View from the Gondola

We were all saddened when we learned of the passing of longtime Kansas City Royals play-by-play announcer Fred White.  Fred was as much of summer as swimming in the NKC pool, trips to visit my sister Judy in Las Vegas and a day at Worlds of Fun.

Growing up with a desire to be a play-by-play announcer, and later running the board for Royals games at KLEX in Lexington, Missouri, I learned so many things from Fred White.  He taught many future announcers how to broadcast a game in a professional manor.

Fred White, you will be missed.

Thinking of Fred’s broadcast led me to recall several other voices of my youth. 

The first sport I ever followed on radio was football as Tom Hedrick did play-by-play and Bill Grigsby color for the Kansas City Chiefs.  Tom transported fans from their living rooms to the Wolfpack section at Municipal Stadium during Chiefs games.

Grigsby was a Kansas City guy who brought color to the title color commentator.

During my time as voice of Avila University athletics I loved games vs. Baker University and conversations with Tom (now the voice of Baker sports) as he would re-live Chiefs games of a bygone era.

Hockey has always been my favorite sport and the first voice over a frozen pond I listened to on a regular basis was Lynn Faris, who called Kansas City Blues games, along with Dick Wall, from 1967-1972.

My first season as an avid hockey fan was the 1971-72 campaign.

I recall Faris describing Dallas Black Hawks defenseman Roger Wilson being so big he didn’t wear shoulder pads because a pair his size didn’t exist.  During another broadcast Faris said “A stick goes flying in the air…..so does Keogan, who continues to wear a helmet.”  In those days very few hockey players wore headgear.  Blues forward Murray Keogan was forced by an injury to put on a lid and continued to wear it after he was healed.

Lynn called Blues games on 680 KFEQ (St. Joseph) from a loft above the west goal at the American Royal Arena.  He was seated next to organist Harry Rupp, who could be heard playing O Canada and the Star Spangled Banner on the radio before every Blues broadcast.  If memory serves me correctly the Blues and Dallas Black Hawks were the only teams in the CHL to play both national anthems during the 1971-72 season.

Calling a game from the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Faris described the barn as having seats next to the glass.  He went on to say “Every building in the CHL has seats on the glass…….except for Kansas City.”  I wonder if that was a call to Kansas City to build a new arena.

As a young hockey fan I would also scan the AM dial listening to broadcasts of other teams like the St. Louis Blues, with Dan Kelly at the mike, the Minnesota North Stars, Atlanta Flames and later, from Denver, Rocky Hockey with Norm Jones.

In the daytime my friends and I played street hockey and at night we broke out the rod hockey game.

Whenever the Mavericks hit the ice I am thankful to be doing something I have loved since I was very young.

Thank you Lynn Faris, Fred White, Tom Hedrick and others for setting me on the path I am on now.

I’m the most fortunate guy in the world.  I have a loving family that supports my outlandish ideas, live in the wonderful city of Independence, Missouri, have a spiritual faith that calms my anxiety, I broadcast hockey, the greatest game on earth, for a fantastic organization, the Missouri Mavericks to the best fans in the world.

I also have many outstanding friends who will go out of their way to help me.

In his book The Power of Who author Bob Beaudine states we already have the friends we need to reach our goals.  He says if there is a position we would like to attain or a career we would like to reach we should go to our friends because they are most likely to help us.  If they are unable to put us in touch with the people we need they will contact their circle of friends and eventually we will be talking with the person we need to reach.  He’s right, who wants to let their friends down?

While I agree with Beaudine I feel I’ve been blessed by being the exception to the rule on a few occasions.

One of those occasions took place in 1994 when I was about to give up my effort to broadcast professional sports.  Knowing very little about indoor soccer I learned the Kansas City Attack of the National Professional Soccer League had just hired a former professional baseball player and scout, Bob Wilber, as General Manager.  Not having a soccer tape I sent my hockey audition recording and resume to Wilber with no intention of following up.

A few days later Wilber left a message on my answering machine asking me to come by his office for a visit.  My professional sports broadcasting career had begun.

A few years later my phone calls to Wichita Thunder GM Bill Shuck were not being returned when I was seeking the vacant play-by-play position with the CHL team.  I relied on the Power of Who and called my friend Bob Wilber.  I followed his advice to leave a message telling Shuck I would be in Wichita in a few days and would visit his office.  That fall I became the “voice” of the Thunder.

