Nobody said it would be easy, and it wasn’t. The #3 seed Mavericks were the top seed in action in the USPHL Great Lake Division Playoffs this weekend, playing host to a revamped #6 Battle Creek Kernels squad. “Tristan (Jensen) was wheeling and dealing down the stretch and made a lot of moves to bolster that squad going into the playoffs” stated Mavericks Head Coach and General Manager Joey Recktenwald. “We had taken all four regular season matchups from those guys, but this roster had some key pieces that weren’t there until close to the late deadline. When you bring in kids with NCDC and high-end AAA experience, it throws all those previous scores out the window.”

The opportunistic Kernels struck first in the series, when newcomer Brayden Lewis tallied two first period goals to shock the Mavs at Chiller North. Recktenwald added, “We knew what he could do to a game, and we have a young and inexperienced playoff team. Coming out flat made things very difficult from the jump. We were sleepwalking through the first period, and they did what any team should do and capitalized on it. The way their goalie played that game, it was a backbreaker.” Lewis’ hot start was noteworthy, but it was goaltender Galvin Reagan who stole the show. After the slow start, the Mavericks high octane offense kicked it into gear, piling on 30 shots in the second period alone, en route to a 70 shot effort. Reagan was up for the task, recording a remarkable 68 save performance in the Kernels game one upset victory.

With their backs against the wall and facing elimination, a much grittier Mavericks bunch showed up for game two. The Mavs took control early, never looking back the remainder of the game or series. “We knew what needed to be done, and it wasn’t going to be a good idea to get in our way. Once that train gets rolling with some of the horses we have, it can be awful hard to stop.” said Coach Recktenwald “Gio Valentine pulled a Gio Valentine, popping a goal and grabbing a couple assists. It’s hard to key in on one guy when there is multiple that can get you. We’ve seen it all year, teams matchup with Cav’s unit and there comes Gio, Eggy, and Zulks. You stop our forwards and here comes Woody and Browny wheeling out of our end. These guys are dogs, they don’t like anyone who isn’t wearing a Mavs jersey.”

Friday and Saturday saw the Mavericks earn back to back wins and clinch the series. Goaltenders Jonah Little and Lukáš Kamenický combined to allow just three goals in the final two games for a collaborative .948 save percentage. “We needed stops and got them” said Recktenwald. “Jonah and Luky were rocks, but its deeper than just them. Our goaltending group is young for this league, and they’ve pushed each other all year long. Every goalie in the world wants the net to be theirs, but I know the guys who were in the net and the guys who weren’t earned those wins together. They’re hungry but they’re humble, they remind me of a pitching staff in baseball. No selfishness, whoever’s number gets called gives their best for the group.”

The Mavericks piled up an impressive 186 shots (a new club record) in the series and got goals from nine different skaters. 10 players had multi-point weekends, including Giovanni Valentine with six points and Caden Cavalieri and Graham Wood with four each. Brady Gedman and Alexander Brown each had two goals in the series, while Thomas Eggleston added three points of his own.

The Mavericks travel to Toledo to face their in-state rival Toledo Cherokee in the #2 vs #3 Great Lakes Division Matchup. The winner will face the victor of the #1 Metro vs #5 Cincinnati matchup with a nationals birth on the line. All games will be televised on Flo Sports.