunds will only be given for games not played.  The Mavericks encourage all fans to wear orange for all playoff games.

Mavericks Playoffs News & Notes

Missouri Mavericks (5) vs. Allen Americans (1)

Conference Semifinals - (best-of-7)

all times local

Game 1 - Sun., Apr. 14 - Missouri at Allen, 5:05

Game 2 - Mon., Apr. 15 - Missouri at Allen, 7:05

Game 3 - Wed., Apr. 17 - Allen at Missouri, 7:05

Game 4 - Fri., Apr. 19 - Allen at Missouri, 7:05

*Game 5 - Sat., Apr. 20 - Allen at Missouri, 7:05

*Game 6 - Mon., Apr. 22 - Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*Game 7 - Tue., Apr. 23 - Missouri at Allen, 7:05

* if necessary

Series Notes:

-The two teams split six games during the regular season while splitting four games in Allen and two games in Missouri. Sebastien Thinel, the league's Most Valuable Player and regular season scoring champion, had five goals and five assists leading all skaters in the regular season series.

-The Americans won four straight games to end their Opening Round series with Denver and will have been idle for eight days once their series with Missouri gets underway on Sunday.

-Missouri forward Kellan Tochkin is tied for the lead in scoring in the post-season with 10 points (5-5=10) earning half of those points in the Mavericks series clinching Game 6 in Rapid City where he scored two goals with three assists factoring in on all of his team's five goals.

-Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil earned the win in Game 6, the clincher, for the Mavs in their Opening Round series pushing him to 2-0 with a .940 save percentage (tops in the league) and a 1.45 GAA (tops in the league) in this year's postseason.

Mavericks Announce CHL Semifinals Schedule vs. Allen Americans

The Missouri Mavericks advanced to the Central Hockey League (CHL) Semifinals Wednesday night and the team will face the top-seeded Allen Americans in a best-of-seven series.  The series will start on Sun., April 14 in Allen and will follow a 2-3-2 format.  The fifth-seeded Mavericks will host Games Three, Four and Five (if necessary) at Independence Events Center on April 17, 19 and 20.

Tickets for all three of the Mavericks’ home games will go on sale this Fri., April 12 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available at www.Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000 or going directly to the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office at the IEC.  Refunds will only be given for games not played and Game Five of the series is currently credit card only.

Central Hockey League Semifinals – Series “E” (best-of-7)

Missouri Mavericks (5) vs. Allen Americans (1)

All times Central

Game 1 – Sun., Apr. 14 – Missouri at Allen, 5:05

Game 2 – Mon., Apr. 15 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 17 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game A – Independence Events Center

Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 19 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game B – Independence Events Center

*Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 20 – Allen at Missouri, 7:05 – Round Two, Game C – Independence Events Center

*Game 6 – Mon., Apr. 22 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*Game 7 – Tue., Apr. 23 – Missouri at Allen, 7:05

*-if necessary

The Mavericks encourage all fans to wear orange for all playoff games.

Mavericks Advance To CHL Semifinals With Convincing 5-1 Win Over Rapid City

The Missouri Mavericks advanced to the Central Hockey League (CHL) Semifinals with a convincing 5-1 win over the Rapid City Rush in Game 6 of their opening round series Wednesday night.  Missouri won four straight games and beat Rapid City 4-2 in the best-of-seven series.  Mavericks’ forwards Kellan Tochkin and Sebastien Thinel each had two goals in the win.  Kenton Miller had a goal and two assists for the Mavericks and goaltender Mathieu Corbeil stopped 24 of 25 shots for his second win of the series.

Missouri will take on the Allen Americans in the CHL Semifinals starting on Sun., April 14 in Allen.  The Mavericks will return home for Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) on April 17, 19 and 20.  Tickets for all three games will go on sale this Fri., April 12 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

“I thought we had incredible focus defensively,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “We took care of our zone first and had a great night offensively with Thinel, Tochkin and Miller leading the way.  Also an outstanding performance by Mathieu Corbeil in net.”

The Mavericks took advantage of their chances in the first period and skated to a two-goal lead through the opening 20 minutes.  First, Tochkin got behind the defense along the left wing and beat Rush goaltender Tim Boron over the glove.  He was assisted by Miller and the marker extended Tochkin’s goal-scoring streak to four games.  Just over two minutes later, Mavericks’ leading scorer Sebastien Thinel scored his first goal of the series on a nice pass from Ryan Jardine.  Mavericks’ forward Colt King also assisted on the play and Missouri took the two-goal lead into the first intermission.