Bob Wilber, who now wears many hats for the Nitro Funny Car team of owner/driver Tim Wilkerson, reaches out to individuals interested in a career in professional sports through The Perfect Game Foundation (perfectgamefound.org) in which, among other things he writes a blog titled Bob on Baseball.

The foundation is dedicated to the memory of Wilber’s parents Del Wilber, Sr., who had a 10-year Major League Baseball career and his mother Taffy who was a sports reporter and also spent time in the front offices of the St. Louis Cardinals.  Bob’s parents left a legacy and broke down barriers.

During every opportunity I’ve received to broadcast professional sports I have thought back to Bob Wilber opening that first door.  I am pleased, but not surprised, he continues to open the door for others.

A yearly sad occurrence took place recently…….I put the Mavericks broadcast equipment away for the off-season.

I’m sure my task is minimal compared to Equipment Manager Andrew Dvorak, who stores an enormous amount of hockey gear and arranges a sale for old equipment.  Wes Fillingame, Mavs trainer, is responsible for end-of-season checkups.  Coaches Scott Hillman and Simon Watson tie up loose ends with each player before sending them home.

Mavericks President/General Manager Brent Thiessen has numerous duties and a short turnaround time (the off-season isn’t really that long) in winding up the 2012-2013 campaign and putting things in order for the season that will begin in October.

As I mentioned this is a sad occurrence……because it marks the end of another hockey season.

I am very fortunate to do something I love to do for a living.  However, a lot of great events that I wouldn’t miss for the world happen during the off-season.  I get to see my daughter, Pattie in Georgia and spend time with my family in Missouri.  I am very thankful for their support. They are hockey fans and attend Mavericks games.  But when the summer begins to wind down the anticipation of another hockey season is excruciating.  During late July-early August, 2012, I checked on line every day to see if the CHL schedule had been released.

After the release of the schedule it seemed like a long time until the season opener.  Finally the team was on a bus to Denver to begin Mavericks season number four.  Then, in the blink of a gnat’s eye, Mavericks players, staff and fans are saying goodbye until October.

I will continue to post hockey related blogs during the summer.  I hope you enjoy them.

Be safe and remember October is just five months away.

For the second season in a row the Missouri Mavericks found themselves just a few goals short of advancing to the Ray Miron Presidents Cup Championship Series of the Central Hockey League against the Wichita Thunder.

The top-seeded Allen Americans defeated the Mavericks in the best-of-seven semifinal series in an exciting set four-games-to-three.

To win the series the Mavericks would need to win at the Allen Event Center.  Coach Scott Hillman’s players felt good about accomplishing this as they played well in Allen going 2-1 during the regular season with Mathieu Corbeil turning in the only shutout by a CHL goalie against the Americans in the 2012-2013 season, 4-0 on March 23.

The Mavs two wins against the Americans at the AEC during the regular season were matched only by the Arizona Sundogs who went 3-3 in their barn, the Fort Worth Brahmas, who went 4-4 with two of their victories coming in shootouts and the Rapid City Rush who won twice in Allen getting one win in overtime and one in a shootout.

In game one in Allen,  Missouri won 5-1 as Sebastien Thinel assisted three times and Kellan Tochkin had a goal and an assist.  Corbeil turned aside 36 of 37 Allen shots.  His biggest save came with 7:27 remaining in the first period and the Mavericks leading 1-0 when Jim McKenzie of Allen was awarded a penalty shot.  Corbeil, who had not faced a penalty shot and had allowed five goals on seven shootout attempts during the regular season got his right leg on the puck to direct it wide and maintain the Missouri lead.

The next evening Aaron Dell, who was chased from the game one in the third period after surrendering his fifth goal, was solid stopping 24 of 25 shots and the Americans evened the series at one win each with a 4-1 victory.

Game three, played at the Independence Events Center, will be talked about for a long time.

Trailing 1-0 in the third period the Mavericks went up 2-1 on goals by Eric Meland and John-Scott Dickson.  With 2:20 left in the final regulation stanza Trevor Ludwig’s goal tied the game at two and sent it into overtime.

In the extra period the Mavericks penalty killers, who had allowed just two goals on 34 opponent power play attempts going into the game, held Allen scoreless for a 59-second two-man advantage.  But late in the first overtime, with Andrew Courtney of the Mavericks already in the penalty box, Sebastien Thinel, who had 18 penalty minutes during the regular season was assessed a game misconduct and a five minute penalty for attempt to injure, when he pulled the beard of Allen forward Darryl Bootland.  For the first time since hockey records were first recorded in 1923, in all leagues combined, a team was given a second two-man advantage in an overtime period.

