ECHL Game Recap: Utah Grizzlies vs Kansas City Mavericks | 02/28/2025

Photo: Kansas CIty Mavericks

The Kansas City Mavericks met the Utah Grizzlies at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri. This game marked the seventh meeting of the season between the two teams, with the Mavericks having won four of the previous six encounters. Jack LaFontaine started in net for the Mavericks, boasting a 2.14 goals against average (GAA) and a 0.917 save percentage (SV%) going into Friday night’s game.

First Period

The first goal came for the Mavericks three and a half minutes into the period on a rebound by Justin MacPherson, marking his seventh goal and 27th point of the season. Around five minutes later, Reed Lebster lit the lamp with an assist from Cole Gallant, tying the score at 1-1. Despite the Grizzlies outshooting the Mavericks 10 to 6, neither team managed to score for the remainder of the period.

Second Period

The second period got off to a slower start, with the first goal not arriving until nine minutes in. A short-handed goal was credited to the Grizzlies’ Lincoln Erne after a wayward puck bounced off Mavericks’ Jack LaFontaine’s stick and crossed the goal line, giving the Grizzlies the lead. The Mavericks rallied hard and were able to even the score at 16:30 with a goal by David Cotton, assisted by Justin MacPherson and Damien Giroux. The score at the end of the period was tied 2-2.

Third Period

The lone goal of the third period came at 15:01 from the Grizzlies’ Matt Araujo, assisted by Cooper Jones and Cole Gallant. Despite the Mavericks pulling their goaltender and outshooting their opponent 13-7, the Grizzlies clinched a 3-2 victory.

Summary

The Mavericks were 0/3 on the power play but successfully shut down all four of the Grizzlies’ power play opportunities. Mavericks’ goaltender Jack LaFontaine stopped 20 of 23 shots, while Jake Barczewski stopped 37 of 39 shots to secure the victory for the Grizzlies. Despite Friday night’s loss, the Mavericks still maintain first place in the Mountain Division standings and first place in the Western Conference with a one-point advantage over the Toledo Walleye. The Mavericks return to action Saturday night with an away game against the Wichita Thunder.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Utah Grizzlies – Matt Araujo
  2. Kansas City –  Justin MacPherson
  3. Utah Grizzlies –  Reed Lebster


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

One thought on “ECHL Game Recap: Utah Grizzlies vs Kansas City Mavericks | 02/28/2025”

Leave a Reply

ECHL: 2024-25 End of Season Review | Adirondack Thunder

The 2024-25 Adirondack Thunder season was not a pretty one, as the Thunder went from the top team in the East during the 2023-24 season to the worst team in the East during the 2024-25 season. Adirondack would use 51 different players during the 2024-25 season, including 18 different defenseman throughout their 72-game schedule. Adirondack […]

Read More

ECHL Kelly Cup Final- Game 2 Recap: Trois-Rivières Lions vs Toledo Walleye

The Trois-Rivières Lions and Toledo Walleye met for Game 2 of the Kelly Cup Final. Toledo took Game 1 by a score of 3-1. For the second straight night, it would be Tyler Hylland who opened the scoring for the Lions. Just like in Game 1, the Walleye quickly responded as Trenton Bliss made a […]

Read More

ECHL: Pavel Cajan Heads Overseas

After spending the past three seasons in North America, Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Pavel Cajan is heading overseas to Czechia to join HC Litvinov. During the 2024-25 season, he went 13-10-5 with a 2.42 GAA, .902SV%, and one shutout in 28 games with the Cyclones. It was the first time in his professional career that Cajan […]

Read More