Hockey 101: The beginning is near

The lights were off and the Centerpoint Community Ice sheet at the Independence Events Center was quiet early Thursday morning.

That’s because the Missouri Mavericks were enjoying their first team practice on the main bowl in their new Central Hockey League home.

“The boys were pretty excited about being on the main ice,” Mavericks coach Scott Hillman said. “Now, let’s see – in about 35 hours or so we’re going to be on it for real. And we can’t wait.”

After starting their first season on the road, the 2-6-1 Mavericks will play host to the 2-7-0 Wichita Thunder at 7:05 tonight in the sold-out Events Center.

“We want to give the fans something special,” said forward Chad Hinz, who leads the team in scoring with 10 points, including four goals. “It’s going to be special for us, and we want it to be special for our fans.”

It might be so special for the revved up Mavericks that veteran defenseman Tyler Fleck offers a suggestion.

“We might need to put a governor on the team Friday night to keep everyone from getting too fired up,” Fleck said, grinning. “We’re ready to make this place our home.

“It was tough starting out on the road for nine games, but it was a real character builder for the guys on the team, and it helped us jell. You learn a lot about a guy when you’re with him on the road for nine games, riding for 20 hours in a bus and eating all your meals in a restaurant on the road.

“And I can tell you is this team is hungry. We’re hungry to get home and play where fans are cheering for us, instead of against us, and we’re hungry to show the fans in Independence and the surrounding cities what Mavericks hockey is all about.”

So, what is Mavericks hockey all about?

“It’s in-your-face hockey,” he said with great passion in his voice. “It’s relentless. We’re a first-year team and we’re already labeled as the most aggressive team in the league. And the fans are going to love watching us play.

“Friday night – and I’m serious about this – we’re going to need to calm down rather than get fired up because we can’t let our emotions get out of control. We’re going to harness our energy and give the fans a show they won’t forget.”

Hinz believes that approach will result in a special night for the team and the fans.

“We have to be focused,” Hinz said. “We can’t be too aggressive or too emotional. If that happens, it can lead to mistakes and we don’t want that to happen. There aren’t many guys on the team who have been a part of something like this – being on a first-year team and opening a great, new arena. It’s definitely the place to be Friday night.”

Doug Groenestege will likely be in goal for the Mavericks, and he owns both wins this season as he beat the Thunder 6-1 and followed that with a 2-0 shutout win in Wichita on Oct. 30-31.

“I couldn’t be any more excited,” Groenestege said. “My parents, Fred and Shelley, are coming to Independence for the opener and now we hear it’s a sell-out, so the barn will be hopping.

“We want to give the fans something to cheer about. It’s our first game at home after playing nine on the road, and we don’t have the record we were hoping for, so we really want to come out and perform well Friday. If the barn is full and the fans are enjoying themselves and we get a win, it will be a great night for everyone.”

YOUR TAKE:

What is the best thing about being a part of a new team like the Missouri Mavericks?

SIMON WATSON
Mavericks forward
“Interaction with your teammates – especially when you start the season by playing your first nine games on the road.”

TYLER FLECK
Mavericks defenseman
“The energy that comes from being a part of something new and something special. And that comes from bonding with all your new teammates. We really got to know each other and become a team while we were on the road, and that is going to pay big dividends now that we are home and playing in front of our fans.”

JEFF CHRISTIAN
Mavericks forward/assistant coach
“Everything. The boys on the team, the new arena, being a part of a great community like Independence. You have to like everything about it. And the absolute best part is going to be Friday night when we open at home at the Events Center in front of a sold-out arena.”