Rapid City cut the Mavericks lead to 2-1 just over five minutes into the second period when Scott Wray connected on the power play.  He was assisted by Kyle Peto and Dan Gendur, and the goal was just their second on the power play in the series for the Rush.

Missouri quickly bounced back and regained their two-goal lead at the 11:02 mark of the second period on Thinel’s second goal of the game.  His shot from a sharp angle beat Boron on assists from Tochkin and Jardine.  At the 16:56 mark after extended pressure in the Rapid City zone, the Mavericks made it 4-1 on Tochkin’s second goal of the game and fifth of the series.  His goal of a rebound sent Boron to the bench in favor of Rapid City goaltender Danny Battochio marking the second time in the series the Mavericks forced Rapid City to change goaltenders.  Through two periods, the Mavericks had a 4-1 lead and a 24-16 edge in shots.

The Mavericks defense tightened in the third period and Missouri responded to the Rapid City pressure with a goal by Miller.  He beat Battochio on a wrist shot from the slot and ended Rapid City’s chances for a comeback.  Miller’s goal came at the 7:30 mark of the final period and the Mavericks defense shut down the Rush for the remainder of regulation.

Mavericks' Newest Rival To Be Known As Brampton Beast

The Central Hockey League's newest franchise announced today that they will be known as the Brampton Beast. After an extensive Name Your Team contest that saw roughly 2,000 unique entries, and over 3,000 different people submitting votes, the Beast was selected by the people of Brampton.

"We are very excited to have Brampton in the Central Hockey League and to see how they engaged their fan base with such a successful contest," said Duane Lewis, Central Hockey League Commissioner. "The Beast is a great selection for a name and will be one the fans can really embrace as a powerful, unique brand."

The name comes from a group of finalists selected that included Bandits, Blizzard, Vipers and North Stars but the Beast had overwhelming support and finished the contest with the most votes.

The team will be hosting an official team launch at their home, the Powerade Centre, in the coming weeks to introduce their team colors and logo.

Learn more about the team and keep up with all their news and happenings at the Beast's new website, www.bramptonbeast.com.

Mavericks Score Four In The Third To Defeat Rapid City And Take 3-2 Series Lead

The Missouri Mavericks used a four-goal third period to defeat the Rapid City Rush, 5-2, in Game Five of their Opening Round series at Independence Events Center.  The Mavericks now hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series which shifts back to Rapid City for Game Six on Tuesday, April 9.  Mavericks’ forward Colt King had a pair of goals in the third period including the game-winner against his former team, and Kellan Tochkin extended his goal-scoring streak to three games for the Mavericks.  Rush forward Rusty Masters had both of Rapid City’s goals as they head home in need of two wins to take the series.  For the first time since Game One, neither team was able to score on the power play.  Missouri finished 0-for-2 while the Rush went scoreless in five chances.

Masters scored the first of his two goals early into regulation when he lifted his shot over the shoulder of Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Clemente.  Scott Brannon and Taggert Desmet had the helpers on the play and the Rush would take the one-goal lead into the intermission.

At the midway point of the game, the Mavericks finally struck when Tochkin lifted a backhand behind Rush goaltender Danny Battochio.  The goal was a two-on-one goal and CHL MVP Sebastien Thinel made a perfect feed to Tochkin for the goal.  Masters gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 17:53 of the period when he batted a backhand over the shoulder of Clemente, but that was all the offense the Rush could muster.

It was all Mavericks in the third period.  Ryan Jardine was sprung on a breakaway on a perfect pass from Blake Forsyth and Jardine beat Battochio to tie the game at two.  It remained tied until the 14:34 mark of the third period when King found a loose puck and shoveled it past Battochio from the doorstep.  King added another goal on an odd-man rush and a nice pass from Andrew Courtney at the 18:18 mark which gave the Mavericks a 4-2 lead.  Finally, with their goalie pulled, the Mavericks scored on an empty netter in the final minute on Kenton Miller’s third goal of the post-season.

Missouri scored four goals on eight shots in the third period.  Shots came at a premium in the contest as only a total of 36 shots were taken combined.  The Mavericks have killed 15 straight penalties and 25 of 26 overall in the series.

