The Columbus Mavericks traveled east this past weekend to take part in the USPHL IHC Showcase in Massachusetts. Facing off against four teams from the Midwest West, Mid Atlantic, and New England divisions, the Mavericks posted a 3-1 record to bring home 6 points heading into the Thanksgiving break.

The showcase kicked off on Friday as the Mavericks faced off against the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs. While the Monarchs may be the Mavericks’ NCDC affiliate, there is still plenty of competitive fire on the ice between the two Premier level teams. The Mavs struck first as Jadon Beard scored his 8th goal of the season just 3 minutes into the first period, assisted by Tyler Isherwood and Colin Crowley. Tyler Isherwood added the Mavs’ second goal of the period just before the buzzer with an assist from Caleb Fifolt. The Mavs would again strike first in the second period with an unassisted goal by Graham Wood at the 4:35 mark. The Monarchs would answer back just 20 seconds later cut into the Mavericks’ lead; however, Jackson Balemian would score the eventual game winner, the first of his USPHL career, at the 18:57 mark of the second period with an assist by Ryan Lempicki. The Monarchs would mount a comeback attempt in the third period, scoring two more goals, but the Mavericks would stand tall to hang onto a 4-3 victory. Zach Waizmann picked up his 6th win of the season in net, stopping 19 of 22 shots.

Saturday saw the Mavs in a doubleheader against two Midwest West division teams, starting with the Minnesota Mullets in the early morning game. The Mavs would again open the scoring in game 2 of the weekend as Jared Burkhart tallied the lone first period goal, assisted by Thiago Jeronimo. Colin Crowley would notch the Mavs’ second goal at 4:48 in the second period, assisted by Chance Settles. The Mullets would then score 4 consecutive goals in the second and third period to take a 4-2 lead. Not deterred, the Mavs would claw their way back with goals by Ryan Lempicki, assisted by Roman Boffa and Chance Settles, and Nik Jozefiak, assisted by Tyler Isherwood, to tie the game. The deadlock would remain through the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime. Early in the overtime period; however, Nik Jozefiak would seal the victory for the Mavericks with an unassisted goal, his second of the game. Alex Toth got the start in net for the Mavs and took home the victory, turning away 26 of 30 shots in the game.

After resting up for the afternoon, the Mavs headed into their second game of the day, with a late matchup against the Hudson Havoc. After two scoreless periods, the Havoc would take charge in the third period, scoring two goals at the 6:34 and 11:23 marks. As the game drew to a close, the Mavs pulled their goalie, looking to close the gap; however, the Havoc would put the final nail in the coffin with an empty net goal at the 18:29 mark, handing the Mavericks their only loss of the weekend.

On the final day of the showcase weekend, the Mavericks matched up against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. With a set of fresh legs, the Mavs were looking to avenge the previous night’s loss; however, the Jr. Rangers weren’t going down without a fight. The Rangers opened the scoring late in the first period; however, the Mavericks quickly answered back at the 18:26 mark, as Bailey Doust scored an unassisted goal to end the period at a 1-1 tie. The Mavericks’ Brian Odstrchel, playing in his 100th USPHL game, would give the Mavs a 2-1 lead at the 8:45 mark, assisted by Anton Petrovskiy. The Rangers would answer back before the end of the period knot the game at 2 a piece headed into the third. As the final stanza drew to a close, Colin Crowley would bury the game-winning goal fo the Mavericks at the 16:49 mark, assisted by Tyler Isherwood and Anton Petrovskiy, to secure the Mavs’ 3-2 victory. Frank Murphy got the start in between the pipes for Columbus and turned away 30 of 32 shots to pick up his 5th USPHL victory.

The Mavericks will now enjoy a short holiday break before returning to action on Friday, December 3rd as they travel to northeast Ohio to take on the Toledo Cherokee. The Mavericks will then return home on Saturday, December 4th for a rematch against the Cherokee in the second half of their home-and-home series.