MACON, GA – In their third meeting the Marksmen and Mayhem and played a physical game. As the players skated onto the ice for warm-ups, it was apparent the Marksmen had to bring their best. Beating the second place Macon Mayhem isn’t an easy task, especially on the road. The Mayhem have a ton of offensive weapons that can give any Goaltenders nightmares.
When the puck dropped, there was a puck out of play early causing a stoppage in play. Once play resumed John Siemer got the shot off, Alex Murray made an error on the routine save and the puck found its way past Murray. Siemer’s early goal was his fifth of the season. Murray’s error created an early problem for the Marksmen. With the Mayhem having a one point lead, they had the Marksmen in the palm of their hand. The Marksmen attempted to recover from their early mistakes, however Justin Levac had a lucky bounce that found its way to the back of the net. Levac’s goal was his fourth of the season, adding insult to injury for the Marksmen. Prior to Levac’s goal, the Mayhem had seven of eight shots-on-goal. Marksmen Head Coach Jesse Kallechy decided he’s seen enough and pulled Alex Murray. Dillon Kelley found himself in the crease, looking to stop the bleeding.
Mike Chemello found himself in the penalty box for an interference penalty, giving the Marksmen the man advantage. With the Marksmen on the power play, Brian Bowen found the back of the net for the fifth time this season. Just when things were starting to look up for the Marksmen, Joe Osaka was handed a slashing penalty. With Osaka in the box, the Mayhem looked to capitalize on the Marksmen’s problems. The Mayhem ended the first period leading the Marksmen 17-7 in shots-on-goal.
At the start of the second period, the Marksmen were handed a gift. Kristaps Bazevics tripped a Marksmen and was sent to the box. Once again the Marksmen found themselves on the power play. The Mayhem did a good job killing off their penalty, bringing the game back to 5-on-5 play. Jake Trask proved why he’s one of the leading scorers in the SPHL, finding an opening in the low slot and scoring. With the Marksmen down 3-1, they were also handed an interference penalty against their Captain Jake Hauswirth. Things started getting physical on ice between both teams. Taylor Pryce was gifted a cross checking penalty, before Pryce could find his way to the penalty box he and Kristaps Bazevics dropped the gloves. Pyrce and Bazevics both landed several shots in a brutal fight. On a two-on-one breakaway, Cody Brown and Joe Osaka had Ian Sylves right where they wanted him. Brown made the perfect pass to Osaka with a clear net in front. As Osaka got the shot off, Ian Sylves somehow found a way to block the perfect shot. Jimmy Soper was handed a tripping penalty, putting the Marksmen on a power play for the remainder of the season.
As the third period began, the Mayhem entered with a 3-1 lead. Not even two minutes into the third, the Marksmen found themselves on the power play. While on the man advantage, the Marksmen attacked the net constantly. The Marksmen’s relentless play saw Darren McCormick force one past Ian Sylves for a Marksmen goal early in the third. McCormick didn’t just collect his tenth goal of the season, but he also brought the Marksmen within one with plenty of time left. After a physical game, Macon finally had enough. Players piled onto one another, throwing fists as emotions piled up. Both Paul Fregue and John Siemer were both sent to the box for roughing, making it four-on-four play. When the Marksmen needed all the help they could get, Brian Bowen was called on a tripping penalty. Dillon Kelley skated to the bench with under two minutes left, giving the Marksmen the extra attacker while looking for the miracle. Stathis Soumelidis gave the Mayhem the insurance goal they needed, scoring the empty netter for the Mayhem.
Despite Dillon Kelley’s impressive efforts with 23 saves, the early errors by the Marksmen ended up costing them. The Mayhem may have left with the win but they were in a fight tonight. Credit to the Marksmen; they brought it to the Mayhem. Ian Sylves had an incredible performance, stopping 28 shots-on-goal and improving his record to 3-0-0.
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