The fifth-seeded Mavericks will travel to Rapid City for Game Six on Tuesday, April 9.  All Mavericks road games are available to watch live at the Brewtop in Lee’s Summit.

Mavericks Even Series With 4-2 Win Over Rapid City

The Missouri Mavericks evened their best-of-seven series at two games apiece with a 4-2 win over the Rapid City Rush Friday night at Independence Events Center. Kenton Miller scored two goals for Missouri in the win and rookie goaltender Mike Clemente made 24 saves on 26 shots in his first professional playoff win. It was a penalty filled game as a total of 23 infractions were called and a total of 15 power plays were awarded. Missouri finished 2-for-9 on the power play and Rapid City was 0-for-6. The Mavericks held their first lead of the series and never trailed in the game. Game 5 is Saturday night at Independence Events Center and tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.

The penalty filled affair began nearly from the onset as Mavericks' defenseman Blake Forsyth was called for a penalty just 1:56 into the game. Missouri killed the penalty, and it was the Mavericks who scored first for the first time in the series while on the power play. Miller tallied the first of his two goals when he jammed the puck underneath the padding of goaltender Tim Boron to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead. It proved to be the only goal of the period despite a total of 10 penalties being called.

Only 22 seconds into the second period the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead on their second power play goal of the game. Kellan Tochkin capitalized for his second goal of the playoffs and Miller earned the lone assist, but the Mavericks weren't finished. Miller made it 3-0 at the 1:52 mark of the period for his second goal of the game on an assist by Andrew Courtney. Following the goal, Rush goaltender Tim Boron was pulled from the game in favor of Danny Battochio.

Rapid City finally got on the board at 9:07 of the second period when Winston Day Chief took a feed from Jesse Schultz and beat Mavericks' goaltender Mike Clemente. The Mavericks quickly regained the three-goal lead just nine seconds later when Courtney beat Battochio from the doorstep and made it 4-1. Scott Wray capitalized on a Riley Weselowski pass late in the second period to cut the Mavericks lead to 4-2, but that would be as close as the Rush would get.

In the third, the Mavericks limited Rapid City's chances and held the visitors to just eight shots on goal. Neither team was able to light the lamp, and the Mavericks evened the series at two games apiece.

The fifth-seeded Mavericks will host game five Saturday, April 6 at Independence Events Center.

Mavericks Playoffs News & Notes

Missouri Mavericks vs. Rapid City Rush Opening Round - (best-of-7) (RPD leads series 2-1)

Game 1 - Fri., Mar. 29 - Missouri 0 at Rapid City 3

Game 2 - Sat., Mar. 30 - Missouri 1 at Rapid City 3

Game 3 - Wed., Apr. 3 - Rapid City 2 at Missouri 3 (OT)

Game 4 - Fri., Apr. 5 - Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05

Game 5 - Sat., Apr. 6 - Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05

*Game 6 - Tue., Apr. 9 - Missouri at Rapid City, 6:35

*Game 7 - Wed., Apr. 10 - Missouri at Rapid City, 6:35

Series Notes:

-The Rapid City Rush has led a playoff series 2-0 on three occasions in their team's history and all three times they have gone on to win the series.

-The Rush have been big in the third period so far in the playoffs outscoring the Mavs 4-1 in the final 20 minutes.

-Forward Andrew Courtney and defenseman Blake Forsyth are the lone two Mavs players on the plus side of the plus/minus ledger, both sitting at +1.

-Mavs rookie goalie Mathieu Corbeil won his postseason debut on Wednesday night stopping 23 of 25 shots in his team's 3-2 overtime win.

Mavericks Playoffs News & Notes

Opening Round - (best-of-7) - - Missouri Mavericks vs. Rapid City Rush (RPD leads series 2-0)

Game 1 - Fri., Mar. 29 - Missouri 0 at Rapid City 3

Game 2 - Sat., Mar. 30 - Missouri 1 at Rapid City 3

Game 3 - Wed., Apr. 3 - Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05

Game 4 - Fri., Apr. 5 - Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05

*Game 5 - Sat., Apr. 6 - Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05

*Game 6 - Tue., Apr. 9 - Missouri at Rapid City, 6:35

*Game 7 - Wed., Apr. 10 - Missouri at Rapid City, 6:35

Series Notes:

-Tim Boron leads all playoff goalies with a 0.50 goals against average and a .985 save percentage. Over the last two regular seasons, Boron is just 2-3-1 against the Mavericks.

