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 Game In Rapid City Postponed Until Tomorrow

A spring blizzard moving through the northern plains and the state of South Dakota has forced the postponement of Game 6 of the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Opening Round series between the Rapid City Rush and the Missouri Mavericks.

The game was originally scheduled for tonight (Tuesday, April 9) with Game 7, if necessary, scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 but with the treacherous road conditions, high winds, freezing temperatures and snow accumulations in Rapid City, each game has been pushed back one day.  Game 6 will now take place on Wednesday, April 10 and a potential Game 7 will take place on Thursday, April 11.  Both games will face-off at 6:35 PM MT at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The Mavericks currently lead the best-of-7 series, three games to two, and the winner of the series will advance to the CHL Semifinals to face the Allen Americans with Game 1 of that series scheduled for Sunday, April 14 in Allen.  Should the Mavericks advance, they will play their home games on April 17, 19 and 20.

Mavericks Playoffs News & Notes

Missouri Mavericks vs. Rapid City Rush Opening Round

Best-of-7 (MO leads series 3-2)

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 2 at Missouri 4

Game 5 - Sat., Apr. 6 - Rapid City 2 at Missouri 5

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

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

Series Notes:

-The home team has won every game in the series as Missouri is coming off three straight wins outscoring the Rush 12-6 in that stretch.

-The Mavs have their first chance to clinch the series and in their history, they are 3-2 in series clinching games. Conversely, Rapid City is 5-2 in games where they face elimination.

-Kenton Miller, Kellan Tochkin and Andrew Courtney all have three goals and two assists leading the way for the Mavericks. Regular season MVP Sebastien Thinel also has five points, all assists.

-Former Rush forward Colt King has two goals and was a +2 in Saturday's 5-2 win for the Mavs in Game 5. Former Rush defensemen Blake Forsyth is tied for the team high with a +3 plus/minus rating.

-The Rush's power play has connected just once in 26 chances in the series and are last in the CHL with a 3.8% success rate.

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 Win Game Three Thriller in Overtime, 3-2, Over Rapid City

The Missouri Mavericks defeated the Rapid City Rush, 3-2, in an overtime thriller Wednesday night at Independence Events Center.  Mavericks’ forward Kellan Tochkin scored the game-winning goal on the power play just 3:50 into overtime, and the Mavericks now trail the Rush two games to one in the best-of-seven series.  Andrew Courtney scored the first two goals for Missouri and Dave Pszenyczny added two assists, and goaltender Mathieu Corbeil earned his first win in his first professional playoff start.  The Rush was led by Damian Surma who had a goal and an assist.

The physical play started from the opening faceoff, but neither team was able to light the lamp in the first period.  Shots were even at 9-9, and Rapid City was awarded the only power play in the opening 20 minutes.

For the third straight game, the Rush scored the opening goal when Scott Brannon capitalized on a two-on-one and beat Mavericks’ goaltender Mathieu Corbeil.  Rush forwards Dan Gendur and Damian Surma earned the assists on the play, but the Mavericks quickly tied the game.  Andrew Courtney was left alone as he came out of the penalty box and he beat Rush goaltender Tim Boron five-hole to tie the game at one.

In the third period, Surma scored his first goal of the post-season after a turnover in the Mavericks’ zone at the 8:29 mark.  Courtney again tied the game on his second goal of the evening.  He redirected a shot by Dave Pszenyczny and beat Boron for a second time.  The game remained tied and was sent into sudden death overtime.

Missouri earned the first real chance in the overtime period and they took advantage of their first power play opportunity in the extra frame.  Tochkin won the game on a pass from Dave Pszenyczny just 3:50 into the period.  It marked the Mavericks first power play goal of the series and gave the Mavericks their first win in the best-of-seven series.

Missouri finished 1-for-3 on the power play and Rapid City was 0-for-4.  Corbeil stopped 23 of 25 shots in the win for Missouri while Boron made 27 saves on 30 shots.

The fifth-seeded Mavericks will host game four on Friday, April 5 and game five on Saturday, April 6 at Independence Events Center.

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

Mavericks To Face Rapid City Rush In Opening Round, Schedule Announced

The Missouri Mavericks will face the Rapid City Rush in the opening round of the 2013 Central Hockey League (CHL) playoffs.  The series will start on Fri., March 29 in Rapid City 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 3, 5 and 6.

