Mavericks Fall In Regular Season Finale, 5-2, To Wichita

The Missouri Mavericks (35-25-6) closed out the 2012-13 regular season with a 5-2 loss to the Wichita Thunder at INTRUST Bank Arena.  Missouri will now set their sights on the Rapid City Rush, their first round opponent in the Central Hockey League playoffs.  The series will start in Rapid City on Fri., March 29 and return to Independence on April 3, 5 and 6.

Mavericks’ captain and forward Sebastien Thinel earned an assist in the game on won the CHL’s scoring title with 96 points on 29 goals and 67 assists in 66 games played.  Mavericks’ forwards Kellan Tochkin and John-Scott Dickson each had a goal for Missouri who finished 2-5-3 against the Thunder this season.  Wichita defenseman Kevin Young had a pair of goals as the Thunder finished just one point shy of the regular season title.

Wichita took a 3-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game and never looked back.  Young scored at 5:06, Erick Lizon scored at 6:11 and Ian Lowe scored on the power play at 7:57.  Missouri made it 3-1 before the end of the first period when John-Scott Dickson tipped a shot by Kellan Tochkin past Wichita goaltender Torrie Jung.

Wichita made it 4-1 on a goal by Chad Painchaud just 1:43 into the second period, but Missouri still battled.  Tochkin buried a backhand on a rebound at 9:56 to make it 4-2, but that was as close as the Mavericks would get.

Young scored the only goal of the third period on a breakaway as he was left alone coming out of the penalty box.  Final score: Wichita 5 – Missouri 2.

Mavericks’ goaltender Mathieu Corbeil stopped 21 of 26 shots, and Jung made 20 saves on 22 shots in the win.  Missouri was 1-for-4 on the power play and the Thunder finished 1-for-2.

Mavericks’ playoff tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office.  Schedules are to be determined and only playoff games A, B and C of the first round are on sale now. 

Wichita Comes Back For Shootout Victory Over Mavericks

The Missouri Mavericks (29-23-6) lost in a seven-round shootout, 4-3, to the Wichita Thunder Sunday evening at Independence Events Center.  Wichita’s Todd Griffith and Ian Lowe each had two goals for the Thunder who won their seventh game over the Mavericks this season.  Wichita erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to give Thunder head coach Kevin McClelland his 300th career win.  Trevor Kell, Evan Vossen and Andrew Courtney all had goals for the Mavericks.
Missouri jumped out to an early lead when Kell scored at the 3:28 mark just eight seconds into a power play.  He was assisted Colt King and Sebastien Thinel and the Mavericks held the lead for the remainder of the opening period.
Griffith tied the game just 1:19 into the second period on an unassisted goal, but the Mavericks controlled a majority of the action for the remainder of the period.  Missouri put up 18 shots and took a 2-1 lead when Courtney put home a rebound with two minutes remaining in the period.
The Mavericks took a 3-1 lead at 2:26 of the final period when Evan Vossen scored his ninth goal of the season, but the Thunder answered and scored two quick goals to tie the game.  Lowe and Griffith scored goals just 36 seconds apart to tie the game and ultimately send it to overtime.
After a scoreless overtime, the teams decided the game in a seven-round shootout.  Missouri scored four goals in the first five rounds but Wichita answered every one.  Finally, Lowe beat Mavericks’ goaltender Mathieu Corbeil in the seventh round to win the game.
The Mavericks continue their four-game homestand Wednesday night when the team hosts the Denver Cutthroats in the rescheduled game from Feb. 26.