-The Rush have not allowed a power play goal in the series as of yet stopping all 11 Missouri power plays. In the regular season, Rapid City was third in the CHL with an 85% penalty kill.

-Missouri forward Andrew Courtney has rattled off the second most shots in the post-season so far with a dozen shots on goal.

Mavericks Fall Into 2-0 Series Hole

The Missouri Mavericks lost to the Rapid City Rush, 3-1, Saturday night in Game Two of their opening round series at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.  Rapid City now has a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series which shifts to Missouri for Game Three on Wednesday night.  Rush goaltender Tim Boron was stellar in net again stopping 36 of 37 shots.  Missouri scored their lone goal of the game and the series off the stick of Colt King, but Rapid City scored a pair of goals in the third period to take the victory.

“The boys did everything except solve their goalie,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “We will stay the course.  We will dig deep and we will push this series very deep.”

Missouri pressured the Rapid City zone for a majority of the first period and the Mavericks outshot the Rush 18-12 in the period.  Rapid City scored in the final minute of the period to take a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded goal by Jared Brown.  He lifted a backhand over the shoulder of Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Clemente and the Rush held a 1-0 lead through the first 20 minutes.

The Mavericks finally broke through and beat goaltender Tim Boron at the 13:47 mark of the second period.  Defenseman Dave Pszenyczny sent a slap shot on goal and Colt King redirected the puck past Boron, but it was the only goal the Mavericks would get past Boron.

Rapid City broke the 1-1 tie on a power play goal by Taggart Desmet at the 11:01 mark of the third period.  It marked the first goal on the man-advantage for either team in the series.  Then Jesse Schultz closed the game out with a goal on a two-on-one with 3:29 to go in regulation.

The fifth-seeded Mavericks will host games three, four and five (if necessary) at Independence Events Center on April 3, 5 and 6.

Mavericks Blanked By Rush in Game One, 3-0

The Missouri Mavericks were shut out by the Rapid City Rush, 3-0, Friday night in Game One of their opening round series in the Central Hockey League (CHL) playoffs.  Rapid City goaltender Tim Boron was stellar in net stopping all 31 shots by the Mavericks.  Forwards Jared Brown and Jesse Schultz each had two assists for the Rush and three different players had goals for Rapid City.  The teams will battle again Saturday night in Rapid City in Game Two of the best-of-seven series.

“It is a seven-game series,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “We do not panic, but we must heighten the sense of urgency.  We missed an opportunity to win Game One.  It was a very even hockey game, we had our chances and did not bury the puck.  Credit to Rapid City, they capitalized on two big mistakes and found the back of the net.”

Rapid City took a 1-0 lead when Winston Day Chief took a centering pass from Brown and sent the puck into the open net.  Kyle Peto earned the second assist on the play and it proved to be the only goal of the first period.  Missouri had two power play chances compared to one for Rapid City and the Mavericks registered more shots on net at 12-8.

The second period had a lot of action both ways, but it was the Rush who scored a late goal to make it 2-0.  Brown again made a nice pass, this time to Dan Gendur who beat Clemente at 18:28 of the second period.

Missouri battled to get back into the game, but three penalties in the third period hindered the Mavericks progress.  In the end, Scott Wray added an empty net goal to make it 3-0 and give the Rush a Game One victory.

Neither team was able to score on the power play as Missouri finished 0-for-5 and Rapid City was 0-for-4.  Rapid City finished with 32 shots and Missouri had 31.

Opening Round – Rapid City leads 1-0

Missouri Mavericks (5) vs. Rapid City Rush (4)

All times Central

Game 1- Missouri 0 at Rapid City 3

Game 2 – Sat., Mar. 30 – Missouri at Rapid City, 8:05

Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 3 – Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05 – Round One, Game A - Independence Events Center

Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 5 – Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05 – Round One, Game B - Independence Events Center

*Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 6 – Rapid City at Missouri, 7:05 – Round One, Game C - Independence Events Center

*Game 6 – Tue., Apr. 9 – Missouri at Rapid City, 7:35

*Game 7 – Wed., Apr. 10 – Missouri at Rapid City, 7:35