Mavericks Battle Through Tough Midwest Showcase
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Every unbeaten run ends eventually. For the Columbus Mavericks, it ended in a four-day stretch that tested them like nothing else had this season.
The Mavericks came to the USPHL Midwest Showcase at PSM Icehouse with an 8-0 record. They left with one win in four games. Columbus lost 3-2 in overtime to the Minnesota Squatch on Thursday and 4-1 to the Toledo Cherokee on Friday. The Mavericks rallied to beat the Fort Wayne Spacemen 3-2 on Saturday, then fell 2-1 to the Red River Spartans on Sunday.
Three of the four games were decided by a single goal. Columbus outshot its opponents in two of the three games for which shot totals are available.
Thursday: Minnesota Squatch 3, Mavericks 2 (OT)
Jack Rytel opened the scoring late in the first period, assisted by Kenneth Cadwallader and Austin Letcher. Tanner Robinson tied the game early in the second for Minnesota, with assists from Dallen Robinson and Alexander Bever.
Jameson Motyka restored the Columbus lead midway through the second period, set up by Jan Sebastien Vancura. Bever answered with a shorthanded goal less than three minutes later, assisted by Weston Schenkelberg.
After a scoreless third, Bever won it on the power play in overtime. He finished with two goals and an assist.
Columbus outshot Minnesota 41-33, but Squatch goaltender Collin Rosenau made 39 saves. Kellen Ceraldi made 30 saves for the Mavericks.
Friday: Toledo Cherokee 4, Mavericks 1
Rytel scored for the second straight game, assisted by Vancura and Devyn Bittner, to give Columbus a 1-0 lead after the first period.
Toledo took over from there. Robert Leis tied the game in the second period, and Charlie Nolette scored twice in the third to put the Cherokee ahead. Joey Terpstra added an empty-net goal with 23.3 seconds left. It was the Mavericks’ first regulation loss of the season.
Gino Texter made 28 saves on 31 shots. Toledo goaltender Bronx Bodnar stopped 26 of 27.
Saturday: Mavericks 3, Fort Wayne Spacemen 2
For the second time in eight days, the Mavericks beat Fort Wayne. This one took a late goal.
Columbus built a 2-0 lead in the second period. Letcher scored first, assisted by Parker Arlet and Nicholas Borg. Giovanni Valentine added a goal set up by Carter Holbrook and Ethan Zuvela.
Fort Wayne came back in the third. Mikhail Gorbunov scored twice, the first on the power play, both assisted by Ivan Barnashov, to tie the game 2-2 with 5:23 left.
With 1:35 remaining, Bittner scored the winning goal, assisted by Ethan Alexander.
Gregor Kalinovsky made 25 saves on 27 shots. The Mavericks outshot the Spacemen 33-27.
Sunday: Red River Spartans 2, Mavericks 1
Columbus faced Red River for the third time this season after sweeping the Spartans on its home-opening weekend. This time, Red River came out on top.
Hugo Olsson gave the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the first period, assisted by Anton Melotindos. The teams traded goals in the third period. Motyka scored for Columbus, assisted by Alexander and Cadwallader, and Vilem Karal scored on the power play for Red River, set up by Lennart Britsch.
Showcase Leaders
Jack Rytel: 2 goals, 2 points
Jameson Motyka: 2 goals, 2 points
Devyn Bittner: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points
Austin Letcher: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points
Kenneth Cadwallader: 2 assists, 2 points
Ethan Alexander: 2 assists, 2 points
Jan Sebastien Vancura: 2 assists, 2 points
Next up
The Mavericks visit the Metro Jets at Mount Clemens Ice Arena on Friday, Nov. 6, at 5:00 PM. They return home on Saturday, Nov. 7, to host Toledo at OhioHealth Chiller North at 7:40 PM, a chance to answer Friday’s loss to the Cherokee. Tickets are available at columbusmavericks.com/fan-zone/tickets, and both games will stream on USPHL+ through Black Bear Sports.