Mavericks Lose to Wichita, 6-2

The Missouri Mavericks (28-21-5) were defeated by the Wichita Thunder, 6-2, Sunday evening at INTRUST Bank Arena.  In the win, the Thunder won their sixth game over the Mavericks this season and the Independence Cup presented by Independence Tourism.  Wichita forward Ian Lowe had two goals and four players had multiple point games for the Thunder.  Missouri got goals from John-Scott Dickson and Kenton Miller, but the Mavericks are now 0-2-1 in their last three games.  Dickson’s goal gave him 100 with the Mavericks, and he is now the fourth player in team history to score at least 100 points with Missouri.  The Mavericks will return home for a game on Tuesday, March 5 against the Bloomington Blaze at Independence Events Center.
“We were beat in every aspect of the game,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “It was a very disappointing weekend for our team.  We played one very good game out of three and gained one point out of six.  That leaves two-thirds of our performances lacking execution and a great number of points were lost because of it.”
The Thunder jumped out to a 3-0 lead less than 16 minutes into the game on two goals by Lowe and one goal by Les Reaney.  Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Clemente was pulled in favor of Ryan Daniels who was seeing his first game action since signing with the Mavericks last week.
The Thunder held the 3-0 lead until the final few seconds of the second period when Kevin Young’s slapshot beat Daniels with four seconds to go in the middle frame.
Chad Painchaud gave the Thunder a 5-0 lead at 6:58 of the third period.  The Mavericks were nearly shutout until John-Scott Dickson tapped in a rebound for his 20th goal of the season and 100th point with the Mavericks.  He becomes just the fourth player in Mavericks’ history to score 100 points with the team.  Dickson’s goal came at the 17:24 mark, and just 19 seconds later, Kenton Miller scored his 20th goal of the season to make it 5-2 in favor of the Thunder.  Neil Trimm scored Wichita’s second power play goal of the game with just eight seconds remaining in regulation to finalize the scoring at 6-2.
Missouri finished 0-for-2 on the power play and the Thunder was 2-for-4.  Wichita outshot the Mavericks 39-20.
The Mavericks will return home on Tuesday, March 5 to take on the Bloomington Blaze.

Mavericks Take Down Thunder In Shootout

The Missouri Mavericks defeated the Wichita Thunder, 5-4, in a shootout Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 5,800 people at Independence Events Center. Mavericks' forward Evan Vossen had a pair of goals including the game-winner in the shootout and forward Kenton Miller added a goal and two assists for the Mavericks. Missouri (28-19-4) won their second game over the Thunder this season and stayed alive in the battle for the Independence Cup presented by Independence Tourism. Thunder forward RG Flath also had a pair of goals and defenseman Andrew Martens added three assists in the losing effort.
Wichita jumped out to an early lead when Flath scored just 89 seconds into the opening period. The visitors then took a 2-0 lead at 9:13 of the first period on a shorthanded goal by Neil Trimm. The Mavericks answered quickly and cut the lead in half when Vossen scored his first of the night on assists from Miller and Riley Emmerson.
Missouri controlled for a majority of the second period and scored three goals to take a 4-2 lead. First, Kellan Tochkin tied the game at 4:37 in a scrum in front of the net. Then Miller gave the Mavericks their first lead of the game when he took a centering feed from Sebastien Thinel and beat Wichita goaltender Grant Rollheiser. Mavericks' forward Colt King made it 4-2 and scored his sixth goal in the last five games at the 15:00 mark. Wichita would not go quietly and they tied the game at four with a pair of goals late in the second period. Flath added his second goal of the game at the 17:34 mark, and Chad Painchaud scored with 2.7 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game.
The third period was a defensive battle as only 11 total shots were put on net and the teams remained tied at the end of regulation.
Missouri was awarded a penalty in the overtime period, but they couldn't convert and the game was decided in the shootout. After goals from John-Scott Dickson and Thinel, the Mavericks won the game on Vossen's shootout goal, his second of the game and eighth on the season.
The Mavericks and Thunder each finished 0-for-2 on the power play.
Missouri stays home and will host the Denver Cutthroats Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Independence Events Center.

