On Saturday, the Kansas City Mavericks faced off against the Wichita Thunder at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, securing an overtime win. Saturday’s game was the seventh meeting for the season. Victor Ostman started in the goal for the Mavericks with 20 wins under his belt, a 2.47 goals against average (GAA,) and a 0.905 save percentage (SV%). Every encounter between these two teams guarantees an explosive showdown, and this game did not let the crowd down.
First Period
At 9:03, the lone goal of the period came for the Mavericks when David Cotton scored on the power play following a high stick by Wichita Thunder’s Ryan Finnegan, giving the team an early lead. Assists went to Luke Loheit and Damien Giroux, marking Cotton’s 13th goal of the season.
Second Period
The second period saw more action, starting with the Thunder’s first goal by Jake Wahlin, assisted by Nolan Kneen at 9:08 to tie the score. A holding penalty by the Mavericks’ Jimmy Mazza allowed T.J. Lloyd to score a power-play goal for the Thunder at 10:13. Less than a minute later, Jay Dickman scored the third goal of the game, forcing the Mavericks to play catch-up.
The fireworks came at 19:08 when a fight broke out between the Mavericks’ captain, David Cotton, and the Thunder’s Nolan Burke, earning five-minute majors for both players. The fight sparked the Mavericks into action, leading to a goal by Justin MacPherson with less than a minute left in the period. At the end of the second period, the Thunder held a one-point lead.
Third Period
The third period was no less exciting, with the Mavericks’ Damien Giroux scoring seven minutes in to tie the score at 3-3. A slashing minor at 12:59 by the Mavericks’ Landon McCallum allowed the Thunder’s Michal Stinil to score a power-play goal, giving the Thunder a one-point advantage with less than six minutes left in regulation play. At 14:07, another fight broke out between the Mavericks’ Daniel Amesbury and the Thunder’s Dillon Boucher, resulting in fighting majors and game misconducts for both players. At 18:23, with less than two minutes remaining, the Mavericks’ Cade Borchardt buried a goal to tie the score at 4-4, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime
At 1:17 into overtime, the Mavericks took the lead with an overtime goal by Casey Carreau, assisted by Cade Borchardt and Victor Ostman, to win the game 5-4. This was Carreau’s second overtime win this season.
Summary
Both teams were evenly matched in this contest, with the Mavericks recording 33 shots on goal compared to the Thunder’s 32. The Mavericks were 1-2 on the power play, while the Thunder were 2-3. Trevor Gorsuch saved 28 of 33 shots, while Victor Ostman stopped 28 of 32 shots and recorded an assist, contributing to the Mavericks’ victory. The Mavericks remain in first place in the Mountain Division standings and first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Toledo Walleye.
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