Mavericks shut out Mallards

Goaltender Rob Nolan was perfect.

And his Missouri Maverick teammates weren’t far from it, as they downed the Quad City Mallards 2-0 Thursday night at the Independence Events Center in a game that puts coach Scott Hillman on the Central Hockey League All-Star Game bench (please see sidebar).

“What does it tell you about a team that wins its last game 11-4 (Tuesday night against Evansville) then comes back tonight and shuts out a very good Quad City team 2-0?” asked forward Simon Watson, whose second-period power play goal gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead.

“We’re a balanced team and we’re playing our best hockey of the season. Everyone, from top to bottom, contributed to this win. Rob is on one of those streaks where you just know you’re going to win with him in the net and we wanted to win this one to get Scott to the all-star game.

“No coach in this league works harder than Scott and he deserves it.”    Following Watson’s goal, more than 1,800 stuffed animals were tossed on the ice. They were collected and will be distributed to children at area hospitals this holiday weekend.

Olivier Filion put the Mavericks on the board in the first period, continuing a hot streak that has seen him score a point in seven consecutive games.

“We are a very confident team,” Filion said. “Even though it was just a 2-0 victory, I felt like we were in control the entire game. Nolan is so good in the net and we just kept going and going and taking it to them.

“And we are thrilled for Scott. He deserves to be the all-star coach.”

And Nolan deserves to go along with Hillman as a reserve (the starting team was announced Thursday and there were no Mavericks among the starting crew).

He stopped 22 shots and recorded the first shutout of the season.

“I should have had a couple of other shutouts, but I let some shots slip in,” said Nolan, who lowered his league-leading goals against average to a miniscule 1.87 (Quad City’s Adam Russo is second at 2.37)

“This is a big night for the team, for Scott and for our fans. To have 5,000 here on a night like this is amazing. I just love it here and we’re getting better and better every time we play. This is the place to be in the Central Hockey League.”

Moments after the game ended, the Mavericks announced that Hillman would be an all-star coach and he received a standing ovation from the crowd of 5,146.

The selection process by the CHL for all-star coaches is a simple number crunch. The two coaches with the best winning percentage in the CHL through December 23 are selected as the coaches for the CHL all stars, who will take on the defending CHL champions Rapid City.

 Hillman will join Allen Americans coach Dwight Mullins on the all-star bench.

As Hillman walked off the ice, players patted him on the back, slapped high fives and did their best to mess up his hair.

“This was a great night,” Hillman said, after the Mavericks improved to 15-7-3 (.660 winning percentage), “but not because of me going to the all-star game.

“It was a big night because we put on a great show for our fans and continued to find a way to win.”

The victory was a team-record fifth in a row and it sets the stage for a perfect Christmas weekend.

“The boys can relax, go home and visit their families if they want to and have a great weekend,” Hillman said.

When he finally got around to talking about being named the league’s all-star coach, he got a bit emotional.

“I honestly don’t even know when the game is being played,” he said, as a voice from the back of his office said, “Jan. 12.”

“But it’s special. You know, they take the coach from the team with the highest winning percentage in the conference, and for the boys to have the highest winning percentage is what we have been shooting for all year.

“We’re a point out of first place, we’ve won five in a row and we have the hottest goaltender in the league. I guess Christmas came a few days early.”

WINTONEAK LEAVING THE MAVERICKS: Not all the news was good from the Independence Events Center as rookie forward Walker Wintoneak (eight goals and nine assists in 20 games) informed the team that he was leaving the Central Hockey League to attend college.

“It was a life-choice decision and a very tough decision to make,” Wintoneak said. “I can’t play pro hockey after Jan. 1, 2011 and still get my college scholarship from junior hockey, so I told Coach that I was leaving the team.

“He was disappointed – and I am disappointed too, because I feel like I am leaving my family. But it’s the right decision, and I’ll follow the team all the way to the playoffs.”

Hillman said the move by Wintoneak was not a total surprise.

“We knew there was a chance this might happen, and we wish Walker the best,” Hillman said. “He is an amazing talent and there will be a spot on the team for him when he’s done with college.”

The Mavericks are expected to place forward Derek Knowles on the active roster in time for him to join the team Sunday in Wichita.