Clemente Stops 49 In Mavericks 4-2 Win Over Wichita

Goaltender Mike Clemente made a season-high 49 saves on 51 shots in the Missouri Mavericks 4-2 win over the Wichita Thunder Friday night at Independence Events Center. Missouri (17-11-4) has won three straight games and will have a chance to move into third place in the CHL on Saturday night when the Denver Cutthroats come to Independence Events Center. The Mavericks won their first game against the Thunder this season and ended a seven-game winless streak against Wichita. Four different Mavericks scored goals and forward Ryan Jardine (two assists) was the only player on the Missouri roster with multiple points.

The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game when Jardine made a nice play to keep the puck in the Wichita zone, and he centered a pass to Colt King who put the puck past Wichita netminder Kevin Regan. Mavericks' goaltender Mike Clemente made a handful of big saves through the middle portion of the opening period to keep the Thunder off the scoreboard, and the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead on John-Scott Dickson's 12th goal of the season with 3:48 remaining in the period. Kyle Hood assisted on Dickson's goal and the Mavericks took the two-goal lead into the first intermission.

Missouri was whistled for their first penalty of the game early into the second period on a tripping call to Jardine but the Mavericks were able to kill off the power play. Wichita earned their second straight man-advantage when Trevor Kell was called for high-sticking and the Thunder finally got on the scoreboard when RG Flath banged home a rebound at the 11:29 mark. Flath's marker was the only one of the second period and the Mavericks clung to a 2-1 lead despite giving up a season-high 25 shots on net in the period.

Sebastien Thinel and Kenton Miller each scored goals early in the third period to all but end Wichita's chances at a comeback. First, Thinel scored at the 2:03 mark on assists from Jardine and Kellan Tochkin, and then Miller scored on a nice backhand at 4:09 to give Missouri a three-goal lead. Wichita continued to battle and Matt Summers finalized the scoring at the 7:17 mark of the third.

The Mavericks play game three of a five-game home stand Saturday night when the Denver Cutthroats will make their first trip to Independence Events Center. Tickets on are sale via Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000 or by heading to the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office. Parking is always free at Independence Events Center.

Mavericks Earn Point in OT Loss to Wichita, 5-4

The Missouri Mavericks (14-11-4) erased a two-goal deficit in the third period for the second straight game, but lost to the Wichita Thunder, 5-4, in overtime Friday night at INTRUST Bank Arena.  Missouri remains winless in five games (0-3-2) this season against the first-place Thunder, and the Mavericks have lost last seven games overall against Wichita.  Forward Sebastien Thinel (two goals, two assists) and defenseman Dave Pszenyczny (one goal, three assists) each had four-point games for the Mavericks.  Gregor Hanson scored 11 seconds into the overtime period to secure the win for the Thunder who won their ninth straight home game extending a CHL-high this season.  Missouri heads to Tulsa to take on the Oilers on Saturday night at BOK Center

“Huge character point on the road in a very tough building to come from behind in,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “It was a real learning experience for our young players.  (Jared) Lavender was a top performer for us on the blue line and Thinel had a huge game.  We must win tomorrow in Tulsa.”

Wichita took a 2-1 lead through the first 20 minutes of play.  Dustin Donaghy buried the first goal of the game at the 9:41 mark of the period.  Wichita took a 2-0 lead when former Maverick Todd Griffith stuffed home a rebound off the back wall at the 13:35 mark.  The Mavericks bounced back and scored their first power play goal in their last six games at the 16:48 mark.  Pszenyczny took a back door feed from Thinel and redirected the puck past Wichita goaltender Kevin Regan.

The Thunder scored the lone goal of the second period on a power play marker by Kevin Young.  He took a pass from Chad Painchaud and blasted a one-timer behind Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Clemente to give the Thunder a 3-1 lead.

The Mavericks began their comeback just 96 seconds into the third period when Thinel scored the first of his two goals.  He was left alone in front of the Wichita goal and beat Regan to make it a 3-2 game.  Just under two minutes later, Thinel tied the game at three when his shot came from a sharp angle and bounced off the goaltender and into the back of the net.