The Americans made good on their opportunity as Trevor Hendrikx scored a power play goal giving Allen a 3-2 win and a two-games-to-one lead in the series.

In game four sixteen seconds after Tochkin and Dickson had given the Mavericks a two-goal lead early in the second period Kale Kerbashian’s marker pulled the Americans to within one and swung the momentum Allen’s way as they went on to defeat Missouri 8-4 and take a three-games-to-one lead in the series.

Game five was another contest that will be talked about for a long time among Mavericks fans.  Needing a win to stay alive in the playoffs the Mavs, who had never lead in the game got the tying goal with 30 seconds reaming in the third period to send it to overtime.  With six skaters and no goaltender on for Missouri,  Kyle Hood somehow slipped the puck to Andrew Courtney who put it past Dell to tie the game at 2-2.

Thirty-four seconds into the extra session Dave Pszenyczny found Ryan Jardine who took the pass, burst out of his own zone and fed Courtney, who was to Dell’s left, draped all over Allen’s Chris Doyle.  Courtney directed the puck home and sent the Mavericks to Allen for game six.

Despite firing only 15 shots on goal the Mavericks evened the series at three wins each with a 6-2 triumph in game six as Courtney recorded a hat trick, Kenton Miller scored twice, Colt King had three assists and Jardine and Blake Forsyth each had two helpers.

The following night the Americans capitalized on Mavericks mistakes and earned a trip to the Ray Miron Presidents Cup Finals against Wichita with a 7-3 win over the Mavericks.

The Mavericks finished a win short of going to the championship series but provided for their fans memories that will be the topic of discussion in many years to come.

In my last blog I spoke of games one through five in the Missouri Mavericks 2013 opening round playoff series against the Rapid City Rush.

Sometimes journeys can be more adventurous than the destination.

In this case the trip to Rapid City was not difficult.  The Mavericks departed the Independence Events late in evening of Sunday, April 7, said goodbye to bus driver Norm and hello to driver Matt in Sioux Falls and continued to Rapid City.

Upon arrival in Rapid the Mavericks held an uneventful practice followed by an uneventful dinner.

Memorable events started early the next day when CHL officials determined the game would take place despite heavy snow in the forecast.

I left the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena for lunch in the afternoon expecting to broadcast a hockey game that evening.

When I returned I found an arena inhabited by one person….a maintenance worker who informed me CHL officials had a change of heart and game six of the series had been postponed to the following evening.

The players and staff awoke the next day eager to play hockey.  How would the delay affect both teams?

My lunch run proved to be difficult.  With snow drifts covering the sidewalks I was forced to walk to town on streets which had mini rivers rolling through them.  My feet were soaked when I finally arrived at my destination…..a restaurant, which was closed.  I tried another restaurant, closed, another, closed and another, also closed.   Finally, an open grocery store with a deli.  Lunch would be a reality.

When I returned to the arena for the game I was told by an off ice official “If the Mavericks win you will not be able to return to Independence tonight.”

That evening Mavericks forward Kellan Tochkin had the brightest night of his professional career scoring two goals and assisting on three others leading the Mavericks to a 5-1 win over the Rush and a trip to the CHL semifinals with a four-games-to-two series victory over Rapid City. 

The team would go from snowy, cold, Rapid City to sunny, warm, Allen, Texas…..but how long would it take?

Rather than traveling home that evening, players, coaches and others making the trip would reconvene at 6:00 AM and attempt to head back to Independence.

Traveling east on I-90 the Mavericks bus reached Murdo, South Dakota where the highway was closed.  From there it was south on icy roads through hills in the Badlands.  Bus driver Matt Lewellen did a masterful job keeping his motor coach on the road.  We were surprised at some semi drivers doing their best Jeff Gordon imitations as they roared past the Mavericks bus.

Norman Rockwell would have found numerous opportunities for paintings of rural America in winter as we entered and traveled through Nebraska.

For lunch we stopped at what may be the only chain restaurant in Atkinson, Nebraska, population 1,076.  Less than a week before Atkinson was put on the map, when seven-year-old cancer patient, Jack Hoffman, an Atkinson resident, scored on a 69-yard touchdown run in the Nebraska Cornhuskers spring game.

