Missouri moves on with 5-4 win over Wichita

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Missouri Mavericks are moving on in the CHL playoffs after closing out their best-of-five series with the Wichita Thunder on Wednesday night with a wild 5-4 win in front of 3,852 fans at the Independence Events Center. The win came on the heels of a 2-1 victory the previous night in Wichita which evened the series at 2-2. Nathan O’Nabigon’s goal on a mad rush in front of the net at the 15:36 mark of the final period proved to be the game-winner. After taking a 4-1 lead into the second intermission, Wichita managed to pick up three third-period goals to tie the game before O’Nabigon’s marker that was assisted by Derek Pallardy and Carlyle Lewis. With a crowd forming in front of Wichita goalie Marty Magers, O’Nabigon picked up the puck and sent it into the net above a sprawled out Magers for the score. Missouri took an early 2-0 lead on two first-period power play goals by Nick Sirota. Sirota struck first at the 9:37 mark when he redirected a Shawn Fensel shot to the left of Thunder goalie Marc-Antoine Gelinas and into the net. His second score came at the 17:50 mark of the period when he connected on a shot from the slot. The Thunder finally found the net, breaking up Robby Nolan’s early shutout bid on a goal by Daniel Tetrault at 19:08 of the first. Jesse Bennefield sent a centering pass to Tetrault near the top of the crease, and Tetrault sent the puck home to the left of Nolan to make the score 2-1 at the first intermission.

Missouri added two goals in the second period to extend their lead to three goals. At 12:58 of the period, a streaking Ray DiLauro took a centering pass from Ryan Jardine and put the puck in the net on a backhanded shot. Pallardy then added a goal at 16:35 when he came from the right side of the net and poked the puck into the net from the crease past Magers, who had fallen out of position while playing the puck. Gelinas got the starting nod for the Thunder, but was replaced in net by Magers at 15:12 of the second when Gelinas was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for spearing Mavericks captain Carlyle Lewis. Wichita entered the final period down by three goals, but appeared determined to get back into the game and did so with three power play goals within a span of 11:34. A.J. Gale took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play, taking a feed from Aaron Davis at the top of the crease and sending it into the net to Nolan’s right side just 1:09 into the third. Tetrault scored his second goal of the night just 54 seconds later, as he knocked home a one-time feed from Gale at 2:05 to cut the Missouri lead to one.Andrew Martens tied the game nine seconds into a power play after Sirota was sent off for a tripping penalty. Martens drove the puck past Nolan from the right circle after taking a feed from Brent Cullaton to knot the score at 4-4. Just over two minutes later O’Nabigon beat Magers to make it 5-4. Missouri now moves on to face the Colorado Eagles in a best-of-five Turner Conference semifinals. Dates and times for the series featuring the second-seeded Eagles and fourth-seeded Mavericks are expected to be announce as early as Thursday afternoon. Colorado will have home ice advantage throughout the series. Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at daniel.russel@prohockeynews.com