The Mavericks took their first lead of the game at 4-3 on their second power play goal when Thinel fed Kenton Miller who stuffed the puck under the padding of Regan.  The Thunder answered and tied the game with less than two minutes remaining when Ian Lowe tipped a shot from the point past Clemente for a power play goal at the 18:12 mark of the period.  The teams remained tied, 4-4, and headed into the overtime.

Gregor Hanson made quick work in the overtime period as he scored just 11 seconds in.  He was assisted by Kevin Young and RG Flath and the Thunder skated away with the 5-4 overtime victory.

Missouri has one more game left in their four-game road trip in Tulsa on Saturday night.   The Mavericks will return to Independence Events Center on New Year’s Eve to face off against the Oilers at 7:05 p.m.  Tickets on are sale via Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000 or by heading to the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office. For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

Mavericks Fall to Thunder, 3-2

The Wichita Thunder won their sixth straight game at Independence Events Center by beating the Missouri Mavericks, 3-2, Tuesday night in front of 5,172 fans. The Mavericks moved to 4-7-2 overall and 1-4-0 at home. Thunder forwards Ian Lowe and Chad Painchaud each had a goal and an assist in the win for the Thunder and Wichita goaltender Torrie Jung stopped 24 of 26 shots for his fourth win of the season. Kellan Tochkin and Jeff Pierce scored the two goals for the Mavericks who will stay home for a game Friday night, Nov. 23 against the Fort Worth Brahmas. Friday is a Family Four-Pack night in which fans can purchase four tickets, four hot dogs and four Pepsis starting at only $80.

Wichita scored the lone goal of the opening period when Greger Hanson notched his seventh goal of the season. The power play goal was assisted by Kevin Young and Nathan Lutz. The teams were even in shots through the first 20 minutes with 11 apiece, but the Thunder held the one-goal lead.

The Mavericks earned a five-on-three power play early into the second period, but they were unable to get a puck past goaltender Torrie Jung. Missouri successfully killed off two Wichita power plays midway through the period, and the Mavericks finally tied the game at the 16:28 mark. Mavericks’ leading goal scorer Jeff Pierce batted home a rebound to tie the game 1-1. He was assisted by Brandon Smith and Trevor Kell, but the tie game didn’t last long as the Thunder regained the lead just 26 seconds later. Painchaud scored on an assist by Lowe to give the Thunder a 2-1 lead before the teams headed into the third period.

Missouri didn’t waste any time in the third period as they tied the game just 21 seconds into the final frame. Rookie Kellan Tochkin scored on an assist from fellow rookie Kenton Miller as the Mavericks tied the game at two. Just before the midway point of the final period, Lowe scored on a backhand and beat Mavericks’ goaltender Mike Clemente. It proved to be the game winning goal as the Mavericks were unable to score the tying goal with the extra attacker.

The Mavericks host the Fort Worth Brahmas on Friday, Nov. 23 at Independence Events Center.  It’s a Family Four-Pack night in which fans can purchase four tickets, four hot dogs and four Pepsis starting at only $80. Tickets on are sale via Ticketmaster and parking is always free. For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

Mavericks Lose to Thunder in OT, 4-3

Kevin Young scored 32 seconds into overtime as the Wichita Thunder defeated the Missouri Mavericks for the third time in as many nights at INTRUST Bank Arena Sunday night.  Young, Neil Trimm and Chad Painchaud each had a goal and an assist in the game and the Thunder earned their fifth straight win over the Mavericks dating back to last season.  Missouri’s Kenton Miller had two goals for the first multi-goal game of his career.  Wichita’s goaltender Kevin Regan stopped 29 of 32 shots in the win as the Thunder improved to 5-3-1.  Missouri is now 2-3-2 and heads home for a pair of games next weekend on November 9 and 10.

“The loss is disappointing, but as far as a 60-minute game goes, we were much better,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “This is a huge step forward to playing sound, fundamental hockey, but we have to find a way to not take so many minor penalties.  We lost momentum throughout the game after taking those penalties.”