From Atkinson it was on to Council Bluffs, Iowa where we reclaimed driver Norman and headed home.

It was a long journey but worth the effort as the Mavericks 5-1 win over the Rush propelled Missouri into the second round of the CHL playoffs for the fourth time in the four-year history of the franchise and provided the opportunity for more memories to be made in the 2012-2013 season.

The Missouri Mavericks 2013 first round playoff series against the Rapid City Rush featured exciting hockey, a fantastic comeback and drama away from the ice, the ice on the rink that is.

By finishing ahead of the Mavericks at the conclusion of the Central Hockey League regular season the Rush earned home ice at advantage in this series and capitalized by taking games one 3-0 and two 3-1.  Rapid City goaltender Tim Boron repelled 67 of 68 Mavericks shots in the two games combined.

The Rush put themselves into a pretty good situation where two wins in three games at the IEC would advance them to the second round and one win in Independence would send them home with two opportunities to win one game.

Heading into game three the Mavericks had a big task as Boron was as difficult to solve as Hammurabi’s code.

Mavericks forward Andrew Courtney must have learned how to find answers to difficult questions during his time at the University of Lethbridge as he was not mystified by Boron equaling goals from Scott Brannon in the second period and Damian Surma in the third as regulation time ended with the Mavericks and Rush tied 2-2.

A pivotal point in the game, and series, occurred with 4:12 remaining in the second period when Missouri defenseman Dave Pszenyczny was given a five minute penalty for boarding.  With Evan Vossen already in the penalty box Rapid City had a two-man advantage for 1:30.  The Rush were not allowed to score on this opportunity.

Each team scored in the third period and regulation ended 2-2.

In overtime the Mavericks held the Rush to just one shot and Kellan Tochkin fired home the game-winner, on the power play, 3:50 into the extra session.

Tochkin’s marker was Missouri’s first power play goal of the playoffs and gave them their first lead of the post season.

Two nights later the Mavericks tied the series at two wins each as Kenton Miller had two goals and an assist, Andrew Courtney scored once and assisted on another goal,  Eric Meland had two helpers and Michael Clemente turned aside 24 of 26 shots in a 4-2 Mavericks win.

In game five the Mavericks overcame 1-0 and 2-1 Rush leads with four third-period goals and pushed the Rush to the edge of the cliff.

That cliff would be in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

For events that took place in the Mount Rushmore State log on for my next Independence Examiner blog.

One of the great things about the 2012-2013 Missouri Mavericks team is that the players not only go to work together, they are all good friends.

Being a close knit group doesn’t guarantee a team will be a winner (World Series Champion Oakland A’s in the early 1970s) but it makes everyone’s job a little easier and more enjoyable.

Being a close group allows the Mavericks to joke with one another and give each other a hard time and be there for one another.

Several players and their families recently visited the Kansas City Zoo as a group. 

They also show respect for everyone involved with the organization.  Following each bus trip they say “good job, Matty” and give a pat on the back to bus driver Matt Lewellen.  On Tuesday night, after the announcement  game six of their opening round playoff series with Rapid City had been postponed, Matt drove the guys through snow covered streets to a restaurant in Rapid City.  There were several oooohhhhs and ahhhhs as the motorcoach was maneuvered like a snake past stranded cars.  Maverick players then had the opportunity to show their running and hurdling skills on the trek from the bus to the eating establishment.

Following the meal Andrew Courtney, Kenton Miller, Equipment Manager Andrew Dvorak and others took to the street to push a car out of a stuck position.  The driver was grateful.  On the drive to the hotel some of the players asked Matt to make the bus do donuts in the snow.  There was even discussion as to which players would be in the donut hole if the bus made a left turn while making donuts.

Those who travel with the Mavericks must be at their photogenic best at all times.  Noticing I had a hot chocolate with whip cream during an I Hop breakfast someone ordered an extra bowl of whip cream for me.  It wasn’t until that afternoon when I received a phone call from my son Michael that I became aware Mavericks forward Riley Emmerson had posted a photo of the whip cream and me on Twitter.  Social media should make us alert at all times.

I should know not to record interviews within earshot of the players.  During a practice in Rapid City this week I spoke with Andrew Dvorak while seated next to the glass.  Andrew Courtney fired missiles at that spot on the glass, some players made faces at the Mavericks equipment manager and Colt King yelled through cracks in the plexiglass.

