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Independence, MO —
The Missouri Mavericks arrived in Rapid City Thursday afternoon following an all-night bus trip that had rookie goaltender Mike Clemente psyched up.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been on the road,” said Clemente, who leads the CHL with 16 wins and 670 saves, “so I’m psyched. It’s great to get together with the boys and do some bonding on the road.
“We finally started playing well at home, and now, we have to keep playing well on the road.”
Clemente, who will likely be in the net tonight when Rapid City plays host to the Mavericks, was also psyched about one other aspect of the trip.
“I’m going to see Mount Rushmore,” he added. “If you’re going to be in Rapid City a couple of days, you have to see Mount Rushmore. I can’t wait.”
He can’t wait for tonight’s game, either as the Mavericks take a 19-12-4 (tied for fourth place) into the contest against the 17-15-5 Rush, who are tied for sixth.
“A couple of weeks ago, we had the big weekend when we beat (second place) Wichita and (third place) Denver at home,” the rookie standout said. “Then, last weekend, we lost to (last-place) Tulsa, but came back and beat (ninth-place) Quad City.
“Man, it would have been a long week if we hadn’t found a way to get that (4-3) win against Quad City. I keep hearing how tough it is to play in Rapid City – kind of like our place, a lot of noisy fans.”
Defenseman David Simoes, who has been sidelined with an upper body injury, will be back in the lineup for the Mavericks tonight and goaltender Mathieu Corbeil will rejoin the team following a brief call up to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
“It’s great to have Simoes back,” Mavericks coach Scott Hillman said, “but we’re still going to be missing some players because of injuries and this darned flu bug.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. We’ve had to put boys on the IR because of the flu.”
Defenseman Blake Forsyth (lower body) and forward Evan Vossen (illness) are not expected to play this weekend.
“We’ve had some players like Smitty (defenseman/forward Brandon Smith) show their versatility during the illness and injury bug,” the coach said. “There seems to be a new challenge every week, and we’re accepting them and still being successful.”
The Missouri Mavericks arrived in Rapid City Thursday afternoon following an all-night bus trip that had rookie goaltender Mike Clemente psyched up.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been on the road,” said Clemente, who leads the CHL with 16 wins and 670 saves, “so I’m psyched. It’s great to get together with the boys and do some bonding on the road.
“We finally started playing well at home, and now, we have to keep playing well on the road.”
Clemente, who will likely be in the net tonight when Rapid City plays host to the Mavericks, was also psyched about one other aspect of the trip.
“I’m going to see Mount Rushmore,” he added. “If you’re going to be in Rapid City a couple of days, you have to see Mount Rushmore. I can’t wait.”
He can’t wait for tonight’s game, either as the Mavericks take a 19-12-4 (tied for fourth place) into the contest against the 17-15-5 Rush, who are tied for sixth.
“A couple of weeks ago, we had the big weekend when we beat (second place) Wichita and (third place) Denver at home,” the rookie standout said. “Then, last weekend, we lost to (last-place) Tulsa, but came back and beat (ninth-place) Quad City.
“Man, it would have been a long week if we hadn’t found a way to get that (4-3) win against Quad City. I keep hearing how tough it is to play in Rapid City – kind of like our place, a lot of noisy fans.”
Defenseman David Simoes, who has been sidelined with an upper body injury, will be back in the lineup for the Mavericks tonight and goaltender Mathieu Corbeil will rejoin the team following a brief call up to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
“It’s great to have Simoes back,” Mavericks coach Scott Hillman said, “but we’re still going to be missing some players because of injuries and this darned flu bug.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. We’ve had to put boys on the IR because of the flu.”
Defenseman Blake Forsyth (lower body) and forward Evan Vossen (illness) are not expected to play this weekend.
“We’ve had some players like Smitty (defenseman/forward Brandon Smith) show their versatility during the illness and injury bug,” the coach said. “There seems to be a new challenge every week, and we’re accepting them and still being successful.”
Defenseman Dave Pszenyczny and Smith said the challenges are a part of life in the CHL.
“Give us a challenge, and we’re going to find a way to beat it,” Pszenyczny said. “To have success in Rapid City, we have to play smart, stay out of the (penalty) box, be disciplined and make the most out of every scoring opportunity.”
Smith agreed, adding, “It’s no secret we’ve been playing shorthanded. Sometimes, I’m out on defense and sometimes I’m out playing offense. It’s gotten to the point when I just go out and play and react, and don ‘t have to think about anything.
“We’re playing so well right now, I like our chances this weekend. Mike has been huge in the net and we’re playing well offensively and defensively. We just have to do the things that have made us successful up to this point in the season.”
