KC Mavericks update: Mavs pick up important point in Utah, prep for St. Patty’s game

The Kansas City Mavericks earned a point in Utah over the weekend as they held onto their second-place divisional standing with the regular season winding down.

All three games in Utah were decided by one goal as the two teams fought for playoff positioning.

Friday was a back-and-forth affair, with Utah scoring first midway through the first period. A scoreless second frame followed before the hottest Mavericks skater in the last five weeks, Hugo Roy, got the visitors on the board early in the third.

It was Roy’s 13th goal of the season and 10th consecutive contest with a goal or an assist. Unfortunately for Kansas City, Utah found the back of the net with just over five minutes to play to take game one of the series.

Saturday was the highest-scoring game of the weekend with four combined first-period goals. The Grizzlies struck first, but 30 seconds later Roy got the Mavs on the board with his team-leading 11th straight game with a point. Teammate Pascal Laberge scored two and a half minutes after that before Utah answered.

KC captain Nick Pastujov gave the Mavericks some breathing room with two second-period goals, but Utah scored twice late in the third period to force overtime. A scoreless extra frame sent the game to a shootout — the Mavericks’ second shootout in their last three games.

The first 14 skaters in the shootout were stopped by excellent goaltending before Utah’s Dakota Raabe scored the decisive goal. KC nevertheless left the arena with a point in the standings — its 60th of the season.

In Sunday’s series finale, Utah jumped out to a 2-0 lead. But alternate captain Loren Ulett — one of the Mavs’ longest-tenured players — and defenseman Jake McLaughlin scored to tie things up in the second period.

Utah scored four minutes into the third period and hung on for a 3-2 victory.

Notable

In six games since returning from a stint in the AHL, McLaughlin has contributed on eight of 14 Mavericks goals and has at least one point in five of those six contests.

Goaltender Shane Starrett played all three games over the weekend and saved 101 of the 110 shots he faced. Starrett has the second-most saves in the ECHL this season and is one of two goaltenders to play in 40 or more games.

Kansas City currently sits at second place in the division at 26-24-6-2 (60 points). The team is in a strong playoff position with 14 games remaining in the regular season.

Public practice

The Mavericks are holding their third and final off-site public practice session of the season Wednesday night. They will hit the ice at Kansas City Ice Center and Pavilion (19900 Johnson Drive in Shawnee) from 6-7:30 p.m. Afterward, Mavs players and coaches will be available for autographs and pictures with fans in attendance.

Next up

The Mavericks return to Cable Dahmer Arena on Friday night against Wichita for the team’s St. Patrick’s Day contest. Mavs players will wear special St. Patrick’s Day jerseys, helmets and gloves that will be auctioned off after the game. KC then finishes its season series with the Thunder at Wichita Saturday night.

Visit kcmavericks.com or call 816-252-7825 for tickets.