In the first exhibition game in the team’s history, Missouri Mavericks coach Scott Hillman wanted to see where his young players stood.
With a young lineup starting, the Mavericks fell 3-0 to the Wichita Thunder at the Wichita Ice Center.
“We really tested the young guys tonight with a lot of rookies in the lineup,” Hillman said of his expansion Central Hockey League team. “We had a much younger lineup than Wichita, and it was a good, physical test for those players.”
Despite allowing two first-period goals, Hillman was pleased with his team’s performance, and he got a chance to evaluate his players for final cuts on Sunday.
“I felt like we excelled in the physical aspect of the game, and we showed a lot of puck control,” Hillman said. “Throughout the week in practice, there were a few good surprises as the younger players were narrowing the gap on the more experienced guys. This game confirmed some of those surprises and a few players excelled, but unfortunately it also went in the opposite direction for a few players.”
The Mavericks outshot the Thunder 39-32 but were unable to get a puck into the Wichita net after going 0-for-13 on the power play. The Mavericks also stopped all but one of Wichita’s seven power plays.
Wichita scored just 38 seconds into the game and added a five-on-three goal later in the first period. The Thunder added a short-handed goal in the third period to cap the scoring.
Mavericks starting goaltender Doug Groenestege allowed two goals in the opening frame and was replaced by Dan Earles midway through the second period. Earles allowed just the short-handed goal.
The Mavericks play at Wichita again Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Hillman is expected to cut down to the final 19-player roster on Sunday.
The Mavericks begin their inaugural season on Friday, Oct. 16 on the road against the Rapid City Rush. Missouri will play the first nine games on the road before the team’s home opener against Wichita on Nov. 13 at the Independence Events Center.
Season tickets, group tickets and mini-plans are available by calling the Mavericks front office at 816-252-PUCK (7825).
Wichita, KAN —
