ECHL Game Recap: Kansas City Mavericks vs Tahoe Knight Monsters | 11/20/2024

Date: November 20, 2024
Location: Tahoe Blue Event Center

Going into the game, the Kansas City Mavericks had a strong record of 8-3-1, placing them among the top teams in the league. Meanwhile, the Tahoe Knight Monsters had a record of 5-3-2, positioning them in the middle of the standings with room to climb. It was also the School Day game for Tahoe, so the arena was filled with enthusiastic kids and teachers, adding to the atmosphere. The excitement in the arena was palpable, with the young fans cheering loudly for every play. Both teams were eager to secure a win, knowing that a victory would impact their standings. The Mavericks aimed to maintain their status, while the Knight Monsters sought to leverage their home advantage and climb higher in the rankings.

Kansas City Starting Lineup

Forwards
#8 Luke Loheit
#18 Damien Giroux
#28 Cade Borchardt

Defensemen
#15 Marcus Crawford
#23 David Noël

Goaltender
#33 Victor Ostman

Tahoe Starting Lineup

Forwards
#22 Cal Kiefiuk
#15 Jake McGrew
#55 Chris Dodero

Defensemen
#49 Artur Cholach
#96 Brennan Kapcheck

Goaltender
#30 Jordan Papirny

Period 1

The first period was a back-and-forth affair with end-to-end play on both sides. The highlight of the period was Tahoe’s impressive penalty killing, as they successfully killed off back-to-back penalties, totaling four straight minutes of power play time for Kansas City. At 7:18, Chris Dodero (#55) of Tahoe was penalized for hooking. Later, at 10:01, Artur Cholach (#49) of Tahoe received a penalty for high-sticking. These penalties impacted the flow of the game, giving the Mavericks solid power play opportunities. Despite these chances, both teams struggled to generate offense this period, with Kansas City managing only eight shots on goal and Tahoe just seven.

Shots on Goal:
Kansas City: 8
Tahoe: 7

Penalties:
7:18 – Tahoe: Chris Dodero (#55) – Hooking.
10:01 – Tahoe: Artur Cholach (#49) – High-sticking.

Period 2

In the second period, the Knight Monsters began their scoring surge. Luke Adam opened the scoring with his second goal of the season, a wrist shot from the far side faceoff dot.

Minutes later, Nate Kallen led the rush and scored with a wicked wrister for his second goal of the season. This goal was notable as it was just the third goal scored by a defender at home and the first since the second game of the season almost a month ago. Tahoe’s penalty kill was tested again with another sequence of back-to-back penalties, but they held strong to maintain a 2-0 lead going into the third period.

Shots on Goal:
Kansas City: 12
Tahoe: 17

Goals:
5:12 – Tahoe: Luke Adam (#19) scored, assisted by Patrick Newell (#14) and Logan Nelson (#28).
9:58 – Tahoe: Nate Kallen (#26) scored, assisted by Anthony Collins (#48).

Penalties:
7:37 – Kansas City: Luke Loheit (#8) – High-sticking.
16:13 – Tahoe: Anthony Collins (#48) – Interference.
18:29 – Tahoe: Anthony Collins (#48) – Too many men.

Period 3

To open the third period, Anthony Collins scored his first goal of the season off this beautiful feed from Adam Pitters, just seconds after missing a 2-on-0 rush.

Later, Kansas City’s Damien Giroux got his team on the board 10 minutes later with a scramble play in the blue paint.

However, the Knight Monsters responded quickly, with Artur Cholach ripping in a rebound to make it 4-1. Despite preventing Tahoe from getting any significant shots on net in this period, the Mavericks were unable to score before time ran out, leaving the final score at 4-1 in favor of the Knight Monsters.

Shots on Goal:
Kansas City: 13
Tahoe: 4

Goals:
2:09 – Tahoe: Anthony Collins (#48) scored, assisted by Adam Pitters (#3).
12:24 – Kansas City: Damien Giroux (#18) scored, assisted by Luke Loheit (#8) and Charlie Wright (#3).
14:26 – Tahoe: Artur Cholach (#49) scored, assisted by Brennan Kapcheck (#96) and Logan Nelson (#28).

There were no penalties in the third period.

Game Summary

The Tahoe Knight Monsters defeated the Kansas City Mavericks with a final score of 4-1. Tahoe’s strong defensive play and penalty killing set the tone for the game. Goals from Luke Adam and Nate Kallen in the second period gave them a solid 2-0 lead heading into the final frame. Anthony Collins extended the lead early in the third period.

Although Kansas City’s Damien Giroux managed to score, Tahoe’s Artur Cholach sealed the victory with a final goal. Jordan Papirny’s stellar performance in goal, along with key contributions from players like Collins and Kallen, were crucial in securing the win for the Knight Monsters. Overall, Kansas City simply struggled to overcome Tahoe’s strong defense and effective penalty killing.

Total Shots on Goal:
Kansas City: 33
Tahoe: 28

Three Stars of the Game:

J. Papirny (#30, Tahoe) – Stellar performance in goal.
A. Collins (#48, Tahoe) – Contributed with a goal and an assist.
N. Kallen (#26, Tahoe) – Scored a goal.