February 22, 2021
Mavs Take One Point from Bighorns
GAME RECAPS
The Columbus Mavericks traveled northwest to Erie, PA over the weekend for a preview of their likely first round playoff matchup with the Lake Erie Bighorns. Friday night’s penalty-riddled matchup found the Mavericks on the short end of an uncommon 1–0 shutout in USPHL play. Veteran goaltender Tyler Dorion turned away 27 of 28 shots while The Mavericks and Bighorns both struggled to find their rhythm in a game that saw 82 minutes in penalties assessed. The rematch on Saturday saw two of the Mavericks late season additions tally their first USPHL premier goals of the season. Defenseman Egor Taran (Omsk, Russia) opened up all scoring in the first period on a point shot, after being fed a pass from forwards Sam Adler and Brandon Edwards. The Mavs held onto the 1-0 lead until the waining minutes of the first, when Erie notched their first of four power play goals, followed by an even strength tally to end the first frame at 2-1. Second period scoring was opened by Noah Staten, who collected his 10th goal of the year with the help of Phil Angervil and Mike Campbell. The Mavs then regained the lead when Kegan Hoover was able to beat Lake Erie goaltender Noah Granata on the power play, where Campbell picked up his 2nd assist of the night with the additional help of leading scorer and team Captain Deric Richison. After a rebuttal from Lake Erie, Richison then added his own PP goal assisted by Danny Beebe and Hayden Ripley to close the frame. The third period continued to see fast pace play as both teams battled for valuable points in the standings to close out the year. Forward Brandon Edwards (Columbia, SC) joined Taran in scoring his first USPHL goal while Richison and Ripley each grabbed their second helpers of the night. Following two more Bighorns goals in the second half of the third period, the teams would play bonus Saturday night hockey, but unfortunately the Mavs quest for two points was cut short when Tyler Dorion was beat just 28 seconds into Overtime. The Mavericks finish out their regular season schedule with their final home contest with the Metro Jets at 8:00pm Friday night at Ohio Health Chiller North, followed by a road test at 3:00 Saturday afternoon in Ft. Wayne against the Spacemen. Click <span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="text-decoration:underline"><span style="text-decoration:underline"><a href=https://www.columbusmavericks.com/events/columbus-mavericks-vs-metro-jets-february-26th target=undefined>HERE</a> to purchase your tickets for Friday's game.
Dickie Dunn
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