Earlier in the week, while interviewing King, Justin Sawyer of the Rapid City Rush had a few friendly comments as he walked past.

The players and personnel with the Mavericks and other CHL teams are a pleasure to work with and certainly make life entertaining.  

In a recent blog, I gave a brief history of Missouri Mavericks post season play.  I have been blessed to have called many playoff games with other teams as well.

A few of those memories include a best-of-seven matchup between the Wichita Thunder and the Oklahoma City Blazers, a team that had finished 25 points ahead of the Thunder in the 1997-98 regular season.

After shocking the Blazers by going up three-games-to-none in their best-of-seven division championship series the Thunder dropped the next three games to set up a seventh game in OKC.

In the deciding game the first three goals in the professional career of Todd Johnson (like Andrew Courtney would do several years later for the Missouri Mavericks) lifted the Thunder into a 3-0 lead, only to see the Blazers light the next four lamps.

Wichita tied the game in the third period to send the contest on overtime.  Just past the 10-minute mark of overtime 34-year old Jim McGeough scored the game winner to send the Thunder into the championship series where they lost to the Columbus Cottonmouths in a four-game sweep.

The next season, Wichita was in a must-win-to-continue situation in a playoff series with the San Antonio Iguanas.

If the Thunder won and had to travel to San Antonio, the team was planning to rent a 40-seat plane for the trip to the Alamo city with the equipment manager set to transport the gear to Texas.

A pilot friend told me his buddy, who was supposed to fly the rented 40-seater to San Antonio, was not qualified to fly the plane and he would not risk boarding.

While I was disappointed, the Thunder lost the series at home, I was a little relieved to avoid flying to San Antonio in that plane.

Two years later as “voice” of the Topeka ScareCrows, it was back to San Antonio as, once more, I would call a playoff series in which the Iggies would provide the opposition.

Much to the disapproval of ScareCrow fans, the team had decided to drop radio during the regular season.  When the playoffs arrived Topeka management agreed to accept an offer from fans to pay a local radio station to air the post season games.

However, the team was already in Texas as the regular season ended in San Antonio and coach Paul Kelly requested his team remain in SA and practice at the Joe and Harry Coliseum until the first playoff game.

A fan, who wished to remain anonymous took care of my transportation to San Antonio for the broadcasts.  Checking on air fares, I determined the least expensive transportation would be to fly into Austin, rent a car and drive to San Antonio.

Everything went well until I thought to myself “I have a lot of time, I’m going to have lunch and tour the River Walk before I take the rental car to the SA Airport.”

My good friend and GM during my days with the Kansas City Attack soccer team once said “If you’re looking for Mexican food you can’t go wrong anywhere in San Antonio.”  Following an extensive search I found an eating establishment with a yellow sign with a picture of a bell.  It was good but it was just like Mexican food I’d eaten in other cities.

After my tour of the River Walk it was near time to return the rental car.  The problem was remembering which stair case do I climb to exit the River Walk?  My friend Tony Uminski, former “voice” of the Iguanas is now a gondola captain on the River Walk.  I don’t know how he remembers the route.

After locating the car I turned it in with seven minutes to spare.  Another good friend and another former “voice” of the Iggies, Stu Paul, drove me to the hotel where I prepared to broadcast hockey the following evening.

Playoff hockey features many memories…..not all of them on the ice.

It’s  time for a comeback.  Local teams haven’t had a big one in quite a while.

Of course, when people think of comebacks in our area the first thing that comes to mind is the 1985 Royals who overcame two-games-to-none and three-games-to-one deficits in consecutive best-of-seven game series to win the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays and the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.  In the World Series KC dropped the first two games at home.

Eight years earlier local hockey fans were amazed when the Kansas City Blues of the old Central Hockey League overcame similar odds.

KC won the regular season title and earned home-ice advantage  throughout the playoffs.

However, in the first round a conflict with arena dates forced the Blues to open the post season in Fort Worth against the Texans who had finished the regular campaign 22 points behind the Blues.

After the Texans took the first two games at the Will Rogers Coliseum 3-1 and 4-3 the series shifted to Kemper Arena where the Blues faced an almost must-win situation.

After coming from behind in the first period the Blues held a 3-2 advantage in the third when the Texans tied the contest and sent it to overtime.

During the first 20-minute neither team scored and a second overtime was required.

