BRAMPTON, ONT. – The Missouri Mavericks picked up their first road win of the season in thrilling fashion on Friday night at the Powerade Centre. They prevailed in a back-and-forth affair with the Beast that took a sudden-death shootout to decide the winner. Missouri’s 5-4 triumph improved its record to 2-4-0 on the season.
Brampton and its opponents had combined for 22 goals over the Beast’s last two games while the Mavericks and their opponents combined for six in Missouri’s prior two games. It was the Brampton trend that prevailed in this game, and things got off to a roaring start in the first period. Sam Povorozniouk scored his first professional goal before the game was five minutes old and Andrew Courtney slammed home a backdoor feed 55 seconds later to stake the Mavericks to a 2-0 lead. Brampton stormed back with a power play goal by David Vallorani, a shorthanded marker by Brandon Marino and an even-strength goal by Tim Billingsley to grab a 3-2 lead. Missouri, however, responded back with its first power play goal of the year with 3:06 left in the first and it was Povorozniouk netting his second of the game.
The second period was the polar opposite of the first as only one puck found its way to the back of the net. Brampton’s Jordan Henry sent a pinballing backhander across the goal line at 5:39 of the second for his first goal of the year. The shot beat Eamon McAdam who came on in relief of starter Ville Husso who was injured in the first period. McAdam turned away three of the four shots he saw in the frame. Missouri dominated the period shots-wise and put 12 on Brampton goalie Bryan Pitton, six of which came on a late 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:52. The Mavs couldn’t cash in that chance, though, and headed to the third down by a goal.
The Mavericks erased Brampton’s lead before most fans had returned to their seats following the intermission. After a clean faceoff win to start the period, Rocco Carzo took a headman pass behind the defense and beat Pitton with a backhand shot for his first goal of the season eight seconds into the third. Each team had a power play chance in the frame to try and break the deadlock but McAdam and Pitton closed their respective doors the rest of the way to send the game to overtime.
It was Brampton’s fourth straight overtime game to open the season, but it was Missouri’s first foray into extra hockey. The 3-on-3 sudden-death frame featured high-quality chances at both ends of the ice but neither team was able to convert and the game moved to a shootout.
Povorozniouk scored in the top of the second and it nearly stood as the winner until Brampton’s last shooter, Vallorani, scored to send it to a sudden-death shootout. Each team’s first two shooters were denied before Lukas Lofquist hopped over the boards. The rookie from Stockholm, Sweden scored through Pitton’s five hole and McAdam stopped Yannick Veilleux to seal the win.
McAdam earned his first pro win in relief of the injured Husso by stopping 22 shots. The Mavericks went 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
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