The Mavericks were on the road this past weekend to take on the Lake Erie Bighorns in Erie, PA. After two physical and closely-contested games, the Bighorns came out of the series with two wins, toppling the Mavericks 4-3 on Friday, and 5-4 on Saturday. Friday’s game was physical and started off with a scoreless first period. The Bighorns opened up the scoring in the second period with three unanswered goals, to head into the second intermission with a 3-0 lead. Not to be denied, the Mavericks came roaring back in the third period with three consecutive goals. Captain, Trevor Kraska, started the trend with a goal at 5:46 in the period, assisted by Jack Wander and Isaac Jones. A.J. Kandel followed with the Mavericks’ second goal of the period at 9:14 in the third, assisted by Keegan Hoover and Jack Wander. Just 11 seconds later, the latest addition to the Mavericks’ roster, Mitch Gillespie, netted an unassisted goal to tie the game at 3 a piece. After a fierce third period, the Bighorns scored their fourth goal with just 7 minutes left to play and were able to hold on for a 4-3 victory. Hayden Hoover got the nod in net for the Mavericks and stopped 27 of the 31 shots that he faced on the night. The Mavs came out of the gates firing on all cylinders during Saturday’s game. 12 minutes into the contest, Deric Richison scored the lone goal in the first period, assisted by Isaac Jones. After the Bighorns tied the game just 3 minutes into the second period, Jack Wander helped the Mavericks regain the lead at 10:47 in the second period with a goal assisted by Isaac Jones and Deric Richison. The Bighorns scored one more to head into the second intermission tied at 2. The Mavericks led the scoring in the third period as Trevor Kraska notched his ninth goal of the season just 2 minutes in, assisted by Mitch Gillespie and Deric Richison. The Bighorns then responded with three consecutive goals to take a 5-3 lead. Jared Matley narrowed the deficit with the Mavericks’ fourth goal at 17:04 in the final period, assisted by Deric Richison; however, the comeback fell just short as the buzzer sounded with the Bighorns winning 5-4. Luke Bell was in net for the Mavericks on Saturday and stopped 29 of the 34 shots he faced. The Mats are back on the road this coming weekend, with a two-game series against the Lansing Wolves at the Summit Sports & Ice Complex in Lansing, MI on Friday, December 13th and Saturday, December 14th. Both games are at 7:30 PM and you can catch all of the action on <span style="text-decoration:underline"><a href=http://www.hockeytv.com/ target=_blank>www.hockeytv.com</a>.