Only 38 seconds into the opening period, the Mavericks took the lead on Miller’s first goal of the game.  He was assisted John-Scott Dickson, and it marked the first time this season the Mavericks have scored the first goal in the game.  At the 17:55 mark, Mavericks’ defenseman Dave Pszenyczny scored his first goal of the season in only his second game.  The goal was the Mavericks’ first power play goal in four games and Pszenyczny was assisted by Matt McCready and Sebastien Thinel.

The Mavericks two-goal lead didn’t last long as the Thunder scored just 1:26 later on a goal by Painchaud.  Missouri outshot the Thunder 17-4 through the first 20 minutes and held a 2-1 lead.

The teams traded goals in the second period.  First, the Thunder tied the game when Trimm beat Mavericks goaltender Austin Lee at the 6:25 mark.  Missouri quickly answered to regain the lead only 33 seconds later.  Miller scored his second goal of the game for his first multi-goal game of his career.

Wichita battled for a majority of the third period and finally scored the equalizer with 5:06 remaining in regulation.  The teams remained tied through regulation, but Young scored the game winner just 32 seconds into overtime.

The Mavericks return home to Independence Events Center for a pair of games next weekend on November 9 and 10.  Tickets for all regular-season games are sale now via Ticketmaster.  For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

Mavericks Fall to Thunder in Home Opener, 6-4

The Missouri Mavericks (2-3-1) were defeated by the Wichita Thunder (3-3-1), 6-4, Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 5,800 at Independence Events Center. Neil Trimm and Ian Lowe both had a pair of goals to lead the Thunder who have won their last five games at Missouri dating back to last season.  Sebastien Thinel, Matt McCready and Brandon Smith all led Missouri with two points apiece.  Wichita leads the Independence Cup regular-season series 2-0 with the two teams closing out a stretch of three games in three nights against each other tomorrow afternoon in Wichita at 5:05 p.m.

The two teams didn't waste any time finding the score sheet with three-combined goals in 52 seconds. Wichita took a 1-0 lead 1:06 into the contest as Trimm caught a pass off his skate, switched it to his backhand and found the net. Missouri answered 32 seconds later with a goal from Kellan Tochkin after he walked out of the left corner to tie it at one. At 1:58, Flath scored his fourth of the season when he came down on a two-on-one and zipped a wrist shot past Mathieu Corbeil to make it 2-1, Wichita. The Mavericks closed the period with two unanswered tallies 27 seconds apart from Thinel and Colt King to take a 3-2 lead.

In the second period, Wichita tied the game at 4:51 when Lowe put home a rebound that redirected off the post from Trimm and made it 3-3. Missouri answered to regain the lead less than three minutes later as Jamie Vanderveeken found a loose puck in the slot and made it 4-3. Trimm added his second of the night on a power play as he walked off the left wall and snapped one over the shoulder of Corbeil to tie the game at four.

Greger Hanson scored his third of the season just 1:34 into the third period on the power play to give the Thunder a 5-4 advantage. He snuck to the right face-off dot and beat Corbeil with his third goal of the season and the eventual game-winner. Wichita closed the door with a late power play goal from Lowe to make it 6-4, spoiling the Mavericks home opener.

Torrie Jung earned his second win of the season, making 35 saves on 39 shots. Wichita went 3-for-6 on the power play while the Mavericks were 0-for-5 that included a five-on-three power play early in the game. Wichita is 3-3-1 on the season while the Mavericks fall to 2-3-1.

The Mavericks will finally open up the home portion of their schedule Saturday night at Independence Events Center at 7:05 p.m.   Saturday’s game is the first of 33 regular season games and parking is always free.  Tickets to all 33 games are sale now via Ticketmaster.  For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