At some point in the first overtime the linesmen, then 54-year-old Harry Dick and Jack Jackson, who was 52 at the time, would go to a knee on the blue lines as the teams approached.

At 3:10 of the second overtime Dave Kelly, who was acquired by the Blues for the playoffs, scored the game-winning goal with assists from Mike Bloom and Jim Nahrgang.

The Blues went on to win the next two games in KC 3-0 and 4-2 before polishing off the Texans in Fort Worth 4-3.

In the Adams Cup Championship Series KC defeated the Tulsa Oilers 4-1 and 3-0 at Kemper Arena before completing the sweep with 4-3 and 5-4 victories at the Convention Center in Tulsa.  Both games in Tulsa were decided in overtime with Mike Korney and Gilles Marotte scoring the game-winners.

That season the Blues were led by player-coach Barclay Plager who was the CHL MVP.

Will local hockey fans see another area team, with a league MVP, win a championship?  Time will tell.

The Second Season is Here

Where did the regular season go?  Wasn’t it two weeks ago the Missouri Mavericks were in Denver helping the Cutthroats open their first-ever season in the Central Hockey League?

Now it is time for the post season.  Hockey playoffs are intense, filled with many ups and downs and memories that will live forever.

Following the Mavericks first season they took on the Mississippi RiverKings in a play-in series and the right to take on Northwest Division Champion Rapid City Rush in round two.

By finishing the regular season five points in front of the Mavs the RiverKings earned home ice advantage.

After winning game one at the IEC Missouri headed to South Haven with hopes of a series sweep.

The team bonded during the road trip with a meal provided by President/General Manager Brent Thiessen at an Olive Garden and group singing sessions on the bus as we watched a Johnny Cash video over and over.

Prior to game two the bus was packed as we planned a journey back to Independence immediately following the game.

The RiverKings had other ideas and they kept their cup hopes alive with a win that forced game three.

The deciding game was no contest as the Mavericks won the first playoff round in team history and headed home to await a visit by the Rapid City Rush, a team that swept the season series with Missouri and went 43-14-7 to capture the Northwest Division in the regular season.

Due to arena availability the Rush had to open the series at the IEC where they took the first two games.

After Rapid City went up three-games-to none in the series the Mavericks approached game four expecting to begin a four-game winning streak, leaving personal items at the hotel.

That evening they took the Rush to overtime before falling to the eventual Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Champions.  It was back to the hotel to pack the bus and return to Independence.

In season two, the Mavericks rose to fourth place in the CHL’s Turner Conference and went up against the much improved Wichita Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

Down two-games-to one in an opening round best-of-five game series Missouri knocked off the Thunder in back-to-back games at the Intrust Bank Arena and the IEC to advance to the next round against the Colorado Eagles.

There was a bit of a premature celebration near the end of game five against the Thunder as the referee asked that two seconds be restored to the clock after it appeared to have expired with the Mavericks leading by a goal.  On the faceoff the Mavericks defense did not give goaltender Robbie Nolan the opportunity to make a save and the Mavericks won three-games-to two and prepared to face the Colorado Eagles.

The Birds ended the Mavericks season with a three-games-to-one in the best-of-seven set.  Missouri was not able to claim victory at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland where they had earned at least a point in every game they played during the 2010-2011 regular season.

To this date, the series against the Eagles is the only series in which the Mavericks have lost their final game on home ice.

In 2011-12 getting key goals from John-Scott Dickson and outstanding goaltending from Charlie Effinger the Mavericks, who had hoped to earn a split in the first two games of a best-of-seven set with Evansville, came home up two-games-to none.

When the series shifted to the IEC the Mavericks melted the Ice earning their first playoff sweep four-games-to none.

The biggest heartbreak in Mavericks playoff history took place in the next round.  Hoping for a spilt of the first two games in Fort Wayne Missouri came home up two-games-to none in a best-of-seven round against the Komets.

The Komets then played great hockey winning game three in regulation time and game four in overtime at the IEC to knot the series at two.  Following a Missouri win in game five the Mavericks headed to Fort Wayne needing to win one-of-two to advance to the championship series.  It didn’t happen and the K-Men claimed the title by knocking off the Thunder.

Of the six playoff series in Mavericks history five have either been sweeps or have gone the distance in games.

No one knows how long each series will go, or who will win but expect great hockey at the IEC during the 2013 CHL playoffs.