Cook’s Shutout Sparks 3-1 Showcase Weekend for Premier Mavericks
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Columbus Mavericks’ Premier team took care of business at the USPHL Midwest Showcase.
Columbus won three of four games at PSM Icehouse. The Mavericks opened with a 1-0 shutout of the Fort Wayne Spacemen on Thursday, then rallied past the Red River Spartans 5-3 on Friday. They routed the Decatur Blaze J18 7-2 on Saturday, a game that included three shorthanded goals, before falling 4-1 to the Chicago T-Rex J18. The Mavericks are now 10-2-2 on the season.
Thursday: Mavericks 1, Fort Wayne Spacemen 0
One goal was all Robert Cook needed. He stopped all 21 shots he faced for the shutout.
Douglas Loethen scored the only goal of the game in the first period, with assists from Patrik Frydecky and Evan Moore. Columbus outshot Fort Wayne 46-21, but Spacemen goaltender Gunnar Zosel kept it close with 45 saves.
Friday: Mavericks 5, Red River Spartans 3
For the second time this season, the Mavericks fell behind Red River early. This time, they found an answer.
Alexander Woodworth scored twice in the first period to put the Spartans up 2-0. Kirill Tabunov assisted on both goals, with Ilja Kozlovs and Tyler Stoesz adding helpers. Pascal Bezares Ramirez got Columbus on the board before intermission, assisted by Timothy Boyd Jr. and Jan Valenta.
The Mavericks took over in the second period. Dylan Harris tied the game with an unassisted goal. Moore put Columbus ahead, assisted by Boyd. AJ Alan Faulkner Jr. made it 4-2, set up by Giovanni Valentine and Boyd.
Tabunov pulled Red River within one, assisted by Granger Greely and Benjamin LeVan. Owen Abraham sealed the win with 28.5 seconds left.
Boyd finished with three assists. The Mavericks outshot the Spartans 40-33, and Columbus goaltending made 30 saves.
Saturday: Mavericks 7, Decatur Blaze J18 2
The Mavericks were at their best on Saturday, scoring three shorthanded goals.
William Reeves gave Decatur an early lead, assisted by Chase Bradbury and Logan Ley. Columbus answered with four straight goals in the first period. Samuel Heckathorne tied it, assisted by Harris. Faulkner Jr. put the Mavericks ahead, set up by Loethen and Frydecky.
Sam Pies then scored twice. His first came shorthanded, assisted by Moore. His second came on the power play, assisted by Konstantin Schleiermacher. Ian Fowler scored for Decatur late in the period, assisted by Gerrit Harville and Parker Titus.
Ethan Dufour scored an unassisted goal early in the second period. Later in the period, Columbus scored twice while killing a five-minute major. Harris scored into an empty net, assisted by Faulkner Jr. Matthias Phillips then added a shorthanded goal with 32.5 seconds left, assisted by Harris.
Harris finished with a goal and two assists, while Pies scored twice and Faulkner Jr. had a goal and an assist. Gavin Jones made 16 saves on 18 shots for the win. Columbus outshot Decatur 42-18.
Chicago T-Rex J18 4, Mavericks 1
Abraham gave Columbus a 1-0 lead in the first period, assisted by Pies. The T-Rex answered with four goals in the second period. Konstantin Yurkevich scored twice. Hunter Pope and Sonmin Tsoy each added a power-play goal.
Showcase Leaders
Dylan Harris: 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points
Sam Pies: 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points
AJ Alan Faulkner Jr.: 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points
Evan Moore: 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points
Timothy Boyd Jr.: 3 assists, 3 points
Owen Abraham: 2 goals, 2 points
Douglas Loethen: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points
Patrik Frydecky: 2 assists, 2 points
Next up
The Mavericks visit the Metro Jets at Mount Clemens Ice Arena on Friday, Nov. 6. They return home to host the Toledo Cherokee at OhioHealth Chiller North on Saturday, Nov. 7. Tickets are available at columbusmavericks.com/fan-zone/tickets, and both games will stream on USPHL+ through Black Bear Sports.