The Mavericks faced off against the Lake Erie Bighhorns this past weekend for the first time of the 2020-21 season. After two physical contests, the Mavericks came out of the weekend with a split and an exciting overtime finish to build momentum for the coming week. The weekend series kicked off on Friday night at OhioHealth Chiller North. The Bighorns jumped out to an early first period lead with back-to-back goals by Todd Smith. After a scoreless second period, the Bighorns would extend their lead to 3 goals at the 6:46 mark in the third period. The Mavericks’ Noah Stanton would end the Bighorns’ shutout hopes with a goal assisted by Marcus Cornett with just 8 seconds left in the game, to bring the final score to 3-1. Tyler Dorion got the start in net for the Mavs and turned away 23 of 26 shots on the night. Looking to bounce back from Friday’s loss, the Mavericks came out ready to put on a show for the local fans. After the Bighorns again jumped out to a first period lead, Keegan Hoover would get the Mavericks’ scoring started with a goal at 5:45 in the second period, assisted by Danny Beebe. Deric Richison would pull the Mavericks ahead 2-1 with a goal assisted by Mike Campbell just 5 minutes later. The Mavericks would open the third period scoring to extend their lead to 3-1 with an unassisted goal by George Zimmerman at the 7:55 mark. Not wanting to go away quietly, the Bighorns would rally back, scoring two goals to tie the game at 3. Despite multiple scoring attempts by both teams and thanks to some flashy goaltending, the the 3-3 tie would hold through the end of regulation, forcing a 3v3 five minute overtime. Thanks to the extra open ice, the overtime period saw a number of exciting scoring chances, including numerous breakaways. Just when it looked like the game would head to a shootout, the Mavericks’ Noah Staten picked up a loose puck with the clock winding down the final seconds. After flying down the ice on a breakaway, Staten would bury the puck top shelf with just 2.8 seconds remaining to secure the overtime victory. Goaltender, Zach Waizmann got the nod for the Mavericks and stopped 25 of 28 shots to earn the victory. The Mavericks return to action this weekend with a special home game at the NTPRD Chiller in Springfield, OH on Saturday, January 30th at 7:30 PM. Click <span style="text-decoration:underline"><a href=https://www.columbusmavericks.com/events/columbus-mavericks-vs-wooster-oilers-january-30th target=undefined>HERE</a> to grab your tickets today!