Mavericks Blanked By Thunder, 3-0

The Wichita Thunder shutout the Missouri Mavericks 3-0 Friday night at INTRUST Bank Arena.  Wichita goaltender Kevin Regan stopped all 25 shots faced for his first win of the season and Chad Painchaud had a goal and an assist as the Thunder took game one of the 10-game season series between the two rivals.  Mavericks’ goaltender Mathieu Corbeil stopped 23 of 26 shots in the loss, and the Mavericks season-starting five-game road trip ends with a 2-2-1 record.  Missouri will have a shot at redemption Saturday night against the Thunder in the team’s home opener at Independence Events Center at 7:05 p.m.
“Not a great start, we were not very crisp off the bat,” said Mavericks’ Head Coach Scott Hillman.  “We didn’t play well in the first period, and the second period was probably our best period but again we get outscored 2-0.  We still have a lot of things to work on, but the bright spot tonight was the penalty kill.”
Wichita took a 1-0 lead on Painchaud’s second goal of the season.  The goal came just over four minutes into the opening period and Ian Lowe earned the lone assist.  Wichita was also awarded the only two power play chances in the first, but the Mavericks didn’t allow the Thunder to score while on the man-advantage.  Wichita finished the game going 0-for-4 on the power play.
The Thunder extended their lead to 3-0 in the second period.  First, Nathan Lutz scored on a one-timer blast that just went over the shoulder of Corbeil to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead.  Wichita then took a commanding 3-0 lead on a shorthanded goal by Kevin Young at the 11:41 mark of the second period.  Neil Trimm and Painchaud earned the assists on the final goal of the game.
Missouri outshot the Thunder 12-8 in the final period and 21-15 in the final two periods, but the Mavericks’ couldn’t get a puck past Regan.  Missouri finished 0-for-3 on the power play and the team hasn’t scored on the power play in their last two games.
The Mavericks will finally open up the home portion of their schedule Saturday night at Independence Events Center at 7:05 p.m.   Saturday’s game is the first of 33 regular season games and parking is always free.  Tickets to all 33 games are sale now via Ticketmaster.  For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

Mavericks and Thunder Intensify Rivalry with Independence Cup

The Missouri Mavericks in conjunction with the Wichita Thunder have announced the teams will be playing for the Independence Cup this season presented by Independence Tourism. Missouri and Wichita play a total of 10 games against each other this season and the team who earns the most points against will win the Independence Cup and a $2,000 youth hockey scholarship.
"We are very happy to strengthen our rivalry with Wichita and benefit youth hockey at the same time," said Mavericks' President and General Manager Brent Thiessen. "This will certainly add to the excitement of our games with Wichita this season."
Should the teams each win five games this season, the tiebreaker will be the team with the most points in the season series followed by goal differential.
The winner will be presented with the Independence Cup on March 24, 2013 in Wichita following the tenth and final game of the season between the two teams. The winner will keep possession of the cup for the following season.
The Mavericks and Thunder will battle in the first three games for the Independence Cup this weekend. The teams will play in Wichita on Friday and Sunday nights, and the Mavericks will host the Thunder for their home opener on Saturday night at Independence Events Center. Tickets for all 33 regular season games on are sale now via Ticketmaster. For more information on the Missouri Mavericks visit www.MissouriMavericks.com .

Wichita's INTRUST Bank Arena Ranks 31st in the United States in Top Arena Venues

The SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena finished 31st in the United States and 62nd in the world in 2012 Mid Year Ticket Sales by Pollstar, a weekly trade magazine for the concert industry. The rankings reflect tickets sold worldwide for shows played between 1/1/12 and 6/30/12.
“We're thrilled to consistently rank among the top venues worldwide,” said General Manager AJ Boleski. “The community continues to support our events, and we look forward to announcing the remainder of our line-up for the second half of 2012.”
In the first half of 2012, INTRUST Bank Arena hosted ten of Pollstar's top 100 tours: Brad Paisley, WWE, George Strait, Winter Jam, Jeff Dunham, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Barry Manilow and Nickelback.
Upcoming events include Hillsong Live (September 23), WWE RAW (September 30), Oklahoma City Thunder NBA preseason game (October 24), Carrie Underwood (October 27) and Eric Church (December 8).
Additional event and ticket information is available at www.intrustbankarena.com.