Opening Round – Series “D” (best-of-7)

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

All times Central

Game 1 – Fri., Mar. 29 – Missouri at Rapid City, 8:05

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

*-if necessary

Playoff tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster.com. For group tickets or more information on the Missouri Mavericks call (816) 252-7825 or visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

Mavericks Fall to Rush, 5-2

The Rapid City Rush defeated the Missouri Mavericks, 5-2, Saturday night at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena. Jordan Behler and Jesse Schultz each had a goal and an assist in the win for the Rush, and Jared Brown and Damian Surma each recorded two assists. Rush goaltender Danny Battochio stopped 29 of 31 shots in the win while Mavericks goaltender Mike Clemente had 34 saves on 39 shots. The CHL’s leading scorer, Sebastien Thinel, scored both of the Mavericks goals as they head home for a pair of games next weekend.

Rapid City scored a pair of goals in each of the first two periods and took a 4-0 lead into the third period. Scott Wray and Jordan Behler scored in the first period to give the Rush a 2-0 lead.

In the second period, Winston Day Chief scored on a scrum in front of the net and Jesse Schultz scored on a penalty shot to give the home team a 4-0 lead.

Missouri continued to battle in the third period and Thinel scored the first of his two goals just 1:19 into the period. Kyle Peto regained the four-goal lead for the Rush at the 7:32 mark on a power play goal, but again the Mavericks fought back. Only 10 seconds later, Thinel notched his second goal of the game to make it 5-2 in favor of the Rush, but that would be as close as the Mavericks would get.

Rapid City outshot the Mavericks 39-31. Missouri was 0-for-2 on the power play and the Rush finished 1-for-4.

The Mavericks return home on January 25 and 26. 

Mavericks Beat Rush, 3-1, Behind Corbeil's 48 Saves

Mavericks’ goaltender Mathieu Corbeil stopped 48 of 49 shots in his first action since November 30, and the Mavericks defeated the Rapid City Rush, 3-1, Friday night at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena.  John-Scott Dickson, Jesse Perrin and Kyle Hood scored the goals for the Mavericks as they won their 20th game of the season (20-12-4).  The Mavericks penalty kill unit was perfect again stopping both of Rapid City’s power play chances, and the Mavericks have allowed just one power play goal in their last six games.  The teams will close out the weekend series and battle again Saturday night in Rapid City.

“It was an ugly road win,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “Corbeil had an unbelievable game and proved why he was called up to the AHL.”

Dickson gave the Mavericks a quick lead when he snuck a backhand between the legs of Rush goalie Tim Boron.  Trevor Kell and Colt King assisted on the goal that came just 91 seconds into the game.  The goal proved to be the only one of the first period and Corbeil stopped all 13 shots by Rapid City.

The Rush tied the game at the 15:56 mark of the second period when Damian Surma lifted the puck over the shoulder of Corbeil, but the Mavericks regained the lead less than two minutes later.  Jesse Perrin scored his first goal as a Maverick when he blasted a shot from just inside the blue line that beat Boron.  Sebastien Thinel and Ryan Jardine earned assists on the play and the Mavericks didn’t relinquish the lead again.

The action was frantic in the third period with chances for both teams, but big saves were made on both ends of the ice and the Mavericks held onto the one-goal lead.  Rapid City threw everything they could at Corbeil, but he was equal to the task and Missouri ultimately scored an empty netter.  Kyle Hood used precision accuracy to score on the empty net from behind the center line and give the Mavs a 3-1 victory.

The Mavericks return home on January 25 and 26.

Mavericks Fall to Rush, 4-3

The Missouri Mavericks (4-6-2) were defeated by the Rapid City Rush, 4-3, Saturday night in a back and forth battle at Independence Events Center. Missouri’s captain Sebastien Thinel recorded his 800th career point on an assist in the first period, but the home team was unable to hang on for the win.  The Mavericks are now 1-3-0 at Independence Events Center. Mathieu Corbeil made 33 saves on 37 shots for the Mavericks and his counterpart Tim Boron stopped 29 of 32 shots in the win for Rapid City.  The Mavericks stay home for a pair of games over Thanksgiving week. Missouri hosts the Wichita Thunder on Tuesday, Nov. 20 and the Fort Worth Brahmas on Friday, Nov. 23

The Mavericks got goals from Jamie VanderVeeken, John-Scott Dickson and Colt King. All three of the Mavericks’ goals gave them the lead, but all three were answered by the Rush, and Rapid City scored the final two goals to pull out the win.

Jeff Lee earned the game-winning goal for Rapid City and scored the only goal of the third period.  Jordan Behler, Jarrett Konkle and Riley Weselowski scored the other three goals for the Rush.

The Mavericks host the Wichita Thunder this Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Independence Events Center. Fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Price Chopper Two-for-Tuesday tickets when the Mavericks take on the Thunder. Tickets for all of the Mavericks’ regular season games on are sale now via Ticketmaster and parking is always free. For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.