INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Kansas City Mavericks erased a 3-0 deficit to earn a 4-3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings Friday night at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.
Here are three observations from tonight’s game:
Came To Fight
Mavs captain Tyler Elbrecht set the tone early, dropping the gloves and throwing hands with Wings captain Ben Wilson just 2:04 into Wilson’s season debut. The fight was the first five of 40 penalty minutes racked up by the home team, including a fighting major to goaltender Mason McDonald who skated 200 feet to defend his teammate while getting the better of Kalamazoo netminder Joel Martin. The team also came came to fight on the scoreboard, erasing a 3-0 deficit and turning it into a 4-3 victory before a crowd of 4,000-plus on Friday night. It was a thrilling night of hockey in Kansas City.
One Goal Winners
With Mike McMurtry’s lamp-lighter with 1:47 left, the Mavericks skated away with a win over their Central Division counterparts. The Mavericks are now 7-0-0-0 in one-goal games this season. The Mavericks flashed the grit and effort that head coach John-Scott Dickson has preached since Day One, and they were rewarded once again in a tight game for outworking their opponents.
Smitty Comes Up Big
Down 3-0 midway through the second and riding a two-game losing streak, it would have been easy for the home team to ease up in the game. Hunter Smith provided a big lift, scoring two goals in two minutes sandwiched around a marker from Jared VanWormer to tie the game before the horn sounded for the end of the period. Smith also added a helper on McMurtry’s game-winning goal.
The Mavericks return to action Saturday night for HoKCey and Hope Night at 7:05 p.m. against the Quad City Mallards.
With Kansas City Mavericks release
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